<p>A Yale admissions officer for my state just emailed me and asked for an additional recommendation letter in an academic subject. (I submitted two recommendation letters already) Is this a good sign or a bad sign? I think my overall application is strong, and I asked for one rec letter in Biology (my major) but also one in Art (one of extracurrics) because I knew her on a personal level. I guess they want another academic subject. Again, what do you think? thanks :)</p>
<p>I guess this just means they don’t consider art to be an academic subject. Good to know. :)</p>
<p>Hmm, that probably is it. Just out of curiosity, when did you submit your app?</p>
<p>They clearly ask for one Math/Science teacher and one English/History teacher…this means that you screwed up and didn’t follow directions.</p>
<p>Bad sign, sorry</p>
<p>^ When did they specify that? I sent in one English and one Journalism teacher rec and they didn’t complain.</p>
<p>I think it’s just an issue with the Art class. Anyways, if your application was strong and you’re a good student, I wouldn’t sweat it.</p>
<p>Where did they say it had to be a math/sci and eng/his teacher? Common App only says it has to be an academic subject.</p>
<p>Because I certainly did not have a math/sci rec either.</p>
<p>They didn’t. It’s a rule of thumb, but by no means a rule. HYPhoper might be thinking of MIT…</p>
<p>^Right, it only has to be an academic subject. (Though ideally one math/sciences teacher and one english/social studies teacher could show well-roundedness in the classroom.)
Art is definitely not considered an academic subject, but clearly if they want another recommendation, they are giving you a second chance, which is super nice :]</p>
<p>Right, if they think you have no chance, why waste their time?(and yours)</p>
<p>How about a Spanish teacher and a Math teacher?</p>
<p>Yale does not specify that the recommendations come from teachers of particular subjects. It is a good idea, however, to have the two letters come from teachers of different subjects.</p>
<p>That’s all it says. Maybe its my major choice. Oh well, guess i have to redo it…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Art is not an academic subject.</p></li>
<li><p>Probably a good sign, considering. If you didn’t have a serious application, they could have just rejected you without putting you and your teachers to more trouble.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>hmm when an admissions guy visited our school, and we asked him about sending extra recos/material, i remember him saying we like seeing everything objectively, and if one person from the school has sent in extra material, its better if everyone in the school has sent it, so that they can judge fairly</p>
<p>so maybe the other applicants from your school sent in 3? wild guess, but maybe…</p>
<p>Just send a rec letter from another teacher in an academic subject. Don’t worry.</p>
<p>From Yale’s FAQ Page</p>
<p>Who should write my teacher recommendations?
It is important that your recommenders be teachers who can write about your recent academic work in rigorous academic subjects. We strongly encourage students to ask 11th and 12th grade teachers to write for them. Given Yale’s extremely competitive applicant pool, it is probably a mistake to ask a favorite ninth-grade teacher to write, or to seek out a coach or chorus director as a recommender unless he or she has also taught you recently in an academic course.</p>
<p>Yale does not specify that the recommendations come from teachers of particular subjects. It is a good idea, however, to have the two letters come from teachers of different subjects. Choose teachers who know you well and who can give us a sense of both your academic and personal strengths.</p>
<p>I don’t think it helps or harms your application. You might be judged for not following directions but i think at this point they are just gathering the necessary material for a sound evaluation. the email is to tell you that you missed their guidelines, so it’s really important that you send another one in right away. good luck!</p>
<p>An APPLICANT MISSING DATA ON THE WEBSITE:</p>
<p>there’s a disadvantage to having the guidelines on the web and not in a phamphlet sent to each applicant – how do you ever know if you have viewed every relevant webpage? Its potentially so easy to miss data. </p>
<p>On the other hand, an admissions booklet/directions on paper, its clear how many pages there are, to highlight important points etc…maybe too old school but…</p>