<p>Although Yale "strongly discourages" sending more than the 2 required teacher recs and the gc rec letter, the website states that an additional letter may be submitted if you believe it will "add substantially to your application." I'm trying to get a sense as to what percentage of EA or RD applicants send in supplemental letters of the sort Yale seems to be referring to, i.e., not just an additional standard rec letter from a third teacher. If you're willing to share whether you sent in one (or more) additional letters, I'd appreciate hearing about it.</p>
<p>Hi Periwinkle,
My D sent only required recs, kept all essays to under 500 words, and was succinct. We've heard, more than once, that "more is NOT better." Pity the poor application readers and keep it short. Of course, if there is some entire area of your life that needs another letter to make clear, then go for it. We thought about her coach, orchestra director and so on, but decided if Yale needed to talk to them, they had been given the information to do so. More paper was probably a net negative.
You may have other circumstances!</p>
<p>I went to a summer program at Harvard, and took two college-level courses there over the course of eight weeks. I did well enough that one of my professors (who teaches at Harvard) agreed to write a letter for me. I felt that would improve my application, and would show my ability to do difficult college work and thrive in an Ivy League environment.</p>