<p>I'm a junior and will be applying to colleges next fall. Though I've heard from many people that it is ideal to get teacher recommendations from junior teachers, I feel like I have better relationships with my sophomore teachers. So, I have the following questions about teacher recommendations.</p>
<p>1)Will it affect my chances at top unis if I have teacher recommendations from two sophomore teachers or one soph & one junior vs. two junior teachers?
2)If i'm planning to go into science can I have recommendations from both math and science teachers instead of english teachers?
3) how much do teacher recs actually count for?</p>
<p>so as of now I have two options</p>
<p>1) rec from soph chem teacher- really good relationship; rec from soph comp sci teacher- really good relationship (sidenote: they both wrote my rsi recs)</p>
<p>2)rec from same chem teacher; rec from junior lit teacher- kinda good relationship, i have an A in that class but not too much interaction</p>
<p>
[quote]
2)If i'm planning to go into science can I have recommendations from both math and science teachers instead of english teachers?
[/quote]
Depends on the school; some schools specifically want one math/science teacher, and one humanities teacher. Others don't care.</p>
<p>
[quote]
3) how much do teacher recs actually count for?
[/quote]
Hard to say; it's part of the subjective aspect of the application. It's important in showing your "character"; don't know if anyone can say how much weighting it carries.</p>
<p>I had a rec from an English teacher and a language teacher. They were the ones who knew me best, and my English teacher knew me for more than two years.</p>
<p>I don't think it matters who your teachers are -- unless your college specifies certain subjects that the teacher must teach, and some do -- as long as they know you well. Of course, you wouldn't want a teacher who gave you a C to write your rec.</p>
<p>You need to look at the application requirements for the colleges you are applying to. Some schools specify that it must be a teacher from 11th and 12th grade.</p>
<p>I believe you need either 11th or 12th grade teacher. I think 11th would be best because your senior yr teacher probably won't know you well (unless you have prior relationships with them).</p>
<p>The best thing to do, is probably threaten them at gunpoint and make sure they write something positive :].</p>
<p>Teacher recs written in bad english or bordering on the mediocre can
severely hurt an applicant to top 10 rated schools.</p>
<p>"~ Good" teacher recs will not add or detract from your app, hence may
probably hurt your app. overall by not making it stand out.</p>
<p>Outstanding recs will pull your app up another notch. Usually the English
AP teachers have the best langauge command to write excellent recs.
Science recs are of greater value than Math recs due to what can be said
about your contributions to class+lab.</p>
<p>Choosing a teacher who also advises an EC/Club of yours would be helpful.</p>
<p>Even if they do not know you prepare a 2-3 page backgrounder listing
your key achievements, interests, ECs and salient points why you are
applying to college X. Using that when your teachers write your rec will
make your app look coherent. (Send in an edited verison fo the backgrounder
for your additional info section on the common app).</p>
<p>So it sounds like a good combo would be my sophomore AP chem teacher (has written many good recs for me in the past) and my junior AP lit teacher (I have an A in her class but not too sure about how much she likes me). Thanks for all the input and any more would be appreciated.</p>