<p>The story is I was going to ask my IB Visual Arts teacher for a letter of rec, but my counselor told me that it's not an "academic enough subject" and that my schools would be looking for something more "sophisticated." So I asked my IB English A1 teacher. Higher Level. She's British, and the type of person who's really smart and has a great sense of humor, but very dry, and would never, I mean NEVER compliment you, though she is generally pretty laid back and nice about things.</p>
<p>I wasn't too worried because
1) guidance counselor said to do it, and hey, what do I know, she's the pro. even if my counselor is only like 30, still she'd know better than me. even if I don't agree with her that Art isn't sophisticated, the goal is getting into college
2) yes my English teacher is British and certainly has her British-isms but that's a bit stereotyping, plus she's a pro too, she's been writing letters of recs for years, she should know how to do this.</p>
<p>But yesterday we were doing some stuff in English and while my teacher was giving us feedback, she said, "I've heard worse," and it wasn't a joke I swear when she said later "that's the British way of complimenting you."</p>
<p>This is great. I've already asked her, wouldn't it be rude to un-ask?
So in summary
a) Should I excuse my request from my English teacher and ask my Art teacher (who is American, by the way, and writes very elaborate and detailed term reports, plus whom I have a more friendly relationship with) or just stick to what I've got?
b) Do colleges really care that much about what subject the teacher who is writing the letters of rec are teaching? I am applying to UPenn, NYU, Brown and Stanford.</p>
<p>Some colleges specify what subject area teachers they want letters from. I would enlist the help of your guidance counselor and ask whether he/she will take a look at the recommendation before it is sent. My son’s counselor reviews all recommendations before they are sent.</p>
<p>Directly from the CA Teacher Evaluation form:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Art is not an academic subject, so you need to go with your English teacher or a teacher from another academic discipline. If schools have specific instructions, of course follow them.</p>
<p>Personally, I think how people express themselves speaking and writing are very different, I think you should go with your English teacher as long as you’ve done well in her class and she knows your work enough to write a good LOR.</p>
<p>the more i talk to my guidance counselor the more i get the feeling that she’s clueless. I asked her this, “do colleges really care that much” and she just said “I think so,” when I pressed on she said she’d “check.” haven’t heard anything since and that was two weeks ago. should i excuse my request and ask my Art teacher?</p>
<p>I think that a good English teacher probably has a command of the language and will write a fine recommendation. You might also provide your English teacher with a resume and a paragraph about what it is that you are most interested in for college. OR you could ask your English teacher if there is anything she needs from you. It sounds as though she has been doing this for a while. good luck.</p>
<p>thank you for the reply, i think i will just try harder to perform in English (our classes are always discussions and critical commentaries) and ask her if she needs any extra info. thanks again:)</p>