Can I choose which teacher recommendations to send to colleges if I have 3+?

Applying to College
1

Hi all,

I’m a junior in HS. I’m comtemplating whether to ask a second physics teacher for a recommendation (the first one said yes). He announced publicly in class today that he would be accepting emails requesting college recommendations. I know that most colleges require <= 3 recommendations, so if I get 3 or more I want to send my strongest ones. I don’t want to send 2 physics recs to the same college unless necessary, since I’m more of a math guy; I’m contemplating this recommendation as a “backup” recommendation.

I don’t know too much about how letters of recommendation are actually delivered to colleges, so my question is can you choose which recommendation letters to send if you accumulate 3+ but the college only wants 1 or 2? Also, do you have to pick the same letters to send to each college, or can you send different ones to different colleges? Any other caveats that I should be aware of? I’m using Naviance to request my letters.

2

On the Common App you assign recommenders to schools, so you can choose. I’m not familiar with Naviance, though.

3

Bump. Does anyone know how it works with Naviance?

4

you don’t want two physics recommendations sent to a school. just pick one teacher and stick with them. you could do a physics and math, but most schools will want diversity in your recs. so 2nd recommendation should be from a humanities type teacher preferably. then 3rd from someone like a coach, music teacher or small group leader of some sort. But pick teachers that know you well, that’s the most important thing.

you’ll use the common app to actually select your recommendations to be sent where (can do diff’t ones to diff’t schools - diff’t schools have diff’t criteria). your GC should be able to tell you how naviance interfaces with common app for this.

5

There’s generally no way to know which recs are best, unless the teachers show you, which is uncommon (you’ll waive your right to see them).

But yes you can pick 1-2-3 to send. Many schools require only 1 or 2 but will consider 3.

6

IMO, you should only ask 2 teachers, ideally one in STEM, the other in humanities. If you submit a third rec, it shoud be from a non-academic person: a coach, a music teacher, a boss, a supervisor at the place you volunteer, etc… The ONLY reason to submit a third rec is if that person can add an element to you that your teachers can’t. So, a boss would be a good person because he or she has seen you in a totally different way that your teachers dont know much about.

Submitting a third rec doesn’t give you extra brownie points, unless that person has something of interest to add about you. And you won’t get in over someone more qualified who only submitted two. Do not submit more than three apps, for sure, and check to see if a college even accepts extra material.

BTW, does your school allow you to request more than two teachers anyway? I know many schools don’t. This is because teachers can’t afford to wast time on recs that won’t be used. You should ask the teachers who like you thebest and who you like too.