<p>For the recommendation letter, I have in mind one particular teacher (my biology teacher) who was my teacher in 10th grade and also my guidance counselor for a school that I have since transferred from last year. I was in his varsity tennis team and I and my parents know him and respect him very much. </p>
<p>There are two problems I'm having:
1. He's one option for my teacher recommendation but he was also my counselor at that school as a sophomore (even though he's supposed to be a counselor for juniors, because he met me so early on varsity tennis as a freshman, he immediately took me under his wing). So because he was also my counselor, would that involuntarily count as my counselor recommendation or my teacher recommendation? Because I also know my counselor from my new school and although I know both counselors will provide a superb recommendation (i'm not bragging here even tho it might sound like it), I prefer to have the counselor from my new school write out my counselor recommendation since she's also one of those admissions committee people for UCLA.</p>
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<li>My teacher/counselor got fired. I went to a private high school for the first two years of high school and because of the economy, the administration had to raise the price and cut down some of the teachers. Would his word still be considered in the admissions process or would be nullified since he is no longer a teacher/counselor?</li>
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<p>I would really love for him to provide a recommendation letter and be an integral help to my application process not only because he was a great mentor and respected advisor but he also has a small connection to Harvard ;) which is better than none.</p>
<p>So... can he fill out a TEACHER recommendation for me for the college application?</p>
<p>Oh! And also by teacher recommendation, can I ask my activities director to recommend me? I have worked closely with her during my first year at my new school because of all the activities I have done and also because she has said a lot of positive things about me throughout the year so I know she will give me a good word. If not, is there something like a supplemental recommendation that college apps offer? Or would that seem too... i don't know... overdoing it with more recommendations than required?</p>
<p>You need to choose wisely. Colleges are looking for teachers that know you well in the classroom. They want to hear about your scholastic ability and potential. Unless your Activities Director has also taught you in the classroom, I would pass on him or her. The information you wrote about your Bio teacher has more to do with tennis than the classroom, so s/he may (or may not) be the best person to write your rec. (BTW: Your Guidance Counselor’s SSR report will come from your new school, the one you are currently attending.)</p>
<p>"Recommendations from secondary school teachers and counselors are extremely important at Harvard and at many other colleges, particularly those with selective admissions processes. Faced with more academically qualified applicants than places in the freshman class, our admission officers review the two required teacher recommendations and the counselor report with great care, often commenting on them in writing on “reader sheets” in each application.</p>
<p>We often project the recommendations themselves onto large screens so that all members of the Admissions Committee can see them during the subcommittee and full committee review processes in February and March.</p>
<p>Recommendations can help us to see well beyond test scores and grades and other credentials and can illuminate such personal qualities as character and leadership as well as intellectual curiosity, creativity, and love of learning."</p>
<p>Ok I get my activities director but I would have to contradict on the bio teacher one. Having him be my tennis coach will only benefit me rather than hurt me because he will be able to take a lot of what he knows about me from two sources rather than just the typical one source of a classroom. Not only that I was one of his top students, if not the top student if you account both academic and personality/social issues. Along with that, my teachers as a junior weren’t as close to me. Because of the bigger classroom size (going from 10-15 to 20-30), I had often felt put out and so I don’t feel as if I had the same connection to any of my teachers at my new school than I had with my biology teacher. But who knows? I might meet a teacher next year with whom I can feel just as comfortable talking to and have the same level of relationship.</p>
<p>I don’t get your comment on the Guidance Counselor thing. What is this SSR report?</p>