<p>So I'm applying early decision to my top choice college, and on the Common App it requires two teacher recommendations. Naturally wanting to balance school subjects, I selected my drama teacher who is basically a friend to me and my AP Calc teacher who I'm only decently acquainted with but who could write me a solid rec. </p>
<p>Then I heard juniors talking about how my AP US History teacher was constantly bragging about me and wanting to show his classes my essays from last year, and I decided "hey, that's enough reason to add one more recommendation." But unfortunately, the CommonApp will only let me put in two recommendations for this school. If I was going off the quality and passion of the essays alone, I would choose my drama and history teacher. But I've heard a lot of people recommend a balance of the humanities and sciences, and unfortunately I'm only good -- not great -- at my math and science classes so my AP Calc teacher is the best I can get. Drama isn't a core subject but my drama teacher and I have a really close relationship and she's already written the whole essay. What should I choose?</p>
<p>I would choose the ones that would seem the most passionate, which you said would be the history and drama teachers :). It sounds like they would be the best recs.</p>
<p>Your more important issue right now is to assure two of those teachers get the letters done quickly since Nov 1 is getting close. You already have one and should keep it. I assume the math teacher already knows he needs to write one. Teachers get a lot of requests for rec letters and the worst thing a strudent can do is wait until close to the time the letters are due to ask for them. What I would do is go with the two already set up. Ask for the third and see if the teacher can do it and then just have it sent by the teacher or your counselor to the college to supplement your application file.</p>
<p>Many colleges want them sent by the app deadline, others by some specified short period after deadline. Most will be somewhat lenient if the letters are a little late but yes you can end up with an incomplete application file and thus out of EA consideration if the letters are delayed too long and you should proceed on the assumption that you need them done promptly not two weeks from now.</p>