<p>So I was browsing the Common App website a couple of days ago and noticed that if you choose to submit an arts supplement, you must have a recommendation from an art instructor.</p>
<p>So far, I will be getting recommendations from the following:
-11th grade APUSH teacher
-11th grade English teacher
-10th grade Calc BC teacher
-counselor</p>
<p>My entire app hinges on my arts supplement, since it's the only way for me to "stand out" (int'l, nt'l photography awards and the like), but I do have decent stats (2340/4.0UW). Does this mean I'll submit a total of five recs? Even if I cut out one of the recs from, say, the APUSH teacher or the English teacher, I'll still have a total of 4 - quite a hefty number indeed.</p>
<p>By the way, I'm looking at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, UCLA, and UC Berkeley (I know for the UCs, recs don't matter, but I thought I'd throw it out there to show I'm not only applying for massive reaches).</p>
<p>Would appreciate some insight on this. Thanks!</p>
<p>“The thicker the file, the thicker the applicant”</p>
<p>Your arts supplement is a must because of your awards, and your stats are terrific, not “decent”. The counselor recommendation is mandatory, and they generally want 1 from a math/science teacher and 1 from a humanities/SS teacher. Pick between English/USH and only send in one of those. The rest is fine since 3 recs are mandatory and your supplement letter is standard procedure for supplements.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input, An0maly. I do have a small problem between picking between USH and English, though. I like both teachers, and they are both amazing.</p>
<p>From what I know, this is what my English teacher can say about me:
Participate in class
To some extent, photography. I dont think he knows that much about it though despite having my resume.
While Im not the top student in his class, I do relatively well. Personally, Ive never considered English to be my strong suit.</p>
<p>However, my relationship with the USH teacher is much closer. Personally, I think hed be able to write a stronger recommendation. He knows about:
My involvement in CSF, since hes the advisor for the club. Its a community service organization, which Ill most likely be president or vice president of next year. This year, I was vice president.
Hes close friends with another teacher, who serves as the advisor for Key Club (which I was a board member for three years of, and will be president this coming school year.)
He knows about most of my photography recognition. Slightly related: he also helped me negotiate a fairer contract with Owl City for the concert photography I did for them.
Class involvement and aptitude for history. </p>
<p>Seems quite easy to pick my USH teacher, right? Well, it gets a bit more complicated, unfortunately. My English teacher approached me and my parents and straight out offered to write my recommendation during report card night. I thought it would be slightly rude to decline, so I accepted.</p>
<p>I havent talked to my USH teacher about writing my recommendation yet. (Frankly, I was quite unprepared for the request from my English teacher. I thought we were supposed to start worrying about this at the END of the school year, not at the end of third quarter.)</p>
<p>What do you think my course of action should be?</p>
<p>5 is far from an “absurd” number of recommendations, especially because one of them is an art supplement recommendation and is read by the art department that evaluates your submission (not the admissions office).</p>
<p>The standard – required, actually – number is 3 (2 teachers, 1 counselor), so even if you can’t find a way to tell your English teacher that you already have enough recs, you’re 1 over. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal as long as your English teacher can still write something meaningful that you think the other teachers haven’t mentioned.</p>
<p>I would suggest you eliminate the BC Calc teacher. Many of the information sessions I went to before applying emphasized the importance of having a Junior or Senior year teacher.</p>
<p>That’s what I thought too, but don’t most schools also recommend having one teacher from English or history, and one teacher from math/science? If I’m going to break with tradition, I’d rather break this one since my math teacher knows me far better than my current English teacher. One thing he can write about in my recommendation is how I had him for two years (I took 0 period Algebra 2 at my current high school in eighth grade, since my math courses were two years ahead, and my middle school didn’t offer it since I was the only student that needed to take it. I then took Calc BC with him sophomore year.) I’m also secretary of math club -of which he is the adviser of - and most likely will be team captain or president senior year.</p>
<p>I was talking to my sister about this problem, and she said that what I could do is only send my Eng and Calc teacher recs to the schools that REQUIRE two recommendations and two only. However, for schools that don’t care about the number of recommendations as much - Harvard, for example - I can send all three teacher recs in. Can anyone confirm this? She’s a current freshman at Harvard, so I assume she’d know, but she only sent in two teacher recs and no art supplement.</p>
<p>MSauce - that is bad advice. I think it’s better to have a rec from a 10th grade teacher than for him to give no recs from a math/science person at all, especially when several schools require/recommend one math/science and one humanities rec.</p>
<p>@ AAS - Have both your teachers upload a rec through commonApp, and just don’t submit your english teacher’s rec. The only person who will know is you. Based on your summary, the teacher won’t add much that isn’t already described in your app/other letters, so there’s no compelling reason to send one.</p>
<p>At HYPS, I know English and History are considered separately. Not only did I verify this with the admissions officers, but I actually did submit an arts supplement along with the art teacher rec, my English teacher’s rec, and my European History teacher’s rec, and everything worked out fine for me.</p>
<p>^
Thanks for the info. At least I can have some peace of mind if I end having to send one English, one US History rec.</p>
<p>That said, I’d greatly prefer having my Calc BC teacher and my US History teacher send in recs. Can someone comment on what I said in post 8, quoted below?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Also:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>While that may be true, I’d feel horrible if the English teacher put in hours of work writing my recommendation and I plan on not using it. He might not be able to write as strong a recommendation as the others, but I love all my teachers dearly and I can’t imagine doing that to any of them ):</p>
<p>First, ask if the US and Calc teacher are willing to write recommendations. Assuming they are, then I would tell the English teacher you don’t need one from him. Maybe just explain the situation–say you’re getting recs from teachers who have known you longer, or tell him you don’t plan to major in English and would rather have a rec from a teacher who teaches a subject you’re more interested in. Also explain that the other teachers are advisors to clubs in which you have leadership positions. Tell him you very much appreciate the offer, but have decided you don’t need a rec from him. If you’re respectful and nice about it, he shouldn’t mind having to do less work and will appreciate your honesty.</p>