Does it hurt to include two nontechnical rec letters?

<p>I have asked myself this question many times and was hoping for a few opinions. My math recommendation shows my success in challenging myself in many topics while explaining the concepts to other classmates whenever I could. It is indicative of my love for the subject and reflects all kinds of math proficiency on record. My AP US History recommendation is very well-written and reflects many of my qualities inside and outside of the classroom. I am positive that I will submit this social studies rec. </p>

<p>Now I'm not too proud of this, but I asked for a third recommendation from my German teacher of 3 years (I am enrolled in her AP German class). She has sealed the envelope up and no one besides Columbia will see that rec letter. She is known for writing rec letters that reflect not only the successful attributes of the student but also his or her flaws. The only comment she made to me was "I wrote a glowing rec letter".</p>

<p>I probably should have told you guys that I am interested in studying Economics at Columbia (I listed Econ-Math, Econ-Stat, and Math-Stat in order of preference of study on my app). I feel that although the math rec letter represents me well, it might only cement the strong math scores elsewhere in the application. Also, I am very curious as to what my German teacher has said about me. Suggestions are welcome. Oh and would Columbia mind if I sent in two teacher B rec forms or two teacher A rec forms since I kind of lost track? I completely did not anticipate this situation a month ago and sending in three recs seems unwarranted/illegal.</p>

<p>It's not unwarranted, but not recommended.</p>

<p>sending in 3 recs isn't a problem, assuming that each recommender can shed light on non-overlapping sides of you as a person or as a student.</p>