<p>from professors who may have taught you in a summer program
or
a sport coach
or
etc.
(obviously, he/she could say some good things about you.)</p>
<p>Would getting a letter beyond the two required academic teachers & counselor be annoying? Helpful?</p>
<p>they’re helpful if they provide a different perspective on who you are, and don’t just reinforce the same points that your other academic recommenders make.</p>
<p>I had 4 recommendations on the application that got me into Columbia. (History teacher, Physics teacher, school Principal, and boss at the full-time job I was at, at the time of my application). I was very exceptional in that regard, so I don’t necessarily recommend copying that approach, but I had compelling reasons so I did it. Just be sure it plays into the story you’re selling about who you are.</p>
<p>The rule of thumb is that don’t get submit extra letters unless you really have to (as Denzera’s case points out). Just as Denzera is a successful case, I know tons of people who submitted an extra teacher rec and was eventually denied.</p>
<p>I believe Columbia is somewhat uptight about the limits. The adcom doesn’t want to read another letter if all it does is repeat what the others say.</p>
<p>OP: what Denzera says.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No, this isn’t a rule of thumb at all. It’s something you made up. And Denzera didn’t “really have to” – he could have submitted 2 letters, but his application was better with 3, and probably even better with 4.</p>
<p>I think 4 is generally unnecessary, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having 3 letters if they’re different. And I know a lot of people who got in using 3.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is one of the dumbest things I’ve read on here in a long time. Yeah, they got rejected because they used 3 recs, and not because Columbia is so damn selective that it rejects 90% of its applicants for a host of reasons.</p>
<p>I think I’m gonna have my boss or principal submit a supplmental rec on my behalf. How do they go about doing this since there is not a form for it on the Columbia app?</p>
<p>Same way your teachers send in recommendations–have them mail the letter to the admissions office.</p>
<p>i was just checkin out the columbia app and there were forms for teachers 1,2 etc. and the teacher can send in a letter.</p>
<p>so just to clarify the same applies for a supplmenetal rec except theres no form. just strictly a letter</p>
<p>No form</p>
<p>“And I know a lot of people who got in using 3.”</p>
<p>But probably 9 times more people who used 3 letters got rejected, right?</p>
<p>One person I knew submitted 3 recs from his hs teachers, he was rejected ED from cornell. Another had 1 extra rec from a prof, but it was run of the mill, so he was deferred and rejected as well. So the moral is to send extra letters ONLY if they are special and bring additional perspectives.</p>
<p>and columbia2002, things have probably changed since when you applied (and got in). I remember that I read a college counseling book written around 2001 that encourages attaching a 5-page resume. Now, with a significantly increased applicant pool at Ivy-caliber colleges, a 1-page resume has become the norm.</p>
<p>The fact that you happened to get into Columbia does not make you God’s gift to prospective applicants. </p>
<p>
You know a grant total of two applicants who sent in extra recommendation letters and got rejected; I see no concrete correlation between extra letters and acceptance/rejection.</p>
<p>
What a load of ********. Basic admissions procedures have not experienced drastic changes in the past 10 years. The same admissions officers reading and admitting students with extra letters of recommendation are not going to suddenly start rejecting people because of them.</p>
<p>May I submit supplementary recommendations?
The Committee discourages the submission of additional recommendations, as admissions decisions will be based primarily on the required recommendations from your high school teachers and secondary school/guidance counselor. In general, we recommend the submission of a supplementary recommendation only if the writer has worked with you in a research or college course capacity. </p>
<p>[Applications</a> & Admission Process | Columbia University Office of Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/faq/admissions.php]Applications”>http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/faq/admissions.php)</p>
<p>It probably wouldn’t hurt if you submitted letters of rec from a coach, boss, etc. but it probably won’t help you either (even if they said something like “Most phenomenal student ever”). There’s this one japanese teacher at my school who lets students write their own rec letters and she just signs it. They can put stuff like, the most intelligent, hardworking, and brilliant student encountered in my whole career and she’ll sign it. My friend at a neighboring high school said they have quite a few teachers who let students write their own recs too. Colleges know about this and so EXTRA rec letters aren’t going to do you much good. A research recommendation letter is probably the most useful since most high school students don’t have the opportunity to do research and it will show admissions officers how capable a student is with hands on, applicable research.</p>
<p>“You know a grant total of two applicants who sent in extra recommendation letters and got rejected; I see no concrete correlation between extra letters and acceptance/rejection.”</p>
<p>All of this is speculation. You don’t know about what’s going on inside the admission officers’ minds any more than I do (unless you are related, or good friends, with one). I only happened to list two as examples (i was too lazy to write more), but I know a few more. Based on my experiences with the columbia adcom (and the experiences of some others on CC), Columbia really strongly discourages any sort of additional info. So I don’t think it’s unreasonable to infer that they’d prefer not to have additional recs unless there is a compelling reason.</p>
<p>“The same admissions officers reading and admitting students with extra letters of recommendation are not going to suddenly start rejecting people because of them.”</p>
<p>The same officers would have more files to go through now because now there are more applicants. Whereas they used to welcome additional materials to shed light on an applicant, now they don’t have that much time to spend on each one. That simple.
(of course, more readers are hired now. but I’d venture to say that still each reader has a heavier workload now compared to say 10 or 20 years ago)</p>
<p>“It probably wouldn’t hurt if you submitted letters of rec from a coach, boss, etc. but it probably won’t help you either”</p>
<p>not a good idea to tick off your admissions reader. see the following thread (ignore flaming):
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/columbia-university/633949-ok-add-explanatory-note-about-test-scores.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/columbia-university/633949-ok-add-explanatory-note-about-test-scores.html</a></p>
<p>Any anecdotal evidence you have hardly justifies your assertions. For the record, I was accepted and I submitted an additional recommendation.</p>
<p>Admissions officers aren’t ****ed off that easily. If they were, they would have rejected a self-righteous windbag like yourself.</p>
<p>Oh, snap! doesn’t it feel good to tell somebody off on the internet?</p>
<p>FYI, you don’t need to worry about how my regional officer reacted to my app. You can just ask him about me.</p>
<p>And don’t I know the shortcomings of anecdotal information. Unless you can provide definitive data from the office of undergraduate admissions, we do with the best we’ve got.</p>
<p>Lastly, if you read carefully what I wrote, i stressed that additional recs shouldn’t be sent unless they offer something else to the table. You got in with the 3rd rec, so it probably worked for you (rather than against your app). Be happy, and don’t be so damn defensive</p>