<p>Is five recommendations too many for Tier 1 schools such as berkeley, columbia, cornell, CMU, etc?</p>
<p>I have:</p>
<p>1 recommendation from chemistry teacher
1 recommendation from my english teacher
1 recommendation from my guidance counselor <-- think its mandatory from my school
1 recommendation from two year internship at large company
1 recommendation from summer research position</p>
<p>Is that too much? and which one should i take out?</p>
<p>Teacher recommendations are mandatory, maybe you have the guidance counselor’s recommendation confused with a school transcript?</p>
<p>I’d choose one of the latter two to omit.</p>
<p>The first three are mandatory. I would just choose one of the last two to send … I think 5 is a bit much?</p>
<p>You should send only number requested unless college says you can send more. Many state they do not want more than requested. And don’t bother to send any to Berkeley. UCs do not want any rec letters. You will find that is true for vast majority of public universities. Counselor recs are not required at all colleges and often when it is, it is simply to have the counselor submit a form that verifies classes you are taking and your GPA. You should check with each college to see what it requires before deciding what to send to it.</p>
<p>i agree, thanks! No offense to my counselor of course, great guy, but I dont think think his rec will be any good, considering he barely knows me haha – I’ll call to the colleges</p>
<p>Vanderbilt admissions officer said he usually stops reading them after 5th letter. So you decide.</p>
<p>The GC recommendation is usually less about you and more about the school and providing context. It will include the grading standards, the school profile, any information specific to your high school, and then place you in the context of your class. It’s the teacher recommendations that will speak about you more personally. Colleges want and need that. It’s not optional.</p>
<p>@zoosermom</p>
<p>dont schools normally give a sheet that outlines the basic courses available and the grading standards to complement the college application – the purpose of a rec is not to give context but to “recommend” someone. How is it possible to “recommend” if that person does not know me? : /</p>
<p>ill call the colleges and my high school about this nonetheless, thanks for your input!</p>
<p>iactuallyrespond, the teachers’ recommendation and the GC recommendation serve different purposes. The GC rec CAN speak to the student if they know each other, but it is generally the case that the GC doesn’t have a close relationship with the many students in his or her care.
That is often what the GC sends in as his/her recommendation.</p>
<p>If you look at the Common Application site, you will note that there is a “teacher evaluation” and a “secondary school report” and they aren’t the same thing. There is no guidance counselor recommendation for the reason I explained above. You should check out the actual documents on the web site so you will know what is being asked for and provided on your behalf.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/SSR_School_Form.pdf[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/SSR_School_Form.pdf</a></p>
<p>I’m almost positive that Columbia requires a counselor recommendation letter. At least, they did when I applied. I had just transferred during my junior year, so my counselor didn’t know me at all. It was probably really generic. </p>
<p>If I were you, I’d use the one from your internship, but only if the person knows you well. A majority of applicants will have a letter from a teacher, so it will help you stand out. </p>
<p>I think five is too many, though. I read an article a couple years back about how some admissions officers throw away applications that have more than the required amount.</p>
<p>There is also the oft-quoted phrase to consider : “the thicker the (application) file, the thicker the applicant.”</p>