<p>I am a rising senior and I've started working on my college application. I know that most schools recommend having a teacher from 11-12 grade write a rec, but I was wondering if would be frowned upon if I got a 10th grade teacher to write one. This is probably the teacher who knows me/likes me the best and I think he'd have good things to say. He taught me in an advanced language arts course. Do you think this is okay? (I think my second rec would be from my 11th grade APUSH teacher).
Thanks!</p>
<p>I think it would be fine to get it from a tenth grade teacher (I did one of mine from a tenth grade one), but only do so if you’re sure he is gong to write a fantastic recommendation that would trump some of your later teachers because colleges like to see a perspective from your later years. Both of those are fine choices, although some have reccomended to choose opposite subjects (ex: a STEM and a humanities) I think as long as you are wise about your choices and think hard about your choices, you will be fine. Ask how other students have fared with recs from these teachers, as I know that some teachers are great people but poor letter writers. Good luck! </p>
<p>By the time you are applying to colleges, you will be more than a year removed from the type of student you were in that teacher’s class. Going to 10th grade should be a last resort.</p>
<p>Don’t listen to above, get recommendations from teachers that know you the best/liked you the most, especially if you interact with them
Outside of the classroom (clubs etc). I’m getting both my recommendations from 10th grade teachers.</p>
<p>I’d be a little hesitant if it was a 9th grade teacher.</p>
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^^ I would double check the colleges on your list, as many prefer recommendations from 11th and 12th grade teachers and say so on their websites: </p>
<p><a href=“http://admissions.yale.edu/who-should-write-my-teacher-recommendations”>http://admissions.yale.edu/who-should-write-my-teacher-recommendations</a>
<a href=“Page Not Found : Stanford University”>Page Not Found : Stanford University;
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<p><a href=“http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/freshman-admission/teacher-evaluations”>http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/freshman-admission/teacher-evaluations</a>
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<p><a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/applying/faq.html”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/applying/faq.html</a>
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<p>@theanaconda I’m not exactly sure you are in a position to give such advice. You haven’t even applied to colleges yet. OP, the 10th grade LOR should be a last resort. If it isn’t, don’t get it written by that teacher. If you haven’t been in a teacher’s classroom for over a year, their memory if you will be spotty and your LOR will tend to be more generic. You my friend, should not have a 10th grade teacher either unless it is a last resort. Having two 10th grade teachers will likely end up working against you.</p>
<p>I see the teacher from 10th grade as the teacher is my math team coach (of which I’m an officer next year) so she has interacted with me quite a lot. From what I get, teacher recs should try to show a side of you outside the classroom (your grades likely explain your classroom) and I feel that my math teacher can best do that.</p>
<p>The other teacher I’ll see next year in a 1-semester elective (hopefully first jsemester) as well.
I mean is it really realistic to get 2 teacher recs from your 4-5 core class teachers in 11rh grade? Your teachers senior year will have barely known you or have had very little time to write recommendations by the time they know you (and even then have seen yju for all of 2 months assuming they right their essay on the last day in which case it probably will be poor anyways) by early action deadlines and I’m applying rolling action to some colleges very early in the year. Senior year teachers don’t have the time to know you well and write a good reccomendation letter especially for early action.
Therefore I’m extending myself to sophomore year teachers as well.</p>
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No, THE MOST IMPORTANT thing a teacher can write about is your potential as a scholar in the classroom. For example. can your math team coach write about whether you always have your hand raised to answer questions in class or whether you are a shy kid that needs to be called upon? Can your math team coach write about how you lead classroom discussions and contribute to the classroom conversation? As colleges are academic institutions, what you do outside of the classroom is secondary to what goes on inside the classroom. Have you read what MIT (and most selective colleges) are looking for in teacher recommendations: <a href=“How to write good letters of recommendation | MIT Admissions”>http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/writingrecs</a></p>
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Yes, it’s really realistic to expect to get two 11th grade teachers to write your recommendations. As @Anniebeats said, only when you cannot get 11th grade teachers should you resort to 10th grade teachers.</p>
<p>Gibby’s right on. Consider these two students. One is the daughter of a community college English professor. The other is the daughter of a community college physics professor. Both are earning 4.0 in dual-enrollment calculus class. But it turns out that when the students are working in class, it’s the daughter of the English professor who tutors the daughter of the physics professor. So their transcripts look alike, but only the LOR can explain which kid is the classroom leader. True story.</p>
<p>The best advice we got about all this was your main recommendations should come from 11th grade teachers. For most schools, that is two letters. If you feel there is another recommender who could add to those two letters, you may submit a third, which can be anyone, from club sponsors to coaches or even 10th grade teachers. D had a 10th grade teacher who loved her because she was the only sophomore in a class of primarily seniors, so she had him also submit a letter. It added something to her application to show that she was willing to do what no other student was willing to do - take a class that was full of kids two years ahead of her, and not only that, but she did well, was one of the class leaders, and she helped seniors struggling with the subject. But that letter did not substitute for the two main recommendation letters, which were conventional 11th grade teacher letters.</p>
<p>Admissions readers have a limited amount of time, so be careful about going beyond the recommended number of letters. One extra is usually acceptable, any more may not be read, or they may read only the first ones they encounter, missing your main letters and reducing your chances. Be careful about coloring outside the lines and do not make the admissions people work any more than they need to. To do so risks getting your applications rejected just because it’s too difficult to deal with.</p>
<p>@gibby is spot on! @theanaconda It is very reasonable to have two letters from 11th grade teachers. If it wasn’t reasonable, colleges wouldn’t ask for it. In my view, you should only choose senior year teachers if you have had them before because of the limited time you have spent in their class as a senior. Also, I highly suggest that you ask teachers before summer begins. At my d’s school, they had a three step process that must be completed in junior year. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Speak to the teacher in person to discuss whether or not they can write a good letter for you.</p></li>
<li><p>Fill out a questionnaire that details what classes you took, the grades you received in those classes, and what moments and projects/papers/tests you want them to highlight.</p></li>
<li><p>Request through Naviance. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>I’m definitely going to ask my math team coach (basically already have). She’s known me from 6th or 7th grade and I hbelieve in her reccomendations she speaks very highly of my mathematical abilities and accolades in the context of our school’s history, which honestly would sound better coming from a teacher instead of me. She knows me very well. I’ve essentially already asked her.
My English teacher I guess I’m hesitating now. Is a sophomore and senior split okay? He had effusive praise for my skills and abilities and liked me a lot and I’ll have him next year as well. I have another alternative in getting what would be a generic recommendation from my Apush teacher in the class (I did really well on tests and he considers me an absent minded genius I think Idk if these are good qualities). Which should I ask?</p>
<p>Honestly, the structure of Common App recommendations is such that asking a Senior year teacher with whom you have had no previous contact is a bad idea.</p>
<p>I do not know students (particularly EA it ED students) well enough to judge their overall academic quality. There is a secondary problem - some teachers, particularly some math and science teachers - write horribly.</p>
<p>A teacher who has had you in class and who has mentored you or advised you or has been connected with an activity you love is the best choice. There are ways to mitigate the fact that it was 10th grade. Specific is always better than general.</p>
<p>The teacher who loves you and had you for 10th and 12th is a very safe bet.</p>
<p>Hmmmm I’m still torn and have to decide soon. My English teacher liked me more, but I participated more in SS (more chances to) and better helped to foster the learning environment. These recs are usually subjective though so it’s probably better to have the teacher that liked me more as usually subjective things don’t seem to be based on how much someone likes yju rather than how well
You did.</p>