<p>In which circumstances would this be good or bad? How many extra would be too many?</p>
<p>@intincsically,
I asked all if I could submit extra recommendations and they all said, “We like to learn as much about our applicants as possible.” So, I think maybe 3-5 extra recommendations? Idk, use your own judgement.</p>
<p>intrinsically - </p>
<p>I posed this same question to the AO’s of about a dozen schools. The response varied from school to school. Most said to go ahead and send the extra recommendation, but a couple of schools said they absolutely did NOT want anything extra. So, if I were you, I’d ask each school you’re applying to. As far as I can tell, the more applicants they have, they less willing they are to receive extra paperwork . . . but it really does vary from school to school.</p>
<p>And, when you say “extra recommendations,” you also don’t mention how many or from whom. If you’re super-advanced in chemistry and want to send along a recommendation from your chemistry teacher, that makes sense. But if what you’re talking about is a letter from Aunt Rosie saying what a great kid you are, I’d skip it if I were you. The extra recommendation really needs to provide information that the school can’t get any other way. So, there may be no need to send the chemistry teacher’s recommendation if your grades already reflect what a good student you are. But, again, each school is different, and some schools might welcome an extra recommendation or two to round out your application.</p>
<p>Nervous about asking the school and what they might think of you? Just make a phone call - no need to identify yourself.</p>
<p>Submit one or two extras is fine. But don’t bombard them and don’t submit anything that is going to retread the ground of previous recommendations. Choose only those people who know what to do and can make an impact - ie show an aspect of the child from a different or unusual light - or reinforce (or counteract) a potentially weak recommendation from someone else.</p>
<p>As with anything - if the school doesn’t want extra stuff - don’t send it.</p>
<p>“The thicker the file, the thinner the applicant”…</p>
<p>maybe i’m just slow but it took me a while to understand. kind of summarizes it, though. i’m sure 1 or 2 extras (as Exie said) = totally fine, but yeah, don’t get like a family friend to say oh mary sue’s the best kid i’ve ever met, etc. i second dodgersmom’s chemistry analogy- if it’s relevant to your strengths, send it.</p>
<p>i think anything beyond 3 is getting a little excessive, but that’s just my opinion-- take it with a grain of salt.
best of luck!</p>
<p>I visited an open house and they said 1-3 extra recs.</p>
<p>Dive Alive makes a good point. I recently critiqued portfolios as a local college. The students presented transcripts and recommendations. I could immediately tell which ones were written by friends and church members. There were pages of glowing and gushing without a single thing to substantiate what the person did to deserve the praise.</p>
<p>So no friends and family members to bulk up the application. No community members who have not actually worked with the student on a substantive project. It’s not necessary and trust me - an Adcom will spot em in a heartbeat :-)</p>
<p>Also, bear in mind that if you’re in 8th or 9th grade, they’re not looking for kids who’ve been in the Peace Corps and run their local United Way annual campaign. Don’t feel a sense of urgency to bolster an application with activities that kids are not expected to be doing at that age.</p>
<p>Yes, I’m sure that your kid’s great, but admissions officers are not so gullible to think that your precious child did anything that any other kid his age doesn’t do when dad sent the iPhone into the lower stratosphere:</p>
<p>[Father</a> and Son Launch iPhone Into Outer Space [VIDEO]](<a href=“Father and Son Launch iPhone Into Space [VIDEO] | Mashable”>Father and Son Launch iPhone Into Space [VIDEO] | Mashable)</p>
<p>The headlines mention the “son” but the truth of the matter is that the kids came along for the ride while the dads maintained full control (and had an absolute blast, I’m sure). No husband could do this sort of thing without a kid being included or else the wife would flip out – so, in that sense, the kid was useful.</p>
<p>I think one extra would be okay – but only if there’s a good reason to do so. I’d think long and hard about a second. And then I’d question why the kid left so much ground uncovered in his or her essays if there’s even a temptation to add a third. Remember, these would be on top of the expected essays and the parent essay. Exactly how much of your insecurity about Junior’s prospects do you want to show?</p>