help me! hard decision with teacher recommendations

Applying to College
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<p>this entry is really long, but please help me. i can't decide. </p>

<p>i'm applying to penn, mit, caltech, duke, stanford, brown, uc berkeley, and washu. i would like to major in basically any combination of bio, chemistry, and engineering, lol. however, teacher recs are scaring me a little. </p>

<p>i've already given my ap bio teacher one of the recs, but i don't know who to give the second one to. help me.</p>

<p>there are 4 options.
1) my honors chemistry teacher from 10th grade: i got one of the highest grades in the class and was awarded outstanding chemistry honors student of the year. even though it has been 2 years since i had her, i still talk to her a lot. even better is that i'm science olympiad vice president and i think i'm going to be president, and she's a sponsor and she knows many of my distinctions and leadership. (plus, i thought it would be nice to have bio + chem recs = biochemistry!)
HOWEVER, then i'd have no humanities teacher recommendations, and since i want to pursue both business and science at some schools, would two science recs look bad? also, is getting a rec from a 10th grade not too good either? and even though she likes me, she knows i like to freak out a lot, but that--in a way--is a reason why she likes me, lol.</p>

<p>2) my ap language teacher from 11th grade: i've done good in the class. once i wrote a definition essay about a real bad personal struggle of mine and how i overcame it, and she liked it and realizes that i have transcended a difficult obstacle. she knows i'm really hardworking because on one of the biggest projects of the year i was the only one in all ap lang classes to get a perfect score. she also knows about my achievements outside of class.
HOWEVER, i got a 4 on the ap exam. and i was kind of shy in the class (but she knows i have a leadership outside of class, i.e. student body pres, math pres, etc). and she now teaches at a different school.</p>

<p>3) my ap chemistry teacher of 12th grade: he's really really smart. like, really (he went to duke). we only had one test so far, but i got one of the highest grades. and he's the national honor society sponsor at my school, and i'm nhs treasurer. and bio + chem = biochem! and he knows i'm really hardworking, because apparently that's what i'm known for. (will getting a duke alumni to do a teacher rec to duke help me somewhat)
HOWEVER, my school just started. he knew me a little from last year.</p>

<p>4) my ap calculus bc teacher of 11th grade: i kind of suffered at the beginning of each semester, but i worked hard enough and got a 5 on the exam. she knows i work hard.
HOWEVER, i was pretty quiet in the class. and sometimes i did different work during class (definitely should not have)</p>

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<h1>4,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,</h1>

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<p>1 + 3 = good</p>

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<p>Definitely NOT #1. You can't use number 1 for at least one school you're applying to. </p>

<p>I vote #3 simply because I wouldn't want any req of mine to say that I've ever struggled.</p>

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<p>yea johnson, are you talking about stanford and duke? i think they only allow 11th and 12th teacher recs...</p>

<p>thanks you guys so far!</p>

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<p>Choosing teach rec are like women's intuitions, you just know! I'm sure there are two of them that you "just know", so go with your gut!</p>

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<p>I was talking about Duke- I know nothing about Stanford, but I'm 100% positive you can't use a 10th grade teacher for Duke's req's.</p>

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<p>haha you did "good" in the ap language class? i'm sorry i like the irony there.</p>

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<p>but in all seriousness, which teacher do you feel could write the best recommendation for you? it's hard for 3rd parties to be able to tell this for you. however, i'd rule out the 10th grade and the one that's not at your school anymore(unless they knew you by far better than anyone else).</p>

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<p>i'd say ap language teacher or 10th grade honors chem teacher. ap lang, in the sense i had "personal struggle"--nothing to do with getting bad grades in ap lang. i wrote an essay once about a personal struggle in my own life and how i transcended it, and she really really liked it and has seen me persevere amidst obstacle. 10th grade honors chem is really good too i guess because i still know her a lot. she's the kind of teacher who i can go a have a conversation with.</p>

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<p>Definitely #2 and #3</p>

<h1>2 - good that he knows about your personal struggle; it'll add an excellent touch to the rec. And she'll be able to confirm/support your leadership too. Humanities teacher rec adds some balance.</h1>

<h1>3 - Teaches what you're passionate about and good at. He knows you outside of the classroom through NHS - another plus. The alumni factor might help a bit too.</h1>

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<p>i have already given my ap bio teacher my teacher recommendations. i provided her with 8x3 envelopes (the little white ones). Is it bad to provide the 8x3 envelopes? Or should I replace them with 9x12 yellow envelopes?</p>

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<p>i would go for number 2.</p>

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<p>sorry andreaaa, do you mean #2 about the teacher or for the envelopes? lol.</p>

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<p>oh sorry, i meant number two the teacher, haha. i havent done my teacher recs yet but i think you are supposed to give them the manila envelopes? but i could definitely be wrong.</p>