So far I have one recommendation letter from my counselor and one recommendation letter from my French teacher. Some of the colleges I’m applying to on Common App (William & Mary, Pace University, American University of Paris) have the option to submit more teacher recommendation letters. I have good relationships with all of my teachers, but the only other one I think knows me well enough is my AP Euro teacher, and he takes so long to even grade my assignments that I worry if he would even finish my rec letter on time. How important is it that I have another teacher recommendation? Will it boost my application that much? Or on the other hand, will colleges think something’s wrong if I only have 1 teacher rec out of the 2 or 3 maximum?
Two stages here, IMO.
First, the importance of rec letters themselves varies by college. Go to the Common Data Set of the schools you are considering and see what box they check in C6 Basis for Selection. At William & Mary they check the top box of “Very Important.” For schools that check the lowest two boxes I wouldn’t bother.
Second, judgement call. Often colleges ask for a letter from a math/science teacher and then another from a teacher in the liberal arts such as History or English to get perspectives from those that know you in different academic areas. Unless your AP Euro teacher sees something the French teacher doesn’t these may appear a bit redundant and it might be better to get a rec from a math/science teacher if you want another rec.
Incidentally you say “I have good relationships with all of my teachers” but it’s always wise to ask any prospective rec writer whether they’d be comfortable writing a strong rec or if they instead think you should ask someone else. Presumably nobody asks a teacher who they think has a poor opinion of them, yet lukewarm or worse letters of rec exist.
Since it’s already November personally I’d be leaning towards the camp that says its a bit late to be soliciting new recs and be concerned that anyone you ask might have a bit of resentment that you waited so long to ask them.
1 Like
Hmm, ok thanks. My earliest deadline is in February so I think 2-3 months should be enough time? But I totally understand what you mean. And I know it’s preferable to have rec letters from teachers in different disciplines, but I’m really not STEM-inclined nor do I feel like my STEM teachers know enough about me to write me a rec letter. I’ll ask my Euro teacher and make sure he understands that it’s optional and that I regret not asking him sooner. Thanks anyway
Depends on the teacher and school. Teachers teaching more advanced level courses commonly taken by college bound juniors are likely to have the highest recommendation load, so they may ration recommendations (e.g. they may only be willing to write a certain number, and are “full” long before students start applying to colleges).
1 Like
I think if you’ve hit the school requirement, you are fine.
If you want to add one more (and it’s not a third teacher) and they allow this, that’s fine too.
I wouldn’t not ask because they are slow to grade.
Ask, give your brag sheet, and the deadline.
But if you’ve met the requirement already, that’s ok too.
My guess is many letters are written generically and likely don’t impact - unless horribly bad and no one would ask someone who would write one of those.
1 Like
I would start by asking the AP Euro teacher if he could write a positive recommendation by the date you need. His answer will help you determine how to proceed.
In general, a second positive LOR can be a plus (for schools that accept more than one teacher LOR). But unless the LOR is spectacular, it is unlikely to be a game-changer.
1 Like
I don’t know about recs but my son spent a year at American University of Paris and loved it!!! It was a great stepping stone to get to where he is now as well. Best of luck!
1 Like
In the book “The Gatekeepers” by a reporter that shadowed the admissions committee at Wesleyan for a year is a real-world example. When the student asked for a rec she undoubtedly assumed it would be positive, but here is what she got:
There were times, I must admit,that I thought Tiffany might have taken a stronger interest in mastering the material in our course. When I saw that Tiffany was a National Merit Semi-Finalist I was a bit surprised. While clearly bright and competent, I had seen in Tiffany neither an exceptional skill for testing nor a particular affinity for the subject.
She was rejected.
1 Like
Why would someone agree to write a letter if they are going to write that? smh
1 Like
I’ve got to agree. If you can’t be at least generally positive about the student, just say no.
1 Like
It’s a reasonable question and I think the answer lies in the tension between a consumer society and institutional interests.
From a consumer point of view we are accustomed to things being done for our benefit. And some parents, especially those sending kids to expensive prep schools, expect the school to do everything it can to help place their kid even if it involves misleading the colleges a bit or a lot. For that matter, perhaps these schools do.
But from an institutional point of view selective colleges are relying on the integrity of grades and recs from high schools to find the students they want. Teachers and counselors play a major part in the process, then, and colleges rely on their professionalism. Letters of rec mean nothing if every one of them is a glowing endorsement. And if a HS becomes known by colleges for misleading recs that will hurt their future students that actually are up to par.
It may be a bit unfair to expect a 17-year-old kid to realize not every teacher will write them a positive letter and that they are allowed to ask what kind of letter the teacher will write. But that’s why we have this forum 
I agree that the teacher would have been better off telling the student it would be best to find another person to write the LOR. However, we don’t know if teachers at that particular HS are pressured into saying yes to every request.
This highlights why a student should ask a teacher if he/she can provide a “positive LOR.”
But let’s get back to the OP’s question about trying to get a second positive LOR.
Jacques Steinberg wrote The Gatekeepers almost 25 years ago. It’s a great data point, but so much has changed over very the intervening years, including the awareness of most teachers and students regarding LOR. I wouldn’t take one anecdote in something observed a quarter of a century ago as anything more that just that.
William & Mary has a January RD deadline.
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.