How Many Letters of Recommendation to Send?

[magistreal]

<p>For Harvard (and several other prestigious schools) there is an option of sending UP TO 3 (min 2) teacher recommendations, and up to 2 extra recommendations.
But I have heard from several people that Harvard (other schools included) only allow at max 3 recommendations (2 from teachers, 1 extra). As stated on the common application, it looks like you can send 5 maximum. So which is correct?
Also, should I bother getting three teacher recommendations if I think two will do the trick?</p>

[yangmaster]

<p>If you think two does the trick, then there’s no need to send more.</p>

[Ar4ybaldik]

<p>Just put 2 teachers and 2 others, counselor and employer. I asked my 3 employers to write recommendations, because I mentioned about my work in essays.</p>

[thepaterfamilias]

<p>Do you use CommonApp request for extra, non-school recommenders ? Or is it via regular mail ?</p>

[T26E4]

<p>@Ar4ybaldik: you obtained 3 employers’ rec letters — but you’re only going to submit ONE, correct?</p>

<p>You should NOT sumbit 2 teacher recs, counselor rec and 3 employer recs. You should only submit ONE employer rec.</p>

[ky123212]

<p>Hi, to join in the conversation, how likely do you think it is that the school will read extra recommendation letters and take them in to serious consideration?</p>

[T26E4]

<p>ky: they’ll read them but it’s constantly stated: they are not necessary. Their experience is 3rd or 4th letters just repeat the message conveyed in the first two.</p>

<p>Here’s what Harvard says:

Should students send supplementary recommendations?
While we can make careful evaluations with required recommendations, we are happy to read helpful letters from people directly familiar with applicants’ lives outside the classroom. Such letters are not necessary, however, and it is generally advisable to submit no more than two or three.

</p>

<p>Yale is explicitly against more letters and SAYS IT TWICE:

Two Teacher Recommendations*High school teachers can provide extremely helpful information in their evaluations. Not only do they discuss your performance in their particular class or classes, but they may also write about your motivation, intellectual curiosity, energy, relationships with classmates, and impact on the classroom environment. It is important that you solicit recommendations from teachers who have taught you in academic subjects, who know you well, and who have seen you at your best. It is also preferable that letters come from teachers who have taught you during your junior or senior year of high school. We do not encourage supplemental letters of recommendation.</p>

<p>Recommendations should be submitted electronically through the Common Application website. You will use the “Assign Recommenders” feature on the Common Application website to send an email to your teacher, which will include a link and instructions for submitting their recommendation online. Please ask your teachers for letters of recommendation well in advance of application deadlines to give them ample time to write a strong letter for you.</p>

<p>!We prefer that letters of recommendation come from teachers who have taught you during your junior or senior year of high school in a core academic subject. We do not encourage supplemental letters of recommendation.

</p>

[awaarahoon]

<p>For what my experience might add, when I was applying to colleges in 2010 I received two wonderful letters from teachers in foreign language & history. I was required to get a third letter by University of Chicago by a teacher in a math/science subject (they really looked down on foreign language recommendations, which I think is a mistake), so I had my AP Stats teacher write me a letter. I had my counselor read it and we discussed whether or not the Stats letter added an extra dimension to my application. He didn’t think it did, so I sent that supplemental letter off only to University of Chicago and Harvard. When I had my Harvard alumni interview, the interviewer suggested I add the statistics letter to back up my interests in math. I’m grateful for that piece of advice, though who knows of course if it made any difference; I was rejected at Yale & UPenn (which I honestly think had more to do with Early Acceptances for other students at my school) but accepted at Harvard.</p>