<p>I was recently asked this question and thought I'd see what others think about the topic. Some schools require only one teacher rec--UNC,for example. High school will automatically send 2 recs along with the transcript, counselor statement, etc. This student would like to include a rec from a local official who can speak to the kid's leadership and ability to work with others. On the one hand, we hear that colleges want to have lots of info to shed light on who the student really is and on the other hand, we are told to follow instructions. Obviously don't want to turn off the admissions people.... </p>
<p>How many is too many? When they require only one, is 3 or 4 too many?? Any thoughts?</p>
<p>It depends on the school, imo. Some are pretty adamant that they don't want your application padded out with supplementals that don't really add something about you.</p>
<p>IMO, unless the school's application instructions expressly discourage supplemental recs, one from a local official *who can speak from direct experience and knowledge of the kid * to leadership ability and work-with-other skills is a good addition. As opposed to a rec from a local official or VIP who barely knows a kid but who throws in a rather shallow letter in the hopes that "pull" will come into play.</p>
<p>The key is, imo, how would the person answer this question if asked (because the teacher and counselor rec forms do ask it): how well have you known this applicant and in what capacity? If it doesn't pass the in-depth relationship test, and if it will not add to what is already covered by the primary recommenders, I would leave it out.</p>
<p>I agree with jmmom. What stands out in my mind from last year's application process, was the Rice University Director of Admissions stating to a group of prospective students and parents the following...."The thicker the file, the thicker the student." She was addressing the question of how many recommendations were preferred. (Btw...Rice wants no more than two.)</p>
<p>my son is home schooled, so recommendations are trickier!</p>
<p>I was advised that recommendations should be from someone with direct, specific knowledge of the student and should contain additional information that adds something unique to the student's application.</p>
<p>random letters from famous people, the boy scoutmaster stating the kid is great in math, five letters from people testifying that the student did a great job with leadership, etc -- all these are just a waste.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. I'm guessing the local official will be adding new information that's not readily available to the classroom teacher, etc. It's interesting to me that a highly selective school can make a decision based on only one teacher recommendation. Does this indicate that this particular school is more interested in grades/scores than another school who may request 2 or 3 recs? Puts lots of weight on only one teacher rec, doesn't it?!</p>
<p>I think one would have to read the entire application and instructions as well as what the Admissions website says they consider important before answering that question. And then maybe hear from some with direct experience of the particular school.</p>
<p>Yes, homeschooler applications are trickier. My daughter's application was definitely thicker, but the schools pretty much said this was what they wanted. (With one exception, the safety school -- which got the filled-in application form, the transcript, and the standardized test scores, period.) There was a summary of everything that was submitted -- colleges could look at whatever they wanted.</p>
<p>I think the question is whether the additional recommendation (or whatever) is duplicative or tells more about the applicant.</p>