<p>This is just something I noticed in almost all Ivy League forums. Everyone's usually very concerned with their part of the application, like the essays, grades, SAT scores - aspects the applicant essentially controls. </p>
<p>Based on what I've seen in all the decisions threads, there are TONS of applicants who are similar on paper in terms of numbers. Granted if admissions decisions were made using some form of mathematical algorithm, ecs, personality, and passion would fluctuate in value, I wonder about the teacher/additional recs. I always see a couple or more applicants who seem to have accomplishments on par with each other - so then maybe here teacher recs do play a deciding factor? In a sense they can really make or break an application... So how much do they really matter? And don't people who don't waive their rights to see the recs have an advantage, in the sense that they may be able to edit, revise, or even compose their own recs? </p>
<p>I’ll say teacher recommendations are usually not the deal breaker. If teacher recommendations specifically talk about great things you have done, unsaid in anywhere else in the application, then they form a great addition to your application, but overall, I think they are as significant as the interviews, that is they are not very important unless something about you, especially your character stands out. As for waiving your right to see the recommendations, many people do suggest you deny your right to see them.</p>
<p>Selective school admissions is an art and not a science. That being said, once academic hurdles are met, committees are looking for factors that allow them to assemble a class. Using holistic evaluation criteria allows them to craft this group. Teacher recs, student essays are vital in distinguishing applicants from students with similar academic achievement and background.</p>
<p>One can easily imagine a scenario where an instructor writes recs for two almost identical students. One mentions how the student initiates active discussion among classmates and goes above and beyond to assist others. In the other rec letter, the teacher mentions how solitary the other high achieving kid is. Given this, it’s pretty clear that the 2nd applicant will be viewed much more negatively than the first.</p>
<p>Is this that hard to imagine? In this light, I vehemetly disagree with poster 2 where he/she says the teacher recs are equal in weight to the interviews. The interviews have almost no weight whereas the teacher recs can potentially have enormous weight.</p>
<p>I am not sure how Harvard views rec letters from teachers. I had a conversation a few years back with the associate director for admission of an most elite college on the west coast. She said that it was amazing how kids knew so little about their teachers and the ad com tried as hard as they can to ignore the negative rec letters and presented the most positive case to the committee. So the assumption that all rec letters were great is fallable.</p>