So far, I have only asked two teachers (English and Math) for a recommendation letter, but I also want to ask my Biology teacher for one given that I feel that she would write a good one (the English rec was only because I’m applying to MIT). Can I use different teacher recs for each university and must the teachers know for which colleges his/her recommendation is being used?
You can, but it is not at all unusual for your GC’s office to make a mistake and send the wrong ones to the wrong schools.
@intparent Ooh, I better make sure with my GC, then. Also, do the teachers know to which colleges their recs are sent?
Talk to your GC about this. Many schools would not allow you to burden an extra teacher with the task of writing an additional rec letter.
My H is a teacher. They used Naviance, and there the teachers choose which schools to submit to. So in that case the teachers DO know which schools their rec is being used for.
I remember last year a student on this board was complaining that a teacher sent a rec to all the schools instead of the handful the student wanted. So again, mistakes can be made.
Our school had a strict policy. My student was only allowed to obtain and have a teacher file a third because student needed a Math rec for MIT and had already gotten 2 Humanities teachers to write recs. They used the third only for MIT. In terms of Common App, which most high schools don’t use (you go thru Naviance), the student can enter the teachers email address which triggers an email request to the teacher to upload a letter on your behalf which the school downloads and includes in your file for the readers. To me, this is better, but most high schools now send transcripts and teacher rec letters thru Naviance and they only allow 2, rarely a third, too bad. I know that conventional wisdom is only provide well written letters from recommenders who really know the student, but sometimes that coach or minister or research advisor is needed above the teacher recs.