<p>She was my English teacher sophomore year, but I know her a lot better than I do any of my other teachers. She sponsored a school trip to Italy that we went on last summer, so she knows me outside of an academic setting, and I've been on an academic team for two years that she's head of, so she still sees me in an academic setting pretty regularly. I had amazing grades in her class, I'm the top scorer on her team, and she's familiar with my personality, character, and various talents. We're pretty close, more so than any other teacher I have (part of the reason I joined the team is because she was head of it) and I feel as if she'd write me the best rec letter out of any of my other teachers. Still, I had her sophomore year and apparently colleges don't like that.</p>
<p>I think it’s fine because you have a good reason for asking her, which should show in the letter.</p>
<p>Colleges would prefer to have recommendations from junior and senior year teachers, as those can attest best as to your academic growth. They also provide the most recent information as to your academic development. That said, if your sophomore teacher really knows you way better than any other teacher, you could still ask her and send it as an additional LOR if the college you’re applying to allows that. If not, you’d have to make the tough decision between the two.</p>
<p>Now I feel like I should mention that college admissions officers say to ask the junior year teacher in most cases, but I don’t think they understand how impersonal a large public high school can be. Each situation is individual as well.</p>
<p>Unless your college explicitly mentions that you need a letter from a junior or senior year teacher, then I don’t see why you cannot have a sophomore teacher write one.</p>
<p>It is actually better to get a letter from someone who knows you longer. Hopefully you did keep in touch with your sophomore teacher so that he/she knows you more than just from a class 2 years ago. That alone makes it worth more than from a teacher who just taught you for a year. Indeed, the recommendation letter my D wants most is from a teacher who taught her in freshmen and sophomore years.</p>
<p>I asked a sophomore year teacher too.</p>
<p>So should I be good as long as I ask her to mention that we’ve kept in close contact since sophomore year? I feel like this would actually help, as she’s witnessed my growth, both personal and academic, from 10th-12th grade, as opposed to just one year of classes.</p>
<p>I think it’s a perfectly fine idea. I was in a situation where I was choosing between a sophomore and junior teacher and I chose the teacher who knew me better (who I happened to have sophomore year). I asked another teacher who I had for freshman and sophomore year but I’ll also have her for senior year. I did a lot of thinking and discussed my decision for a long time with my guidance counselor.</p>
<p>My friend who graduated last year asked a teacher she had in 10th grade who she tutored students for in eleventh grade, and she got into her top choice college.</p>