<p>So I have a dilemma for letters of recommendation (sorry for the long post). Next year when i apply ED, I would like to apply to NU. I have some (hopefully) killer recommendations lined up, but I don't know which ones to pick. The ones I know I am having are from my GC, my philanthropy club sponsor (who happened to attend NU), and my martial arts instructor (also coincidentally a professor at NU). The problem comes with the teachers. I will list pros and cons of each teacher: One is my econ teacher. Pros: the teacher of what i want to major in (econ), teaching me an independent study on his own time, very well-spoken individual who would probly put in a great word for me. Cons: for the top 10%,top 5% list, I do not think he will put the most exceptional thing possible, because while I did fine in his class, I didn't receive an A both semesters or anything list that. The next one is my English teacher. Pros: NU alum, really likes that I am one of the few in the class that reads/particpates. Cons: it's a regular, non-honors class, and while I had a 97.5% first quarter, I now have an 89% second quarter, so I do not know what he would say about me in terms of being academically the best he's seen. The last person is my foreign language teacher: Pros: as of now getting a great grade in her class (94-95 both quarters), she personally wrote me a heartwarming thank-you note for a 5 dollar gift card I gave her over the holidays, she has always been kind to me, and I think she deducts less from my work when it is late than some other students. Cons: No relation to NU to say in the rec that I would be a good fit there. Do I send ALL SIX letters, and if not, which teacher do I eliminate? At this point my priority list is 1.econ 2. english by a hare due to the NU connection and 3. SpanishThank you all!</p>
<p>Definitely don’t send in six letters. Admissions officers don’t have time to read so many letter. I’d probably go the econ teacher because you want to major in econ, and the English teacher, because of the NU connection and I think English is sometimes viewed as a more “serious” class than foreign langauage, but either English or foreign lang would be fine. I would personally also choose between the two extra recs. The martial arts instructor sound like a better choice if they are a professor at NU. It’s definitely quality over quanity when it comes to reccomendations.
Since you are a junior, I would suggest not focusing all of you effort towards one school. Your heart may be set on NU now, but you have plenty of time to change your mind. Don’t choose people to write your recs just because of their NU connection!</p>
<p>Yes, I have other options for sure, which is why I have the foreign language teacher lined up. As for the philanthropy club sponsor, he is a very kind-hearte dman who would put me in a different light than the martial arts instructor and teacher, and he has an engineering teacher from NU to boot. Thanks for the opinion; it strengthened my thoughts on the subject. Can someone else say if they agree with spanky, and spanky, could you elaborate why choosing the foreign language teacher is worse, because as you know, english is non-honors, and the foreign language teacher may put me as higher on the list of percentages on the common app. However, my CR score on the SAT is 670, so maybe the english teacher would highlight my ability to handle literature.</p>
<p>Are you sending 5 for sure and considering a 6th? This seems crazy to me. I would imagine the admissions people get a little frustrated even seeing 4. Counselor, 2 teachers, and MAYBE one extra if it’s really good and a different perspective. 5? 6? Simply too much… Unless NU says somewhere that it’s acceptable…</p>
<p>The counselor letter is mandetory (I assume we’re speaking about the required school letter from the gc which includes info on your school and how you compare to everyone in the class.) I’d go with Econ and English for the teacher letters. They know you well personally and that’s the important thing. Even a teacher who gave you a B in a non-honors class but knows you well is better than a teacher who gave you an A in an honors class to whom you are one of the faceless crowd. As for the additional recs, one extra is generally all anyone has time for unless your application is build on extraordinary ECs to which no one at school can speak.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure I am sending in all 5. However, the spanish teacher does know me very well, and may even give me the best percentage ranking. Its just that specifically for NU, i think it may help that the english teacher is an alum frm there, so they would consider his opinion more.</p>
<p>M’s mom are you there?</p>
<p>You honestly should not be sending 5 letters of recommendation. NU requires what, 2?</p>
<p>This is a horrible idea.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure it is three. Ok, fine, 5 recommendation letters aside, help me decide between the three teachers. I am always afraid of giving background info on this forum because then I never get my actual question answered.</p>
<p>Primary source: NU only requires the GC and 1 teacher evaluation; they accept supplementals but are vague about the number:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/documents/UG_AdmissionInstructions.pdf[/url]”>http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/documents/UG_AdmissionInstructions.pdf</a></p>
<p>My standard recommendation is 1 supplemental beyond what is required.</p>
<p>ok, entomom, I think I will definitely send 4. But from what i posted, who should I eliminate? English teacher, econ teacher, spanish teacher. If I could I would just get rid of the GC cuz the teachers know me better, but w/e I obviously can’t do that.</p>
<p>entomom are you there?</p>
<p>sorry I’m doing this, but I need more answers. bump</p>