I’m a junior who’s starting to think about which teachers I want to ask to write my letters of recommendation. I am engaged in my English and History classes and think that both of those teachers would do a good job putting the necessary time into the letters to make them excellent. However, I’ve heard that it’s better to have a humanities and a STEM teacher instead of two of either one. My math and science teachers are uninspiring and would probably write bland or mediocre letters. I think I want to major in Economics or Political Science.
TL;DR: Which is better - having two good letters or having both a humanities letter and a STEM letter?
I think it’s better to have two strong letters, even if they are from the same subject area. However, some colleges REQUIRE the letters to be from different subject areas. Check with the colleges you want to apply to about their specific requirements.
As a junior, you also have plenty of time to build up a relationship with your STEM teachers this year, or with your STEM teachers next year fall semester.
I have an intended major in Econ w Math, and I sent in recommendations from my economics and math teachers. Honestly, I would opt for the best two, unless you’re applying to MIT or another school that mandates two different subjects. It’s more about revealing your character as a student than showing multiple teachers like you!
I agree that unless the school explicitly asks for letters from specific subject areas, just choose the best two. I chose a foreign language teacher and a history teacher for my two recs because I felt that those two teachers knew me the best.
Keep in mind that even if a college doesn’t specify which subject areas letters need to be from, certain programs might require different things. Most importantly, choose the two you think know you the best and do your research. Good luck!