I read recently on this forum that for some bizarre reason it isn’t preferable to ask a sophomore year teacher to write a letter of rec… does this hold true if I kept close to this sophomore year teacher and they have had a great mentorship role in my life?
Also, is it okay to ask a department chair for a letter of rec? I’m not particularly close to any of my junior year teachers (am an incoming senior) and I know they’ll give some generic letter as to how I do well in their class or how I am able to pick things up quickly, but I feel like the department chair will know and state this better, especially as I have won several competitions in the subject for the school and she knows well about that.
It’s not that bizarre. A teenager’s intellectual and emotional maturity grows exponentially in HS. One is likely more developed in many respect junior year than sophomore year. There may be valid reasons for choosing a sophomore teacher. For example, Stanford says:
When all else fails, read the what the college asks. A teacher rec generally means a person who has taught you, not a person who happens to be a teacher. If the department chair has not taught you, you can use the rec as a supplemental rec if the college allows additional recs.
If your sophomore teacher knows you through an EC or other activity, IMO, it may make sense to ask. My daughter went to teacher that knew her well, both in and out of the classroom.
Look to see if any of the schools you apply have specific requirements. If not, IMO it is fine to use one sophomore year teacher especially if you have a continuing relationship (my D did that with no issue). I would suggest you get your second teacher recommendation from a junior year teacher even if it will be a bit generic (ask the teacher if you can give him/her something like a resume or list of activities to help him/her write the letter) – a department chair who did not teach you in an academic class is not a substitute for a teacher LOR.
