<p>I could use some advice from experienced parents here. My D, a rising HS senior, is in the process of identifying/asking teachers for letters of recommendation for this fall. Most of the colleges she's thinking about require only one letter of recommendation, but a couple require two. Those that require two letters just say that they should be from teachers of an "academic" subject -- one suggests specifically getting letters in areas in which you would like to major or continue your studies. None require that the letters be from teachers in two different subject areas (e.g. humanities and math/science). The dilemma is that my D's real strengths lie in English/writing. She could get two enthusiastic and detailed letters from teachers she had this year in both English and a literature elective, who could speak to her strengths as a student, creativity, ability to interpret literature in a sophisticated way, etc. Letters from teachers in her other subject areas (e.g. foreign language, math, science) would not really say much that couldn't be gleaned from her grades -- e.g. that she was a hard-working, lovely young woman who did reasonably well in the class. My husband and I believe that she would be better off with two great letters from teachers who could give a real picture of her academic strengths -- albeit both in the English/humanities area -- than from teachers in two different subject areas, in which one letter would probably not be terribly informative. My D is worried that she'll look too academically "narrow" with two letters from English teachers. She's not decided on her major, but is thinking about Communications. Advice? Thanks!</p>
<p>I would agree with you and your husband's opinion. It is certainly quality over quantity, though I know quantity isn't per se what's in question here. </p>
<p>If both teachers can attest to her different talents (i.e. not both emphasizing the same traits but rather shedding light on different parts of her persona that they've each been able to experience) then I would advise that she attain a recommendation from both of them, regardless of the overlap in subject areas.</p>
<p>After all, this will in fact show her passion for the humanities and thus reiterate to a greater degree how talented she is in those subject matters and why she'd be a great asset to the university/college being applied to. </p>
<p>I would further agree with you if the subjects aren't necessarily inclusive, for example, English and history, as opposed to two history teachers.</p>
<p>My two cents...your DD sounds simular to mine. I decided to take her lead, and support her in her decision to expand the pool of the teachers she sought recommendations from. As it turned out, if she had depended on just the 2 teachers within her strong suit, she would have ended up with only 1 strong letter. The second teacher said she would write a great letter, but "just did not get around to it"..and when she did, it was not nearly as strong as the other teacher Dd had asked from a different subject. Note-the second teacher was the most sought after teacher who said she would only write letters for 5 students, making the dissappointment all the greater!</p>
<p>You didn't mention history. There's usually a fair amount of writing in history. Getting two English teachers seems a little risky to me, but it could work out fine if they are two great recommendations.</p>