How much does it help to get a recommendation from a teacher who went to the school you’re applying too? I’m applying for Virginia Tech engineering and my Engineering Design teacher went to Virginia Tech. Also, is it okay to ask recommendations from teachers your sophmore year?
From teachers from your sophmore year****
- It doesn’t really matter if the recommender went to the school. They are interested in your credentials, not the person who wrote the LOR.
- A sophomore teacher is OK to use if you feel he/she knows you best. Generally junior year teachers are preferred. My D used one sophomore year teacher who was also an advisor of hers in a program in the HS and it was fine.
One caveat to the above answer ^ some schools specifically bar sophomore teachers (one that comes to mind is Barnard College. Stanford does not allow sophomore recs unless it was an Honors or AP class).
So this sophmore teacher of mine is teaching another elective that I can switch into. Should I do the switch so I have a rec from a teacher who I’ve had for soph and senior year?