<p>hi, i am a junior looking to apply to uva next yr. I really want to get 3 teacher recs in addition to my scoutmaster as a rec. Is that too many that Uvawill hold it against me?</p>
<p>they will not hold it against you but remember, you are almost always required a rec from your guidance counselor as well. I would keep it to a 2 teacher max, especially since you are utilizing an outside source. Do not give unnecessary work to teachers because UVa might not read them all and a lot of teachers spend a lot of time and effort writing them.</p>
<p>Hmm... I only sent in 1, and managed to get in e school rodman scholar, lol. I almost didn't even send in that one, long story.</p>
<p>But I think when I visited they said 5 was pretty much the most you should send in, with 3 being good. So if you do 3 teachers, your scoutmaster, and your GC then thats 5, but I think you'll be safe because your GC rec is separate; that is, the GC rec is required (iirc) so I don't think they are concerned with it when they talk about sending in rec's.</p>
<p>I would send them all, you'll be fine, just don't send in any more.</p>
<p>I have a friend who sent 11 (yes, eleven) recommendations to MIT and got in, lol</p>
<p>I'd say quality over quantity is the way to go with recommendations. We only require one rec, but we don't specify the source. Oftentimes, the guidance counselor writes one as part of their SSR (secondary school report).</p>
<p>For most students, one rec letter gives us exactly what we need to help make our decision. Plenty send more than one and a few go a little overboard. Having multiple letters that say the same thing can make reading your file tedious, but we try not to let it affect our overall evaluation.</p>
<p>Having three teachers write recommendation letters seems a bit much. They will probably approach the task in the same way and rely on the same words when they write.). I would personally rather read one teacher rec and one from someone who knows you outside the classroom for variety.</p>
<p>By the way, rec letters vary from positive to glowing. As a result, we tend to gravitate towards stories and not just the adjectives used when we read a rec letter.</p>
<p>I sent in two, and it seemed to work well for me. Granted, the teachers taught very different subjects (English and Engineering), so they probably wrote from separate, and not repetitive, perspectives.</p>
<p>Just don't be the guy who sent in 37 recs and didn't get admitted.</p>
<p>i sent in 3 and got rodman status- my GC discouraged me from sending more than 3 as they might think that something is awfully wrong with the application that the applicant is trying to cover up...</p>
<p>IMO, you need to be choosey whom you ask to write recommendations. Sometimes, students don't approach the teacher first to ask if he/she would write one. If a teacher is hesitant, just say "thank you" for considering writing the rec - and move on to another teacher. A mediocre recommendation - even if you've done very well in the class - is not an asset to your application. And some teachers are better writers than others, too.</p>
<p>One well-written recommendation is the best way to go, IMO. As the Dean said, they enjoy reading stories about the student, not just adjectives. Makes sense.</p>