Pick who writes recs for this homeschooler!

Parents Forum
1

<p>It's that time of year again! Obviously, I'm homeschooled, so that presents a few concerns about exactly who will be writing recs for me. While a lot of colleges request that applicants submit letters from teachers in two different academic subjects, most of the colleges I'm applying to have said it's OK for me as a homeschooler to submit letters from CC instructors in the same department. So I guess that makes this a little easier to work with. Below I've listed a number of people who could write recs for me -- some of them are instructors, some of them are supervisors for various EC's -- how well I know them (on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the ones I know best), in what context, and potential strengths and weaknesses of choosing these individuals to write recs. I'll probably end up submitting one or two optional recs, but if I do, I want them to say something new about me. Bear in mind that my mom will also be filling out my secondary school reports. Oh yeah, I'm applying to Columbia, Harvard, Pomona, Rice, Saint Mary's (CA), Stanford, and Yale. For the people with an asterisk (*) by their names, they've written a rec for me before -- if anyone wants to read these, I can PM or e-mail them to you for your opinion.</p>

<p>MR. A
-will have known him for about a year
-instructor at CC in Calculus I (11th grade)
-potential strengths: I think he liked my sense of humor and love of puns! :) I wasn't afraid to ask questions in class, and I still stop by his office now and then to say hi (from the sounds of it, relatively few students do so). He recommended me to tutor in the math resource center. I got an A in his class. He thought it was pretty cool that the youngest student in the class (I was fifteen turning sixteen) could do so well in college calculus.
-potential weaknesses: While I had an A all semester long, it slowly got lower and lower, so I wound up getting what I believe was the lowest A in the class. I may give the impression of simply working moderately hard and not being exceptionally brilliant.
-how well I know him: 5-6 (I think I know him better than most students do, but I can't say I know him extraordinarily well)</p>

<p>DR. B*
-will have known her for 3.5+ years
-instructor at CC in independent study Bio Study Skills (8th grade), Introductory Bio Lab (9th grade), and Cell Bio (11th grade)
-potential strengths: She's thoroughly acquainted with my love of biology (I'll be a bio major), and she'll be attending the poster session for my summer research program at Stanford (she's also planning on visiting me there sometime –- she lives nearby). She's very enthusiastic about my doing this research internship. We've spent many, many hours sitting in her office chatting about anything and everything. For the record, she has degrees from Yale and Columbia (and a postdoc at Stanford), so she may key off of that.
-potential weaknesses: I probably could have done better in her Cell Biology class (it's for biology majors) –- I had a strong A, but I was fifth overall in a class of roughly 17 or 18. She wrote a nice rec for me for my research program, but I think she's possibly nice to almost everyone for writing recs – though I doubt anyone else will be asking her for a rec for freshman admission to my colleges.
-how well I know her: 9-10 (She's one of my best friends!)</p>

<p>MS. P*
-will have known her for 3 years
-my instructor at CC for Introductory Bio lecture (9th grade), Human Anatomy (11th grade), and soon for Human Anatomy (12th grade)
-potential strengths: She's very well acquainted with my goals, and I've overheard her commenting to a couple other students (when I wasn't “officially” listening) that I'm an amazing young lady (aww!). She's noticed that I learn because I love to, not just for a grade (though I've gotten A's in her classes), and she seems to like all the questions I ask during class and during her office hours (this might be particularly good for Stanford's desire for intellectually curious students). She and I have had a number of great conversations, and she knows that I listen to her “life advice.” Like Dr. B, she's really excited about my summer research.
-potential weaknesses: She has shown some concern that I may be so focused on doing well (in the sense of having high goals, not being a grade grabber) that I miss out on what remains of my childhood. Also, my A in Anatomy was rather low this semester, but at least it was steady (my exams were relatively strong, but my quizzes were, umm, bad).
-how well I know her: 8-9 (She's become less of an acquaintance and more of a friend over the past semester.)</p>

<p>MRS. S*
-I will have known her for almost 3 years
-my instructor at CC for Genetics (11th grade) (but I originally met her in my freshman year when she substituted in my Biology Intro class)
-potential strengths: I did extremely well in her class, and she even told me that I blew away the class with my end-of-the-semester presentation. I've tutored a few of her students (in both biology and chemistry), who apparently have said wonderful things about me to her, and the students in turn have reported to me that she raves about me. I've gone out for coffee with her a couple times, and I believe we've reached a moderate to good level of friendship (as opposed to a regular student-teacher relationship).
-potential weaknesses: Her class wasn't exactly hard (it's a non-majors' class – I took it for fun), so I don't know how that would influence what she would write, if at all. Similar to the situation with Mrs. D (see below), the fact that she's currently more of a friend than an instructor may make a letter a challenge to write, but I think she would be objective.
-how well I know her: 9-10 (What can I say? She's also another one of my best friends.)</p>

<p>MS. W
-I will have known her for 7-8 months
-my instructor at CC for Calculus II (11th grade)
-potential strengths: I pulled a strong A in her class and went to her office hours here and there.
-potential weaknesses: By the end of the semester, I was exhausted from AP exams, and my calculus homework scores suffered. My last two exam scores were reasonably lower than those of my first two exams, and she commented to me when I “visited” my graded final exam that I looked pretty happy to be done with calculus – doesn't look good for the intellectual curiosity department.
-how well I know her: 2-3 (I had a couple of conversations with her, but I can't say that our personalities “clicked”.)</p>

2

<p>MR. K
-will have known him for 7-8 months
-he's my supervisor for the drop-in math tutoring I provide at my CC (he's also an instructor there)
-potential strengths: At 16, I believe I'm the youngest person who has ever held this tutoring job at this CC. During finals week, he asked me to work as many hours as I wanted, and he's asked me back to tutor for next semester.
-potential weaknesses: I don't know him that well. While he's my boss, I have very little face-to-face contact with him, and when I do, it's strictly related to setting up hours for tutoring. For all I know, other teachers or students may comment on my abilities to him, but I kinda doubt that.
-how well I know him: 2-3 (Like I said, I have very little contact with him.)</p>

<p>MRS. D
-will have known her for 2-3 years, although she's been an acquaintance for slightly longer
-a neighbor of mine, her son and I coordinated a summer science club/day camp for kids that was held at their house last summer, I've babysat her nine-year-old daughter a couple times, and I'm also on her daughter's swim team
-potential strengths: She's had the chance to see my leadership skills in working with young children and communicating my love of science to them (she actually helped out with the science club), and she's also seen me receive the coach's award for swim team last summer. She teaches business at a CC, and her son has commented to me that she has mentioned that I seem to be a lot smarter than most of her students! ;) She's well aware of my goals, and she enjoys chatting with me.
-potential weaknesses: As much as she enjoys chatting with me, I'm concerned that my relationship with her is more of a “friend” type than a “volunteer supervisor” type and would thus put her in the awkaward situation of having to analyze a friend. At times she feels slightly distant, but I can't say that's the norm, and I can definitely catch her at a good time.
-how well I know her: 7-8 (becoming more of a friend than a good acquaintance rather quickly)</p>

<p>MRS. F
-will have known her for 4 years
-she's the commander of the Awana program I help out with at church, she's also a friend
-potential strengths: She's seen me take charge of a lot of things with the kids, and she didn't realize how young I was for two or three years! She's familiar with my goals, and I know she thinks highly of me. Often when I tell her about my coursework and EC's, she slaps her forehead and says, “I need to remember that you're only sixteen!”
-potential weaknesses: For better or for worse, she may think that I tend to spread myself too thin and work too hard. She has a hectic work schedule (you don't know what hectic is until you talk to her) which may prevent her from being able to put much time or energy into a letter or recommendation.
-how well I know her: 8-9 (a good friend, but not a best friend)</p>

<p>MR. O
-will have known him for just over a year
-was the director (lower than commander -- see above) of a weekly kids' program at church (Awana) that I've helped out with for forever as a youth leader
-potential strengths: It was his first year as the director of this program, so he wound up seeking my advice many times, and I took charge of quite a few things on the several occasions he was out of town or sick. I and another youth leader led gametime for our “team” of kids (it was the only team to not have an adult leader for games – a major component of this club/program). Also, one of the adult leaders specifically requested to him that she be able to work with me on my team because of my experience.
-potential weaknesses: I'm not sure he's familiar with just how competitive college admissions can be and with just how amazing recs need to be to put an applicant ahead – I don't want to underestimate his abilities to write an effective rec, but it is, after all, my future that's at stake.
-how well I know him: 6-7 (I know him moderately well).</p>

<p>The following three individuals I don't know just yet, but they're all involved with my research internship at Stanford, and may thus be strategic. In fact, I'd like to have ONE of these people write a rec for me (I'd be a fool not to). I'll tell you what I know about them, and you tell me what you think about them. </p>

<p>DR. M
-he'll be my faculty mentor (the guy that oversees my lab), and I believe he'll be present in the lab about 50% of the time I'm there this summer (though he won't be directly supervising me), sounds pretty enthusiastic about having me in the lab
-I don't think he has a ton of seniority (he's new to the med school there), but he's at least an Assistant Professor
-he went to Yale Med School and he taught at Harvard – maybe a key player</p>

<p>DR. U
-director of this research program and a Stanford Assistant Professor, oversees admission to the program (something like a 6-7% admit rate)
-met me a couple years ago and is definitely familiar with my passion for this area of biomedical research
-I believe I'll have relatively little contact with him over summer, which is unfortunate, because he's the head honcho of this program</p>

<p>DR. W
-she's the postdoc who will be directly supervising me, also excited about having me in the lab
-unfortunately not much seniority on the “faculty foodchain”, BUT...
-I have a feeling I'll get to know HER the best over summer</p>

<p>So I always have the option of having Dr. M or Dr. W write the letter and having Dr. U sign it – what would you recommend?</p>

<p>Also, I'm considering asking Ms. P and Mrs. S to write a “joint” letter – the letters they wrote for me for a summer program complemented each other perfectly, and they get along very well (they're best friends), so I don't think this would be an impossible request in their eyes.</p>

<p>So please go ahead and pick who's gonna write my recs!</p>

3

<p>whoops...that was supposed to say Human Physiology (not Human Anatomy) for the class I'm taking with Ms. P next semester.</p>

4

<p>You are lucky to have so many candidates to choose from! Rec letters are a challenge for many homeschoolers.</p>

<p>In spite of being told that at least one of your colleges would be okay with it, I would not choose 2 profs from the same dept. There are people who know you well who are in different departments, so there really isn't any good reason to. And hearing from people who have taught the student different subjects is always good, whether the student is homeschooled or not. It looks like you easily could pick one math and one science teacher who know you well. That would be better than, say, two biology teachers.</p>

<p>I would also not get too carried away with extra recs, since it looks like you will have plenty of grades from your CC courses. Extra recs are more important for homeschoolers who have self studied most of their subjects and have few outside grades. That doesn't really apply to you, so I wouldn't submit more than 1 rec beyond what traditionally schooled applicants are invited to submit. Stanford in particular discourages extra "stuff". Although they are willing to give homeschoolers some slack, if you have a bunch of grades from CC courses, you are going to be evaluated more like a traditionally schooled applicant than would a homeschooler with no grades, who might submit an extensive portfolio.</p>

<p>As a general rule, it's better to have someone with more modest credentials who knows you well write your rec than to ask someone with more impressive credentials who does not really know you well.</p>

5

<p>I can't pick who writes recommendations for you but I can offer a few reactions for you to consider:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>At the lab, the person who knows you and your work the best is the person to write and sign a recommendation. </p></li>
<li><p>How competitive is the CC? If you are taking a number of courses at the CC, then apparently you are not fully homeschooled and in my mind this question arises: who is a better student? Someone at or near the top of a traditional, highly competitive high school, or someone at or near the top of your CC? A teacher who can put you in a broader perspective might be able to write a more helpful recommendation. </p></li>
<li><p>In other words, are you a "big fish" in the "small pond" of the CC? Honestly, I don't mean to be offensive, but this is something that crossed my mind and perhaps others would wonder also and so perhaps it is worth addressing. </p></li>
<li><p>Some of the descriptions of possible recommenders you wrote made me wonder whether these people might be too close to you to write a believeable recommendation.</p></li>
</ol>

6

<p>You could always diversify, asking for multiple recs, sending different recs to different places, if you feel that that wouldn't burden these people (from the way you describe, it sounds it like it might offend some of them if you don't ask them to write a rec for you . . .). You need, what 14 recs total? You could ask maybe 4 writers, and arrange them in different combinations . . .</p>

<p>Regardless, I would ask anyone you end up deciding on the following question: Would you feel comfortable writing me a strong recommendation? This way, you give them a way out so you can go to another choice . . .</p>

<p>I would try to get to know Dr. M well (because he teaches at Stanford, and if he says something like, "I would love to have this student in the classroom and in my lab," that, at least to me, would seem impressive), and ask from one of your 8-9s, especially one who would write about your academic initiative and intellectual curiosity. And if they would be willing to talk to you a little bit about what you want to convey (or wouldn't mind you reminding them of some of the more intellectual conversations that you've shared), that I think, would help get you a powerful recommendation.</p>

<p>Good luck choosing.</p>

7

<p>Thanks, everyone, for your "brutal" honesty -- these are exactly the types of comments I was looking for.</p>

<p>Texas137: I'll definitely put some thought into having one math teacher and one biology teacher write my recs (the former, in that case, would be Mr. A). Yes, I have wondered whether I'll be evaluated as a homeschooler or more as a traditional student. Do you think it would serve me better to "market" myself as a "self-directed" learner rather than a homeschooler? (funny anecdote: Dr. B once commented that, considering I'm out of the house much of my time, I should just say I do correspondence school!) At any rate, I think most colleges will ask whether I've made the most of my available resources.</p>

<p>ADad: I take no offense at your candid contemplation of the true level of competition at my CC. ;) I must admit that the CC is indeed a "small pond" and (in most classes, anyway) easier to achieve highly. For my clarification, just HOW would a CC instructor (or rather, what KIND) best put me in a broader perspective? Thanks for bringing up the point about knowing some of them TOO well...I'm kinda wondering about that for Mrs. S.</p>

<p>546mp: "Diversifying" my recs has crossed my mind, but I personally would feel a bit timid about doing so, considering that not all my applications would be the "same" (although I suppose one could make an argument for applications with different essays not being the "same" as well). I'm definitely planning on asking Ms. P (the instructor you had alluded to) to write my Stanford rec -- when I read the rec she had written for me previously, I immediately thought, "This person has to write my Stanford rec!"</p>

<p>So here's a VERY narrowed-down list of "contenders", along with WHAT about me they would be able to most effectively analyze (some of these are based on what I've seen in letters they've previously written for me):</p>

<p>Possible Teacher Recs:
Mr. A -- Julie the SMART, HARD-WORKING STUDENT (afraid I'll come across as a BWRK)
Dr. B* -- Julie the SCIENCE-LOVING STUDENT
Ms. P* -- Julie the CURIOUS MIND
Mrs. S* -- Julie the PERSON</p>

<p>Possible Optional Rec:
Dr. M -- Julie the SEEKER OF EVEN MORE OPPORTUNITIES IN BIOLOGY
Dr. W -- same as above
(as you can see, I pretty much axed my EC people)</p>

<p>As I had mentioned above, I'm debating whether to ask Ms. P and Mrs. S to write a "joint" letter. Honestly, I think that Ms. P would be able to most efficiently cut to the heart of what colleges look for academically, but I also think Mrs. S would be able to (objectively) add some useful information on my character, personality, etc. If anyone wants to read the letters Ms. P and Mrs. S wrote (along with a letter I drafted that simulates what such a "combination" letter might look like), PM me.</p>

<p>If anyone has any further comments or ideas, please post!</p>