Rec from teacher in an unrelated subject to my major?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
1

<p>I plan on applying to Rice, and I hear they recommend submitting only one recommendation letter. My strongest letter of recommendation letter will likely be from my German teacher, who has taught me for four years (one year was a 1 on 1 independent study). I also plan on getting a rec from my AP chemistry teacher, since many other engineering schools require a rec from a science/math teacher. She coaches a lot of sports teams though, so I'm guessing she'll be swamped with having to write recs for many people she knows much better than me. I know she likes me well enough, so I think she'd write me a decent letter, but it wouldn't be that personal or strong.</p>

<p>What I'm wondering is I should send this extra letter to Rice, since I plan on applying to their engineering school? Will my rec from my German teacher be less credible, since German is not related to my intended major?</p>

<p>I know the point of the rec letters are for the colleges to get to know us better, but I wasn't sure how important the teacher's subject is. Most of the other schools I plan on applying to require two letters, so it is not a problem. I just heard that Rice prefers only one rec unless a second will really add to your application, so I wasn't sure.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>You should probably go ahead and send both, there is no penalty for a second letter and though they only allow one rec from the common app, they don’t discourage sending more than one. It would probably be best if you can send one that is related to your intended major, but your German teacher rec sounds like the best option for you still because of the relationship with that teacher. I was accepted as a Biochem major, and my main rec was from an English teacher, then I sent my Physics teacher’s rec as an extra somewhat related to my major, so I think you would be fine if you did the same thing. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Thank you very much for the response! That answered all of my questions, and it’s nice to know that you were in a similar situation and got accepted!</p>