Rec. question

I have a question about recommendations. Who did you get to write yours? I plan on getting my Latin teacher to do one, because I have been very involved in a club she sponsers and I have been president of it for 3 years. Plus she has been my teacher for 4 years so I think she knows me the best. But then I don’t know what other teacher I should get. Should I have two teachers and a guidence counselor, or just one teacher and then a counselor? Should I have my piano teacher write one, I have been with her for 4 years? I am not a competitive player, I just play for fun, so the rec won’t be filled with awards I won or anything like that. However, I think she will be able to give the colleges I am applying to a good idea of who I am. So what do you guys think?

<p>The number of recommendations will be determined by the college you apply to - most selective ones ask for two teacher recs and a GC, with an option to submit an extra recommendation. I would not go for the piano teacher, unless you are extremely talented, since I doubt she can add anything to your app that wasn't already mentioned (namely, you play the piano and presumably are an accomplished player). If you want to use piano talent to your advantage, submit a recording. If you can't think of another teacher besides your latin teacher, ask around - ask your teachers if they would be willing to write you a recommendation. Some colleges require that recs be written by specfic teachers (like MIT), so you might not have much choice. Nonetheless, you'll find that if your teachers like you and you've done well in their class, they will be more than happy to write a good word in your favour even if you don't ever see them out of class. Neither of my two rec writers saw me out of class, though one did act as a supervisor for my Extended Essay.</p>

<p>It depends on the colleges that you apply to. Some don't require any recommendations from teachers. Most require GC recommendations. Some specify that teachers must be from junior or senior year or must have taught you certain subjects. Check out the admission sections of the web sites of the colleges you're considering.</p>