As per SEAS’s website, I need 3 faculty recommendations from my current institution to apply to Harvard’s Data Science program. The problem I am facing is that the faculty in my current institution suck. They don’t know how to write a good recommendation (They have never written an Ivy League standard recommendation in their lives). After an extensive search, I found a faculty (my maths professor), who went to a prestigious school and is willing to recommend me. However, I still need two more recommendations, and I cannot depend on the people in my department. Can I get a recommendation from an English professor I took a writing class with?
There isn’t such a thing as an Ivy League standard recommendation. What’s needed are “letters packed with specific information about what you did and what the results were.”
While you could have an English professor you took a writing class from write you a letter of recommendation, it might NOT be your wisest option given the level of competition for a spot at SEAS: https://www.seas.harvard.edu/audiences/prospective-graduates/faqs
IMHO: “Sucky” professors can write wonderful letters of recommendation if the results you have achieved are above and beyond the average level of students at your university.