Recommendation Issues

Applying to College
1

<p>So, the way things stand, I have three guaranteed teacher recommendations, and a supplementary recommendation from my debate coach (I've been an officer for two years and be an active member and debated well on national circuits, so this rec is really crucial.)</p>

<p>I have a 4.0 GPA and plan on applying to Ivies as well as a few liberal arts colleges (Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst, Georgetown). My recs are from my current history teacher, current English teacher, and current physics teacher.</p>

<p>All three teachers have very favorable opinions of me, but my physics teacher only sends recs to 6 or 7 colleges max. I'm not a physics person--I'm far better in English and history--and plan on majoring in these subjects.</p>

<p>With that in mind, I'm trying to figure out whether I should just send all 4 (with two marked supplementary), pick two teachers, or what. All three are going to give very different opinions of me; particularly between history and English, where history is going to be about my interest in politics, law, and American studies, and my English teacher is going to talk about my creative writing, my attempts to write a novel, and my discussion abilities.</p>

<p>I'm also trying to figure out which two I should send to Yale EA, which is my first choice.</p>

<p>Also, is it acceptable to send just two humanities recs to some of these colleges? Liberal arts and Ivies? I think my two humanities recs are stronger, and would like to lean on them for colleges that accept two humanities recs that are somewhat different.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot. Sorry for the long post.</p>

2

<p>I think you should send two, and if you really think it's necessary, three, but not all four. Since you have such an interest in humanities and not so much in physics, I don't know why you asked your physics teacher for a recommendation. You don't have much of a choice if the colleges require one from a math/science teacher, but if you can pick, you should probably leave the physics recommendation out, since it doesn't seem like it will add that much to the college admissions deans's understanding of you as a student. </p>

<p>Only send the third recommendation (from the debate coach) if you think that he/she will say something important that will add (hence the word supplement) to your application. You don't want to add a recommendation that basically repeats what another teacher says, but based on what you said, it sounds like the debate coach will add something that will bring out a side to you that might not be revealed by your humanities teachers. If this is the case, feel free to add another recommendation. That's what they're there for.</p>

<p>Make sure you check on the colleges to see if a math/science recommendation is necessary. If it isn't, you shouldn't send in the physics recommendation.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>You should not rule out your physics teacher. College will EXPECT you to have glowing reccs from teachers who instruct classes that relate to your anticipated major. They will be a lot more enthusiastic about you if you send in a recc from a teacher whose discipline they thought you weren't interested in.</p>

<p>Unless your physics teacher wrote a reccomendation that is lesser in quality then you should consider sending it in.</p>

<p>Furthermore, four letters of recc is not too much as long as each has something to say about you. It appears to me that all three core subjects teachers have seen different parts of you, and that is fantastic. If you have doubts about your Physics letter, then do not send it. As dchow08 said, unless the school specifically asks for one from humanities and one from math/science, you should be good to go.</p>

4

<p>What I've heard from my consellor is ONLY send in TWO recommendations because AOs don't read extras, for the simply reason of fairness.</p>