Recommendation letters/"academic teacher"

[prowlings]

<p>A lot of the colleges I'm applying to ask for two recommendations from "academic teachers" (teaching math, science, English, etc). I'm wondering how strict they are about that?</p>

<p>I REALLY want to ask my research professor (he teaches biology - a science?). My situation, I think, is different since I attend the Texas Academy of Math and Science, which is located at a university and all my courses are college courses. Right now, I'm doing summer research and am getting credit for it (I'm enrolled in a biology special problems course) so technically, I'm getting a grade from my research professor for my research.</p>

<p>Does that work? lol. </p>

<p>Thanks for any feedback!</p>

[JAMCAFE]

<p>A course with a biology professor works even if it is “special”. I think the term “academic” is to limit the rec to those who have had a chance to evaluate you in an academic field (for credit).</p>

[entomom]

<p>Sorry, I can’t link to the Teacher Evaluation form right now, but if you read the directions, not only does it say an ‘academic’ teacher, but also that they need to have ‘taught you in a class’ or similar wording. Even though you are getting credit for your research, IMO it’s not really a class and it seems like the LOR would reflect that.</p>

[gibby]

<p>Colleges are looking for academic teachers because they want to know about your potential as a scholar in the classroom. They want to hear that your hand is always raised ready to contribute to the conversation, that you lead classroom discussions and that students and teachers admire you for your maturity, candor and intellectual opinions. Can your research teacher speak to those topics? Or, how about these questions from MIT’s website: [Writing</a> Recommendations | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/writingrecs]Writing”>How to write good letters of recommendation | MIT Admissions)</p>

<p>

Try to address the following questions in your evaluation:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>What is the context of your relationship with the applicant? If you do not know the applicant well and are only able to write a brief summary, please acknowledge this.</p></li>
<li><p>Has the student demonstrated a willingness to take intellectual risks and go beyond the normal classroom experience?</p></li>
<li><p>Does the applicant have any unusual competence, talent or leadership abilities?</p></li>
<li><p>What motivates this person? What excites him/her?</p></li>
<li><p>How does the applicant interact with teachers? With peers? Describe his/her personality and social skills.</p></li>
<li><p>What will you remember most about this person?</p></li>
<li><p>Has the applicant ever experienced disappointment or failure? If so, how did he/she react?</p></li>
<li><p>Are there any unusual family or community circumstances of which we should be aware?

</p></li>
</ul>

<p>You could ask your research mentor to write a supplemental letter of recommendation in addition to your two classroom teachers, but I would NOT ask them instead of one of your classroom teachers. IMHO: the more selective the college, the more weight Admissions puts on your teacher recommendations, so you don’t want to accidently torpedo your application by asking the wrong teachers.</p>