<p>Hi everyone! I'm a junior in high school and my guidance counselor recently told me I should start asking teachers about college recommendations. I was thinking of asking my APUSH teacher and my AP Chem teacher. We're supposed to have two teachers, right? And then your guidance counselor does one too? </p>
<p>Also, I could possibly get one from a professor at Harvard. Would it help my application a great deal? Because I was also thinking of asking one of my orchestra conductors... He went to Harvard for his undergrad and is a really well respected/unbelievable conductor. Music is a pretty big part of my application so I thought it'd be good to have one from my conductor. </p>
<p>So basically, I don't know who to ask. Is 5 letters of recommendation too many? If so, what do you think the best combination would be?</p>
<p>Yes, two teachers from high school.
Harvard professor will be excellent as the additional one, but he must really know you well.
The orchestra conductor can write your music supplement’s(I assume you will do this) rec letter.
Each school has different policies of how many rec letters they want though.</p>
<p>It seems early to ask, your jr teachers haven’t known you that long yet to make the decision about writing you a LOR. Spring before school ends is fine, and that gives the teacher an entire year to see your work. </p>
<p>Yes, two teacher LORs and your GC filling out the SSR (see the CA) is standard, but there are exceptions and special requirements for some schools, so you have to check the website of each college you apply to for specifics.</p>
<p>For supplemental LORs, don’t get hung up on where a person went to school, the LOR is about YOU not the writer. For a supplemental LOR, it is important that the person knows you well and can write an extremely strong letter that address aspects about you that are different from your teacher and GC LORs.</p>
<p>Unless you took a class from the H professor, or they were your mentor for research, etc., it is inappropriate for a supplemental LOR; your conductor is fine for a supplemental LOR. </p>
<p>A rule of thumb is that you send only 1 supplemental LOR beyond what is required by the college. More than that is excessive IMO.</p>
<p>Many colleges don’t even want rec letters, others want only one from a teacher or sometimes a counselor, others want two, I don’t recall any that want three. For those that accept rec letters you must check their rules because many of those say you are not to submit any extra. Others say an extra can be submitted but often indicate you should not send it unless it actually provides something of importance not otherwise provided in your application materials or other rec letters. Even for those, sending four or five approaches the level of possibly being considered annoying. The dual issue you always face is providing needed information but at the same time not making the reviewers say to themselves this applicant gave us too much to read and most of it is repetitive rather than impressive. Best is to submit number required and make sure they come from teachers that will laud your accomplishments. For many that require rec letters there are forms provided for them, e.g., if they use common app there are forms to use with it. </p>
<p>It is a good idea to line up early those who will write rec letters because, among other reasons, they will need time to do them and they may set their own limit as to how many students for which they will write letters because they don’t want to spend all their weekends wrting rec letters (and not getting paid for doing so), although it may be a little too early now. Though you can line them up during junior year, you really need an idea as to which colleges you will apply before having them written including because you may need them to use a form. Thus, letters are usually prepared in the fall.</p>
<p>As to a letter from a Harvard professor: assuming the college is one that will accept an extra letter beyond teacher recs, it might be helpful if you know him well and have actually done work on an intellectual level with him. If it is just a letter that says he knows the family and your a good kid, it means nothing. As to orchestra conductor, often when you are applying for arts or music, the extra letter and a supplement are actually required not just optional and you may need that letter from the conductor.</p>
<p>Thanks so so much for all of the input! I only asked my history teacher so far because she always fills up, in fact, I don’t think she’s taking any more requests. But, I’ve had her for two years as a teacher and as a tennis coach so I know her pretty well. I’ll wait on asking the chem teacher though.
As for the Harvard professor… I don’t take a class or do research with them but I’ve been doing some volunteer work helping them with their grant work. Is that good, or would it be a bad idea to ask?</p>
<p>Soccersara, I think you should let go of the idea of asking that Harvard professor. Based on your description, I really don’t think he or she will be able to add anything that colleges are really looking for.</p>
<p>I have very little to add to what entomom and drusba have said. My own daughter applied to colleges last year; I will share the advice she got and the strategy she followed.</p>
<p>When to ask: Her guidance counselor told her, “Ask your junior-year teachers for letters of recommendation after the seniors have graduated. Most of us will be crazy-busy until then finishing up senior grades and taking part in graduation-related activities. After they’re gone, your teachers will be more receptive to talking about your college plans.” This worked well. At the end of junior year, she asked two of her teachers to write her college letters. She told them in a letter where she thought she might apply to college, and what she thought she wanted to study. She enclosed a one-page document that her high school calls the “senior credential,” which summarized her transcript and her activities at school and out of school. She thanked the teachers, and she gave them her email address and invited them to contact her if they had any questions. Her teachers had their letters ready to go by the early fall, long before applications were due.</p>
<p>What to send: She did send both letters to all of her colleges, whether they asked for two letters or only one. It didn’t make any difference in her admissions outcomes. There were one or two colleges that asked for only one letter, I think; those colleges (that college?) admitted her.</p>
<p>“As for the Harvard professor… I don’t take a class or do research with them but I’ve been doing some volunteer work helping them with their grant work.”
–>In this case, definitely don’t ask for rec letter.</p>