<p>Stanford recommends that recommendations come from 11th and 12th grade teachers, though it says on the website "we will certainly accept evaluations from earlier grades in unusual circumstances."</p>
<p>what counts as an "unusual circumstance"? what if I just have teachers that know me much better and happened to teach me in 10th grade instead?</p>
<p>I Have the same question</p>
<p>I think an “unusual circumstance” would be, your parents are in the military and you have to move after sophomore year; however, after your junior year, you move back, and you need recommendations.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Does this teacher still have heavy contact with you now? As in, you have a leadership position in a club he/she advises? Or something similar?</p>
<p>You’d need to contact Stanford and ask about it, since nobody here will know for sure, but I daresay that it isn’t an “unusual circumstance” just to want a sophomore teacher to write your recommendation.</p>
<p>I lucked out because the summer before my senior year, I learned that I was gonna have my freshman year teacher again for an upper level class. To be honest, though, if that didn’t happen, I would have still gotten a rec from her. (Second one came from a junior year teacher). </p>
<p>Others may argue against me, but I think that you should just go for it. If your sophomore teacher knew you best, then you should pursue that teacher. No one here is an expert on Stanford admissions, but I severely doubt that it would give you greater chance of rejection simply because you got a recommendation from a 10th grade teacher.</p>
<p>I think the idea is to annoy them the least, and that probably includes following instructions correctly.</p>
<p>Nah, we should subtley annoy them while still doing everything correctly. No one use the mailing labels, but still address the envelopes to the right building!!</p>
<p>[Teacher</a> Evaluations : Stanford University](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/application/freshman/evals.html]Teacher”>http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/application/freshman/evals.html)
I don’t see where you got “unusual circumstances.”</p>
<p>smoothsilkmusic, Stanford just unveiled a new website, so may have changed the wording. I know they took out a section on homeschooled applicants. :-(</p>
<p>[Application</a> Evaluation : Stanford University](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/basics/selection/evaluate.html]Application”>http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/basics/selection/evaluate.html)</p>
<p>That’s pretty ambiguous for Stanford to give two different phrases describing their preference for evaluations. Perhaps the best advice the University gives you is here:</p>
<p>
</p>