<p>do most people not do this unless they need to..?</p>
<p>i'm not really clear on what it's exactly supposed to be used for. my teacher recs will probably be good/ok but i don't know if i need something to back it up (where i work, my boss loves me, so will that help me?!?)</p>
<p>the site says that most people dont use it. i would say to use it only if itll help ure app by adding another perspective. like if you have a hobby or ec that u do often or are really dedicated to, then a person involved with u in that could help show side of u a techer couldnt. so yea, if ure boss can say sumtin bout u ure teachers cant, by all means go for it.</p>
<p>k, any other opinions?</p>
<p>Like what brownman5 said, Stanford wants another perspective. They stress strongly to "resist the urge to send in additional papers," so send in the optional rec form, but make sure it adds something that the teacher recs don't already mention.</p>
<p>A work/volunteering supervisor or school activities faculty leader would be great.</p>
<p>hmm, who would you suggest, my work supervisor or my piano teacher? i have known my work supervisor for only about 3 months, my piano teacher about 5 years..... my work boss loved me because i worked really hard, but i'm not sure he'd be the best writer. my piano teacher could probably write ok, but english isn't her first language (although she's not terrible at it).</p>
<p>who would you suggest?</p>
<p>I imagine it would actually hurt your application to send in a recommendation from a work supervisor from a job you've had for only three months. Stanford's not trying to get more information from you, they're giving students who have a situation that can't be addressed by their other recommenders a chance to address it. Stanford explicitly states on the form itself that they discourage its use. If your piano teacher is going to say that you're a hard worker and a dedicated person, that is not going to help you application. I wouldn't risk them being annoyed at you sending in an unnecessary extra reference. Most students applying to Stanford, according to their website, do not send it in. If, however, you had a situation that was like... say... being clinically depressed and using piano as an outlet and successfully advancing yourself as a person because of it, then a piano teacher would be a good optional reference. </p>
<p>Qualities such as dedication, intelligence, passion for learning, focus, etc. can all be observed by teachers, so they will already be reflected in your teacher references so it would be unnecessary. If they are not, then sending in an optional recommendation describing these qualities could lead them to believe you are only dedicated to piano and not to school. So really, unless the optional recommendation is going to express something the teacher recommendations truly cannot, it's not going to help you to send it in.</p>
<p>I would say absolutely no to the work supervisor, and probably not to the piano teacher, unless there is something about you only she could express.</p>
<p>I personally applied to Stanford early, and did not use the form. Normally you might want to disregard what I say since I could be considered competition, but if you're applying regular we won't be pitted against each other so I would hope you wouldn't do that. I'm sure it would be reasonable if you did though.</p>
<p>Either way, best of luck in getting into Stanford!</p>
<p>... well this complicates things.</p>
<p>I'm having the same issue.</p>
<p>Both of my recs from regular teachers should be really good; I know both teachers extremely well, have performed well in their classes, etc. However, I have another teacher who has seen an entirely different side of me as a student and I'm wondering if I should have her write an optional rec. She was my IB Psychology teacher last year and is this year my IB Theory of Knowledge teacher. Essentially she knows how I think and how I write better than any other teacher in the school because of the sheer depth and complexity of the curriculum in TOK. So it would add something different...but I'm not sure if it's still too similar. Any advice?</p>
<p>For whomever asked above...I would say probably your piano teacher. I know that it's tempting to ask somebody who loves you, but unless your job is really fascinating or complex, I don't know how much it will add to your Stanford app. If your boss says that you are a hard worker, determined, friendly, dynamic, punctual, whatever...that would be good for a job application but Stanford can tell if you are hard-working or determined from your grades and things (or...with hope they can). Just my two cents.</p>
<p>huh, ok. ummm</p>