Still Need a Humanities Teacher??

Applying to College
1

<p>Hey everyone! So I need some advice. I'm applying to multiple schools that require at least two recommendations: one from a math/science teacher, and one from a humanities teacher. I've narrowed it down to four potential choices, each having their positives and negatives. I am having trouble deciding on whom I should ask. Could you guys give some feedback? Here are the teachers description:</p>

<p>Teacher 1 was AP Government teacher during junior year and was also my World Cultures (basically, geography) class in freshman year. Social studies in general has never been my strong point, and AP Government was no exception. While I did well in the class and got a 5 on the AP test, I was never great with contributing to really deep discussions. The positive with this teacher is that he has seen my growth over the years, knows me on a slightly personal level, and has taught me in advanced classes.</p>

<p>Teacher 2 was my English 11 Enhanced teacher during junior year. Like teacher 1, she knew me on a somewhat personal level, and could talk about my great motivation and my improvement. I think she could write a good recommendation. After all, she is an English teacher! Again, she didn't know me on a greatly personal level, but I had her for a full year so she had a lot of time to get to know me.</p>

<p>Teacher 3 is my current AP English Lit teacher. We have only been in school for a week and a half now, but I feel like she is slowly getting to know me well. She and I have already sat down and discussed college essays, and the fact that she has read them gives her more insight into my personality and character. The problem, however, is that she won't know me as well as the above two teachers because I will only have had her for about two months as a teacher before I ask her for a recommendation letter. Again, she is an English teacher, so she could write a very good letter if she comes to know me more personally.</p>

<p>Teacher 4 is my AP Spanish teacher this year. Similar to teacher 3, she doesn't know me greatly yet, but knows me in other ways. Her daughter has been in all of my classes since middle school, and she knows my parents well through work. In addition, she and I worked closely over the summer (and at the end of last year) as I tried to come up with an option to make up my Spanish III class that I couldn't fit into my schedule. She definitely knows my motivation and willingness to work hard, but I'm unclear whether she knows my character enough yet. I would, again, be asking her for a letter after having me as a student for only two months.</p>

<p>Any thoughts on who might be the best? Feel free to give the number to make things easier :) thanks!</p>

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<p>Teacher 1. Knows you personally, and the longest. Don’t presume that English teachers write better recommendations or that other subject teachers write lesser recommendations. It varies greatly.</p>

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<p>@irlandaise. I know I shouldn’t assume that about English teachers. </p>

<p>I should specify that teacher 1 doesn’t know me very personally, only a little. We had a lot of time to talk one day during final testing time when I was one of only a couple juniors that were forced to attend (the rest of the class was seniors). But he doesn’t know me THAT well.</p>

<p>The English teachers, however, I am certain would write good recommendation letters. Especially teacher 3. Plus, teacher 3 is a senior English teacher, so she has written many letters before.</p>

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<h1>2. I know colleges prefer recommendations to be from core classes, and I’m not sure Spanish counts as a core class. Regardless, I still think #2 is the best option.</h1>

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<p>@pmmywest Thank you for the opinion! I know that even MIT recognizes Spanish (or any foreign language) as a core class. Or at least accepts letters from foreign language teachers.</p>

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<p>Choose the teacher best able to make specific comments about

  • your ability to write
  • your ability to form coherent, compelling arguments
  • your ability to participate in class discussions and even be a class leader
  • your ability to appreciate and interpret various aspects of human culture</p>

<p>That’s why most people end up choosing an English teacher. But if someone else can do the job better, choose them.</p>

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<p>Great advice @WasatchWriter, thank you! I think that teacher 3 for me fits most of those aspects (at least better than the others). I’m not sure about teacher 1, but I will also keep teacher 2 and 4 in mind.</p>

<p>Is it better to ask a junior year teacher who already knows me well, or a senior year teacher who, later on, would be able to attest to my skills and personality?</p>

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<p>If you plan to apply early, a teacher you only started working with as a senior might not know you well enough to write a credible letter. If you’re applying regular decision, the senior year teacher should be OK.</p>

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<p>@WasatchWriter So you’re saying that a junior year teacher that may not know me too well would be preferable to a senior year teacher whom I haven’t had as long by the time I apply early?</p>

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<p>I would go with one of the first 3, not the Spanish teacher. You could ask your GC their opinion. We did that, and our GC had a definite opinion (GC knows who writes glowing recommendations and who doesn’t…).</p>

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<p>@intparent That’s a good point, too. I know that my school does this thing where, for seniors, guidance counselors call each person down individually and have a “senior meeting.” This is where the counselors make sure you have a plan and you are on track with what you want to do. I could probably ask her there as well.</p>

<p>May I ask why you say no to the Spanish teacher?</p>

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<p>I think top colleges prefer references from core-type subjects, not foreign languages. As an aside (may or may not be true here), foreign language teachers (or other teachers, for that matter) who are foreign born may not write the best recommendations. They may not understand the US recommendation letter culture to find SOMETHING good to say about students, no matter how lukewarm. A teacher with an American background likely will not put anything negative in your recommendation. A foreign teacher may feel obligated to cover both sides, and that can hurt you in competition with other applicants whose letters don’t list their weaknesses. It doesn’t always happen, but sometimes…</p>

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<p>@intparent My Spanish teacher actually isn’t foreign. She is from the US, and spent many years over seas in Spain. I completely understand what you are saying, though, and it makes perfect sense. Luckily, none of the teachers I am asking are foreign, and they all understand the process. </p>

<p>Do you have similar thoughts as WasatchWriter about junior vs. senior year teachers? Honestly, I would really like to use teacher 3 (listed above) who is my senior year AP Lit teacher, but I’m not sure whether a few months is enough for her to get to know me to write a great recommendation letter.</p>

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<p>Use the teacher who best understands your accomplishments and abilities, who also fits the “mold.” Ordinarily, I would suggest the junior-year teacher, and I believe colleges do also (some may even require it; I don’t recall exactly). If you think differently, then a senior-year teacher might work out.</p>

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<p>From my understanding, no schools have restricted my recommendation letters to junior teachers, so I will see how well teacher 3 knows me by the time I need the letters and go from there.</p>

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<p>You don’t want to wait too long to ask for letters, though. Some teachers get asked a lot, and they need some lead time to write them. September is a good time to ask; my kid’s school makes our kids ask for one in spring of junior year, and one right when they get back to school in the fall. Then the teachers have some done over the summer.</p>

<p>My D2 considered asking her senior year physics teacher instead of her junior year math teacher, but the GC recommended the junior year teacher (even though my kid was a slightly stronger physics student). </p>

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<p>That makes sense @intparent. I will probably ask whichever teacher I decide on near the end of September. But of course, I’ll meet with my guidance counselor before then and see what she thinks. Then I’ll go from there. Thank you!</p>

<p>Luckily, my first recommendation is from my math teacher, and he knows me very well and taught me in Calculus during my junior year. I feel like he will write a very strong recommendation.</p>