We’re visiting Rice during Spring Break. My wife went there and is a somewhat active alum. She may target it as her ED choice if she really loves it (It’ll probably be either Rice or Brown).
We know demonstrated interest at Rice is very important so we want to make sure she has a good opportunity to make an informed decision.
While you are at Rice, ask about LOR. They will tell you their preference. Keep in mind…if they say “recommended”…you should interpret that as meaning “required”.
Yes. We went to their website (along with Brown and some of the others). None of them indicated a “preference” but who knows what the unwritten rule is.
We’ll ask for sure.
Have a great trip! When is your Spring Break? March is my favorite weather in Houston. We live in the upper midwest and we usually visit towards the end of the month for my daughter’s birthday and everythign is always blooming and it’s warm but not excessively so. It’s a nice change of pace from the snow here! Their Spring Break is the the week of March 13th so it will likely be quiet around campus then. Any chance you’ll be there around Beer Bike on April 1st?
Unlike most here, I share your concern for the reachy-reach schools on your daughter’s list. There is no easy answer. The most selective schools will want to see glowing recommendations, not generically positive.
The good news is that a lot of the schools on your list only require one recommendation. A school like Michigan will not even consider the second recommendation, so you will be able to choose the most effusive. My kids’ had 3 recommendations, and the counselor reviewed the recommendations and told them which would likely be best if they needed 1 and which would be best if they needed 2.
Good luck! I would make a spreadsheet with the recommendation requirements for each school, then make some decisions from there.
Unfortunately it’s not until April but right when Admitted Students day is. We’re going to unofficially visit the day of and do the official tour the day after.
Then the next day, we’ll visit Texas. Personally, I think she may like Texas more but as an OOS student, getting into Texas/McCombs will be almost impossible (similar to Rice).
That’s awesome! We definitely don’t get that kind of service at our public high school.
Thanks! Yes. This thread started going off the rails pretty quickly when I mentioned her math grade isnt as strong.
The bottom line is she can probably get a good recommendation from her math teacher (but she doesnt stand out) or great recommendations from her other teachers. We know this because we’ve spoken to the teachers and got a good vibe.
Our D is pretty smart and in tune so she also knows which teachers will likely be able to best highlight her skillsets.
It was a public school and not really competitive, but a small one with a very seasoned counselor. We were lucky, for sure.
This really depends on the school and sometimes the teacher. I would argue that most teachers write generically positive recommendations. A few schools/teachers have the training to elevate the letters to be difference-makers, but many public school teachers at typical high schools don’t have that insight. They often regurgitate what is on brag sheets — things like activities/honors/interest that can be found elsewhere on the application and that don’t add much dimension to the application. They write what they think the kids would want them to write, but don’t always add value.
Sometimes letters from teachers aren’t about “This student is the best in a decade.” Sometimes, they’re about the fact that the student has stellar character. My kid didn’t want to get a letter from the only non-AP, non-honors academic class that they had taken, but I suspect that letter was one of the reasons they were accepted to a tippy-top, because the kid (who was overscheduled out the wazoo with a very impressive EC) spent their time in and out of class (they commuted to one of their ECs with a D student from that class) tutoring that other student, bringing them up from a D to an A. The teacher noticed this, wrote about it.
You can submit extra letters. My kid submitted two academic (one STEM, one humanities), plus two letters from coaches for their major EC. Your daughter could submit letters from their two great humanities teacher, plus from the one STEM teacher that she thinks would be best for her. Certainly, a student who plans on business needs to have a letter from a STEM teacher, preferably a math teacher.
Great! Enjoy! Seeing Rice and Texas back to back might give her a better idea of what she’s looking for in a school since they are so different. But then again, my daughter’s final 2 choices were Rice and Michigan - which couldn’t be more different - but she liked different things about both.
This is the criteria from Rice:
The two teacher recommendations serve to highlight the applicant’s academic strengths and contributions in the classroom. Both of these recommendations should be from teachers of core academic subjects, and ideally one recommendation would relate to the applicant’s intended area of study. Though not a requirement, we would prefer letters come from teachers who have taught the student for a full course.
This is the criteria from Brown:
We require two letters of recommendation from teachers who have taught you in major academic subjects (science, social studies, mathematics, a foreign language or English) and we will accept up to four letters through the Common Application. Please note that if you are considering a Bachelor of Science degree or the Program in Liberal Medical Education, at least one of your recommendations should come from a math or science teacher.
Since Rice doesnt require to apply to a specific major (with a few exceptions), she can state she intends to study English. She has a strong English background including getting a 35 on the ACT English section and 36 on the Reading section. She also has done some highly selective writing programs.
For Brown, she has no intention of studying medicine, so that doesnt seem to apply to her either. Economics at Brown is an AB degree and not a BcS degree. She can also go the English route which is also AB.
If the colleges do not specifically ask for a letter from a STEM teacher, then your D is probably fine soliciting letters from teachers who will write glowing not generically positive letters like @CCName1 said.
Both of my children were accepted to the same tippy top college for STEM (natural sciences and engineering) with letters from humanities teachers.
They had good grades and were well-liked by their STEM teachers, but just didn’t have the same connection with those teachers. Their humanities teachers really understood them and I think that was reflected in their letters.
Only if the college allows it. More isn’t always better. The expression is “the thicker the file, the thicker the kid.” I don’t know how true it is, but when admissions officers spend ten minutes on an app, they don’t want to read more.
For what it is worth, my son was accepted this fall to Duke ED as an intended neuroscience/biophysics major and submitted LOR’s from his English and History teachers. He did not submit any additional or optional letters from any math or science teachers. His optional letters were from community organizations.
I would choose teachers who know your child best and can write about unique things. My daughter used a history and English teacher for her admission to Georgetown.
Michigan is a good example. It does not use a weighted scale and recalculates every A-, A or A+ as a 4.0.