<p>On the website, it says they encourage two recommendations from two academic subject teachers. Would a debate coach suffice? She is not a core-class teacher, per se, but she probably knows of my academic capabilities and personality just as much, if not more than some of my other academic teachers. </p>
<p>The website says that it would be a "mistake to seek out a coach or a chorus instructor" for a recommendation. Would you consider a chorus instructor equivalent to a debate coach as a recommender?</p>
<p>Would a foreign language teacher (potentially my major) and an English teacher be okay? They are both humanities subjects, but slightly different…</p>
<p>well, entomom, it doesn’t say that I’m not allowed to ask a debate coach, or that she does not qualify - they just discourage it, and I’m guessing they are discouraging it because coaches or chorus instructors, for the most part, don’t know about their student’s academic capabilities as much as a teacher. However, wouldn’t the story be different if my debate coach DID know of my capabilities as much, if not better, than some of my teachers?</p>
<p>They might also discourage it because they think, perhaps for good reasons, that a “mere” debate coach is not a qualified to rate your academic achievements and promise as is a teacher. Of course, you are free to ignore entomom’s and my advice, but I also think your recommendations should come from teachers. It’s also Yale’s advice.</p>
<p>It just doesn’t pay to ignore (or try to parse)Yale’s stated preference for recommendations from two teachers of academic subjects. When it comes to college applications, there are so many elements you can’t control. Why take a risk with an element over which you have some control? If your debate coach has valuable information about you that no one else can provide, ask him/her to write a supplemental recommendation.</p>
<p>so basically… both of my teachers should write about my academic performance at their classes? and, what is my counselor suppose to write about?</p>
<p>powerbomb: I understand why you would feel tempted to get a letter from your debate coach but I agree with wjb. It is a good idea to follow instructions when they are provided. </p>
<p>My D does competitive varsity debate and did pretty well on the national circuit last year. The coach thinks the world of her and easily knows her better than any one of her other teachers. My D spends more time on debate (and finds it more challenging) than most of her APs. Nevertheless, the coach will not be writing a LOR for her. The academic teachers and the counselor will refer to the fact that she does debate and is able to balance school and ECs. </p>
<p>In general, I think people overestimate the importance of ECs in admissions to top colleges. I think the colleges are mostly interested in your academic potential. Notice how Yale says:</p>
<p>I concur that the transcript is the single most important piece of a college application: Top colleges want to see not only your grades, but also that you’ve challenged yourself by taking the most rigorous curriculum available. Standardized test scores are the next most important element in admissions decisions. </p>
<p>But after a student’s academic record, I think ECs (along with recommendations and essays) play a key role at the admissions table at schools like Yale. There are so many candidates with top academic credentials. Colleges with acceptance rates in the single digits have to find a way to distinguish among those candidates, and engagement beyond the classroom is one way they make the distinction. ECs don’t just help colleges make admissions decisions. They help colleges fulfill important institutional priorities; schools need students who will contribute to the campus community.</p>
<p>I think everyone has made very valid points; it is clear that there are good arguments both for and against sending Yale a supplemental rec. But keep in mind the old saying: “The thicker the file, the thicker the applicant.” Oftentimes, your application can speak for itself as far as extracurricular accomplishments go, just as vicariousparent was saying. I think that Yale’s philosophy is that between the two teacher recs and the counselor rec, they should be able to capture a pretty accurate picture of you.</p>