I have asked two people for a recommendation as expected. One is a math teacher from my junior year and another is a from a soccer coach I had for two years who happens to be a teacher ( never had him though). I talked to my counselor and she said it would be better if I got another academic teacher. I know that my soccer coach will talk about my character, as he knows me very well. Could the coach be the other person who write my letter of recommendation? Do I need to get another teacher? Would his letter count as a required academic letter of recommendation?
Yes, you need another teacher that you had for a base academic course. Some schools may allow/accept a third recommendation, so if you feel that your coach really has something important to add, you should check on whether additional recommendations are encouraged.
Very few colleges require two teacher rec letters. Based on your target schools, your quandary might be academic…
T2 is right of course…colleges vary in this requirement. Bucknell only asks for one teacher evaluation. Boston College and Yale both ask for two…both from core academic subjects (and Yale adds that they “do not encourage supplemental letters of recommendation”).
If you are certain that all the schools you will apply to require only one, then you are fine. But if you decide at the last minute to apply to a school that requires two, you may have trouble getting a teacher to do it NOW. I think it’s prudent to get two, and to give those teachers plenty of time.
You need to look at the requirements of each school you are planning to apply to. If they ask for two academic teachers then you need to get another recommendation from a teacher you have had. If they ask for just one academic teacher then you are fine. I agree that if there is an iota of a doubt then ask a second academic teacher to write a LOR as soon as you can.
All ivies and most of the top 15-20 schools need 2 teacher recos. I am certain an academic teacher reco will be considered way more important. Get 2 academic teacher recos
Not all colleges ‘discourage’ supplemental letters of recommendation. Since your coach’s letter touches more on your character than academics I encourage you to selectively send it (in addition to the required number of academic recommendations) to colleges that don’t explicitly discourage it. In practice many colleges accept one supplemental recommendation.