Teacher Recommendations

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston University
1

I am currently worrying about my teacher recommendations. While I know BU requires one teacher recommendation (and allows one more optional one), my guidance counselor had me ask two teachers and I did… but they are both English teachers. The first one I had my freshman year, but she is also the director of all of the musicals and plays at my school and we have a great relationship. I know she wrote a strong essay for me because she told me “it was easy to write your letter of recommendation because you have so many great qualities” (her opinion, not mine hahah). My second teacher I had my junior year and I was never as close with her as I am with the first English teacher, but we still connected and bonded well and I think(?) she really likes me. Would both of my recommendations from English teachers (one being a freshman teacher) still be a concern to an admission officer under these circumstances? I was hoping since I know the first teacher so well it is understandable, but now I am second guessing myself.

2

@sunflowerlover Throughout this process, I am sure you will second guess yourself many times but know that you will get through it. You may want to revisit this with your college counselor. I don’t know if colleges prefer or require recommendations from two different subjects and if they prefer or require from junior or senior year. An amazing recommendation from a freshmen year teacher is too far removed to reflect upon the student you are today. That should become your optional rec and you should have a second rec from a teacher that can speak highly of you as a student. Don’t get hung up on how close you are with the teacher or whether you’ve bonded with the teacher. It just needs to be a teacher that holds you in high regard as a student and can speak to how strong of a student you are in comparison to other students they have had in their classes.

Depending on the major, some colleges have specific requirements as to where one of the recs should come from. Such as some schools require STEM students to submit a rec from one of their STEM courses and a humanities course. Make sure to check what BU and the other schools you are applying to want to see.

3

Here is my opinion:

  1. I don’t think a freshman year teacher is a good idea for an academic evaluation. Hopefully you have grown, changed, matured over your HS years. If schools accept supplemental recommendations then the freshman English teacher could be a good one use as she could talk about the qualities you have displayed working on the school shows.

  2. I don’t think having two English teachers as academic recommendations is the best idea. Many schools like to see one STEM teacher and one humanities teacher but at the minimum I’d choose two teachers in different subjects. You want to show a diversity of academic achievement.