<p>Does UChicago have any requirements on teacher recs? For example, do they want one from a science teacher, one from an english teacher ect.....or would they just prefer 2 recs from any teacher? And also how much do teacher recs factor into the whole admissions process?</p>
<p>-thanks!</p>
<p>Well, UChicago requires one rec from a English/Social Studies teacher and one from a Math/Science teacher I believe.</p>
<p>And I was recently looking at their website and found this: </p>
<p>“Above all we look for the intense curiosity that makes University of Chicago students such exciting young scholars in our intense academic community, and such lively members of campus, neighborhood, and city. This quality does not manifest itself in high test scores, but in writing that is willing to take chances, in recommendations that speak to a love of learning and active engagement in the classroom, and in the selection of a strong curriculum.”</p>
<p>So, I would say that recommendations may be sufficiently important?</p>
<p>can u send in teacher recs after the EA application due date?</p>
<p>^You should send them before the deadline, at the same time that you send the other paper documents for your application. I believe that you need one humanities/English rec, and one math/science rec. Foreign language teacher recs are specifically not allowed. I didn’t like that last criterion at all, as my Spanish teacher wrote awesome recs. But I still got in, so it worked anyway.</p>
<p>Thanks! also do these have to be jr and sr year teachers or can they be teachers I had in freshman or soph?</p>
<p>Sophomore might be okay. Freshman teachers are pushing your luck. You’ve probably changed a lot since then. My school was really small, and I had the same teachers for all four years, so this wasn’t a problem for me. I suppose you should choose first based on how well the teachers know you.</p>
<p>Well I still talk to my freshman English teacher (I play xbox live with him lol). Out of all my teachers he probably knows me the best since he always critiques my short stories and enters them in magazines and contests. I wanted to go with him but I won’t be able to have him again Sr year…</p>
<p>Also unfortunately, me being a English/History guy, I don’t really have any math/science teachers that know me well or whose classes I did phenomenal in…are these policies strict or can there be some leniency?</p>
<p>They are strict about the recs. A student CAN have a foreign language for a recommendation – it can be a supplemental rec. It just can’t be in lieu of the math/science or the English/SS.</p>
<p>CountingDown makes a good point. You have to be sure you have the two recs in the categories the U of C requires; that means including a science or math teacher. But you can always include as many supplemental recs as you want (though it’s advisable to keep that number as low as possible–I’d go with no more than one or two extra recs, if even that). One of those supplemental recs could be your freshman year English teacher. As others have said, he taught you a little too long ago to be a reliable core recommender, but since your relationship seems so close, it might be a great idea to ask him for a supplementary letter. He may be able to elaborate more deeply on your personality and English studies than recent teachers could.</p>
<p>Bottom line, though, have a junior or senior year English/Soc. Studies teacher rec and a junior/senior year science/math teacher rec. Once you secure those, you can consider supplements.</p>
<p>I had the same issue with math and science. The two science teachers at my school were really horrible at writing, and I didn’t get along with either of them that much. The math teacher was a better writer, and I think he liked me to some degree. So I went with him. That rec was rather boring, but it fulfilled the requirement. The rec from my English teacher is the one that got me accepted. As a general rule, English teachers are fantastic writers, so keep that in mind.</p>
<p>I agree that you should send your freshman English teacher rec if he knows you that well.</p>
<p>For me it’s the other way around. I was planning on having my AP Calc and another Science teacher to write my recs for all other schools since they know me best. But for Chicago, I’ll have to replace my Calc teacher with my regular English teacher who isn’t very bright. How bad does it look to have recs from regular teachers as opposed to those that taught Honors/AP?</p>
<p>What you want is someone who thinks that you are great, and can communicate that with some anecdotal detail. Don’t worry about APs or anything like that.</p>
<p>It doesn’t have to be an English teacher. Don’t you have a social studies or economics teacher that could write a better rec? You can use senior year teachers too, as long as you get to know them well right away.</p>
<p>To the OP, some teachers actually prefer students to write recommendations and get the teachers themselves to sign. I submitted three recommendations, one from math teacher, one from English teacher, and one from swim team sponsor teacher. It’s nice to get one from a teacher who is involved in your extracurricular activities. :D</p>
<p>I know if applying as a transfer student, UChicago does requires teacher recommendations, but do they have to be from a English/Social Studies teacher and from a Math/Science teacher?</p>
<p>I’m applying to multiple schools, and only chicago has those limitations in regards to what kind of teachers can write the recs. I have an english and foreign language recommendation that are both superb, but it’s too late to ask any math or science teacher. What are my chances if i have those quality recommendations plus a supplemental recommendation from my student council adviser that has known me for four years and wrote an amazing recommendation in addition to above-average grades, sat scores, act scores, and extracurriculars? i understand that U of C is strict in their teacher recommendations, but do you think they will perhaps overlook this? Thank you so much for your input!</p>
<p>As far as I know, UChicago no longer has these restrictions. I submitted a rec from a Latin teacher, a rec from an English teacher, and a supplemental rec from a theater teacher, and I got in EA.</p>
<p>I submitted a recommendation from my Physics teacher as well as a Psychology professor/Research mentor and that was it. I was accepted EA.</p>