Teacher Recs - Torn Between Two

Applying to College
1

<p>It's the end of my junior year and I'm thinking about colleges, and more specifically, teacher recommendations. </p>

<p>I already locked down one teacher recommendation, my junior AP Calculus AB teacher. </p>

<p>However, I'm torn between two for my last one: my AP English Language and my APUSH teacher. </p>

<p>APUSH:
Pros: He's a fantastic teacher, and can write great recommendations.
Cons: I got a B in the class for final grades. (Also I tanked the last test of the year because it wouldn't have affected my final grade one way or the other). </p>

<p>AP ENGLISH:
Pros: Fantastic writer, got an A in the class, and the teacher enjoyed my creative works (memoir/persuasive speech) that I did in class
Cons: The essays I wrote for her were consistently less than stellar, unfortunately. And she knows that I'm not the best at English (the class, not the language). </p>

<p>I actually don't know which one to pick. On one hand, I feel that my recommendation will look better if I choose my APUSH teacher because I've gotten a B in that class. A superb recommendation in lieu of a B in the course would speak to something, would it not? </p>

<p>Opinions?</p>

2

<p>Depends what they actually think of you and will actually write. </p>

<p>You are reading into it probably more than the adcoms will. All they will see is the letter, and probably wont check the grade you got in each respective class.</p>

3

<p>Sometimes the best recs come from the teachers of the classes in which you did the worst. If you were always in AP Review sessions for history, you asked a lot of questions, you worked really hard consistently (except that last test), then you should probably get that teacher to write for you–regardless of the grade–because he’d have plenty to say. Chances are that teacher doesn’t remember that one test you bombed. I’m not an expert on the subject, but schools I’ve visited have said stuff like that.</p>