<p>how horrible would it be if i sent in three teacher recs? i know they ask for two, but it also said to send in recs from teachers who have taught you in different academic subjects. well i got both of my recs from a math teacher i had in 11th and one in 12th. but they’re both sooooo good! i wanted to get a math teacher since my math sat scores aren’t so hot and i thought if i got a math teacher to write me a good rec it would make the admissions folks not be so hard on me with those scores. then i realized they wanted recs from different academic subjects, so i got one from my ap macro teacher. turns out, that one wasnt so good (i’ve only had him one semester so far so he only wrote like a paragraph). anyway, i guess what im getting at is can i just send in the two math recs? they’re so good i dont wanna just toss one and send in the macro one in its place, cuz i know they want diff subjects but thats why i was thinking of just sending in all three to have two maths and one macro. so send in the two math ones? one math and one macro? all three??</p>
<p>Britt, Barnard accepts supplemental materials, but an extra rec should really add something to the application -- it shouldn't just repeat information that already is there. </p>
<p>Also, if your math scores are poor, two letters from math teachers could backfire -- since it kind of accentuates the focus on an area of weakness. A college will overlook a weakness -- my daughter had poor math scores and limited amount of math taken in high school, but was accepted to Chicago as well as Barnard, both colleges with high academic expectations. She acknowledged her weakness in her apps, but she focused on strengths. It's up to you, but you might consider the value of having at least one of your recs being from a teacher of a course in which you were particularly strong or outstanding.</p>
<p>Ditto for what Calmom said. It's just my opinion and it really does not count for all that much (I am not an admissions officer or anything), but I do not think sending two recs by math teachers is a great idea since Barnard specifically asks for ones from two different content areas. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you! You will figure this out. Just make sure Barnard knows what you consider to be your strengths and why they absolutely should accept you!!</p>
<p>I also don't think it's a good idea to send in two math teacher recommendations. If the macro teacher's rec isn't good, than I wouldn't send that one either. I'd try to find another teacher who knows you well enough to write a rec that really shows who you are. Perhaps from a teacher in an area that interests you. </p>
<p>On a side note, I too wasn't good at math, although I didn't do horribly, and I did take advanced math classes. My ACT math score was the lowest out of all the sub scores. However, I had a math teacher who I absolutely loved and I had him for two semesters of math. He wrote an amazing recommendation. So even though math was a weakness for me, I do believe it helped by having him write one of my recommendations.</p>
<p>thanks guys. i was a very good math student in their classrooms so its not like they would be repeating something they could see in the math scores. they wrote really good recs, (i read them since they left the envelopes open for me to seal). one of the teachers mentions how i have the highest average in the class, which is true. while the ap stat teacher mentions my determination through challenges. so its not like i was a complete burnout in their classes, i had A averages! i asked math teachers for recs cuz i knew they would write me good ones although my math scores should suggest otherwise. but the thing about asking another teacher for one won't really work now, since im already out of school for the holidays. ahhhhhh! i dont know what to do!!!!</p>
<p>If it's not possible to get other recs now, then you are going to have to go with what you've got -- I would say, send those recs but also get a supplemental rec from a teacher in a subject like English or History and submit it in early January, before your mid-year report is in.</p>
<p>Exactly -- unless you can reach a teacher over winter break, you really don't have much choice. It probably would be o.k. to submit one now, and have one rec come in late after the January 1 deadline -- all colleges will accept late-arriving recs, since that is often a case of items lost in the mail (or never mailed at all by absent minded teachers) -- but I think it would be safer to send in what you've got in hand, since you don't know what the quality will be of other recs that you receive. I mean.... it may take a while to get the next one. Your practical deadline probably corresponds with the midyear grade report, as in most cases the ad com will be waiting for that report before making final decisions.</p>
<p>Just to make you feel better, I've been sending 3 teacher recs to all of my schools: one bio, one english, one creative writing. Feel better about it! Most schools don't mind reading an extra rec.</p>