<p>So I'm having difficulties deciding whom I should ask for teacher recommendations. I am applying as a Neuroscience major, so I wanted to have well-balanced recs. I am applying to top colleges. Also, I am not including theology or social studies class because theology doesnt matter and social studies/history is my weak point. Here are the teachers I'm considering for recs:</p>
<p>Freshman Year</p>
<p>I went to a different school, so I can't ask any of then.</p>
<p>Sophomore Year</p>
<p>Chemistry - teacher left the school English 2 - teacher liked me, but nothing special Algebra 2 - teacher liked me but is notorious for giving bland and lifeless recs Spnaish III - teacher liked me a lot, but the class was soo easy</p>
<p>Junior Year</p>
<p>AP Physics - he got fired, so he is inaccessible AP Calc AB **- same teacher as Algebra 2 with the lifeless recs
**English III - this teacher and I bonded, and my friends consistently make fun of me for being his "favorite". We have spoken about non-academic subjects for over three hours. Spanish IV - she and I did not bond as much as my english teacher and I, however I was consitently the only kid in the class to get As (including on tests and quizzes). She constantly joked with me about knowing more spanish than she (which is false lol). </p>
<p>Senior Year</p>
<p>AP Biology - I briefly met this teacher early in my junior year as she instructed myself and three others for an academic decathalon tournament. She discovered I had an extremely difficult course load and was impressed with how well I grasped the biology material she taught us.
AP Stats - the math team head (which I have been on for one year) who seems to like me. She and I have talked a bit, but not too often. I was junior in AP Calc which is odd, so she respects me for that. She went to Harvard undergrad.
AP English Lit - this teacher and I bonded a lot as well, as he helped me prepare for the AP English Language exam. Since we only met about 6 times, he expected me to get a 3 or 4. When I got a 5, he was thrilled and stated that I was one of the smartest students he's ever had.
AP Spanish - the teacher and I have encountered one another briefly, especially when I was petitioning the school to allow me to take 4 AP classes. She got to know me a little then. Not much else though.</p>
<p>Dilemma: The majority of my close relationships is with humanities teachers. Help! Whom would you ask???</p>
<p>Most of us can figure out that if you are a rising senior you have taken all of your freshman, sophomore and junior classes already… But, thanks for the bold, anyway. I guess. </p>
<p>You probably wouldn’t ask a teacher from freshman year, even if you weren’t from that school. Sophomore year is kind of iffy as well, but the more recent the better. </p>
<p>Here’s who I would consider:
English III
AP Biology
AP English Lit (if you feel he will write a better recommendation than the other two)</p>
<p>@ rchhay, lol if I’m being perfectly honest, I totally forgot to bold the senior year stuff and just randomly came up with some excuse for forgetting. I agree that I should ask English III for a rec, but I was thinking that maybe AP Stats would be a better option instead of AP Bio, just because I think she’s known me for a longer period of time. </p>
<p>@ Cacciato, haha he was a complete d-bag though who could barely do physics (hence the getting fired), so it would not be worth it.</p>
<p>Here’s what my son’s guidance counselor said: pick the two that will write the best rec for you. Pick Jr. and Sr. teachers. When you ask them if they’d consider writing for you, if there is any hesitation in their answer at all, that’s a clue that their rec might not be glowing.</p>
<p>@ mom in virginia, that is very good advice. I agree completely. </p>
<p>If I were to work my butt off early next year, do you think it would be possible for me to make enough of an impression on my Stats and Bio teachers to get a good rec? I don’t necessarily need a “glowing” recommendation, because one from my english teacher will be.</p>
<p>if you’re looking into nueroscience, I’d say a bio or chem rec would be near essential (maybe math or physics), especially if your other rec is a humanities course. So, you should get a rec in the sciency or maybe math field. </p>
<p>English 3 seems like a must. For the second, I’d choose between bio and stats. This will also give you a good mix of very personal (english III) and academic (bio or stats, from what you’ve told us). </p>
<p>To consider: your stats teacher going to Harvard undergrad is a double edged sword. It’s good in that she knows what it takes to get in and can probably write well, but it’s bad in that she may not be as impressed with you (I’d say the good outweighs the bad, but who knows?)</p>
<p>You should consider that you will have to approach them much later for a letter of recommendation, in that case. They may not have enough time to write a decent recommendation.</p>
<p>@ Senior, I agree with you almost 100%. I think that my best recs would come from humanities teachers, but that has nothing to do with my performance in class. My best subject is Math, but my math teachers have all been impersonal. I just tend to bond more with humanities teachers. I will try my best to get AP Bio to write a rec, but who knows?</p>
<p>@ rchhay, I am thinking that I can try my best to not just do well during the first two months, but to also make a good impression. Stay after a couple of times for “extra help” (even if I’m doing well), etc.</p>
<p>I think that’s a great plan, but I think you missed the point of what I was saying: No matter how impressed a teacher is with you, he or she may have difficulty writing a good recommendation due to time constraints. Consider: Is he or she a popular teacher for recommendations? Does he or she teach other classes in junior year where students from those class might ask for recommendations? </p>
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<p>Maybe it’s because I just finished reading The Catcher in the Rye today, but I also somehow feel the urge to say don’t be a phony. Only stay if you have a genuine question/comment, instead of just trying to impress a teacher for a recommendation.</p>
<p>Haha I didn’t miss your point, I just didn’t address it lol. The thing is, both my AP Stats teacher and AP Bio teacher teach junior classes. AP Stats is only taken by juniors, so not many kids in the class will ask for recs, however she teaches the lowest level of math for juniors. They may ask her for recs. I think she would respect the fact that my recommendation would need to be more in-depth than that of some kids applying to less selective schools, but who knows. AP Biology, however, teaches mostly juniors for AP bio. They will most likely all ask her for a rec, unless they did poorly in her class.</p>