I’m applying to US universities like MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Caltech, and UCB.
Say that I have a potential recommender who has worked with me for a month in the same team at a company and can probably write a recommendation with many anecdotes, but is only a regular HR just out of college for a few years. Another potential recommender is an accomplished person (leader of a large company, say) but only knows me enough to write two or three specific events, with the rest of the recommendation only summaries.
I have to choose between these two recommenders. Which one should I choose? Are two or three specific events enough?
I am indeed an international student.
I don’t have any backup plans for going to universities in my own country though. I prefer the educational format in the US. I’m currently considering applying again next year or going to second-class universities in the US and transferring.
Perhaps you’re thinking I can get LoRs from a university teacher in my own country?
No… In addition to being a homeschooler, I’m also a self-learner. Not even my parents mentored me much–I mostly learned by myself.
I’m trying to interact with more people these years, but mostly not teachers. I best I have are internship supervisors and project coworkers.
Recs from these people would work, though? Admission officers only want an objective, third-party evaluation of the student in a rec letter. Can people who are not teachers do just as well?
I would encourage you to reach out to your AO at the schools you intend on applying to and ask what they want to see from you with regard to not only LoRs, but also transcripts, courses taken, academic evaluations, and test scores. What US schools require from homeschool applicants does vary.
Your preference is understandable. But unfortunately, acceptance to U.S. colleges is hard for the majority of international applicants. And your situation is complicated by your unschooling. So you absolutely must have a backup plan unless you’re ok not going to college at all.
Are you able to document your studies and create transcripts?
Are you an older student?
Do you need any financial aid?
Does this mean you already applied and received no acceptances?
If your plan is to transfer into an Ivy level school, that is almost certainly not going to happen. They take very few transfer students.
No. You need LORs from a high school teacher.
Schools typically require one, sometimes two, LORs from high school teachers in core subjects. They may accept an additional LOR from a supervisor, but not as a replacement.
However, there are some colleges that don’t require LORs at all.
There is another thread on here someplace about an unschooled international student. It gives some good suggestions on how to document what you did for coursework (you will need to do that). There were some suggestions for getting a high school equivalency test done in your home country too…if that’s possible.
Perhaps someone else can find that thread and link it here. It has very good advice in it.
UCB does not normally use recommendations, though they may ask some applicants to send optional recommendations. But that means that the answer to your question for UCB is generally “no”, since recommendations are usually not used at all.
Most other US universities that want recommendations want them from instructors in your course work.
I think you are over your head in applying to these schools.
You don’t have an educational record and you appear desperate to find someone (non-teachers) who will vouch for your academic history. The LOR’s should be from academic teachers. Coworkers from an internship can be utilized as LORs for employment, but it wont help with an Admissions application to tough schools.
The LORs are supposed to come from a teacher, in your past, who had you in any size classroom as an instructor because that is what the colleges want to know, and expect, that you will get the same experience at a US university.
What is your budget? As an international student, funding is extremely limited. With your lack of a record, it will be impossible.
Realize that MIT and Stanford, Princeton, Caltech, UCB are reaches for every student. They simply don’t have enough spots for all the superbly qualified applicants who have perfect everything. If you are a student who has perfect everything then you have a shot at it, but if not…
@aunt_bea@Sweetgum Thanks really much for the suggestions!
I’m aware that these schools are difficult to get in, but I think I have a chance. I’ll give it a shot. It’s not going to hurt to give it a try.
. The best I have are the people I interact with at an internship.