One way in which some students hope to get an edge is through letters of recommendation. Most schools require two letters from teachers and one letter from a counselor, but allow students to submit additional letters if they wish. But does an extra letter always mean an extra edge? Read on to find out. For this reason, many students select two teachers in different subjects as recommenders to present as complete a picture as possible.
Any additional recommendations will not be considered with your application, and we are unable to accommodate changes or substitutions once recommendations have been received in our office. Counselor Recommendation You should ask your counselor to submit their recommendation electronically whenever possible. More information about deadlines and document submission is available here. We understand that some students attend high schools where the demands of their counselor's caseloads do not afford them the opportunity to provide a letter for each applicant.
In terms of who you ask, colleges typically ask you to provide a range of perspectives , like one letter from a science or math teacher and one from a humanities or social studies teacher this includes technical schools like MIT and CalTech. The other common policy is that the school leaves the choice up to you. In pretty much any case, you should ask two teachers from core courses. If you're applying to an art or performance school, like Juilliard or the New England Conservatory of Music, then one of your letters should be an artistic recommendation from a private studio teacher, conductor, coach, or artistic mentor.
As you saw above, a select few schools, like Dartmouth, Davidson, and Wheaton, get specific about additional peer or pastoral recommendations, but these are definitely exceptions. Now that you have a sense of the colleges that want two teacher recommendations, take a look at the few that want three FYI, they're all military schools. These schools also require a nomination from a Congressperson, which essentially counts as another recommendation, bringing the number required up to five!
Above, we briefly touched on whether or not you should send a letter even if your school doesn't require it. On a similar note, should you ever send an extra letter?
Logistically, you should be able to send an extra recommendation letter via mail or assigning an additional recommender on your school application or Common Application. Many schools allow this option, but you should be cautious and make sure you understand your school's opinion about sending extra material. Each school has its own stance on supplemental letters. If your school allows it, you want to make sure an extra letter adds something substantial to your application and comes from an authoritative source, like a community supervisor or spiritual leader with whom you've worked closely.
Another circumstance in which an extra letter could be a good idea is if you attend a huge high school and haven't gotten to know your teachers or counselor very well. Again, make sure to learn about your school's policy. You don't want to play into the old admissions saying, " The thicker the file, the thicker the kid.
Rather than helping your application, excessive supplemental could just end up raising red flags about the strength of your candidacy. While researching your colleges' requirements is a critical first step in planning your recommendation letters, there are several other factors that require your attention. Read on for more on gathering recommendation letters, along with the resources that can help you through the process. Before you invite your recommenders to submit their letters online, you should be thoughtful about who you ask and how you make your requests.
Make sure to ask teachers of core subjects who know you well and give them all the necessary information at least a month in advance, if not in the spring of junior year. To get your best letter , part of this information should be a detailed resume and "brag sheet. Finally, make sure you understand your rights surrounding your rec letters and how to approach the FERPA question on your application.
Your school counselor or equivalent should submit the Secondary School Report, along with your transcript. Most applicants and most admitted students do not submit any supplemental recommendations. Applicants should enter their recommender information into the Recommendations section of the application regardless of how the recommender intends to submit their materials. Our preference is for recommenders to use our application portal to submit documents.
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