Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

Most of the colleges we've visited have said they prefer recommendations from teachers a student has had in grades 11 or 12. For ED or EA, dd will only have just met her senior-year teachers. Sad to say that although she has done very well this year, most of her junior year teachers, as Molly Ivins would put it, are not the brightest porch lights on the block, and we are not confident they will write very helpful recommendations. Is it really a problem to have at least one sophomore teacher?

By Natalia (Natalia) on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 06:14 pm: Edit

It shouldn't be a problem at all. I applied ED to Princeton, and got in... I had 3 recommendations (1 from a sophomore year teacher who taught me again senior year, 1 from a sophomore year teacher who only taught me sophomore year, and 1 from a junior year teacher). I'd advise your daughter to spend a lot of time in her school's college office and really get to know her guidance counselor, because the guidance counselor recommendation can help make up for a teacher recommendation that is less-than-stellar.

By Aparent (Aparent) on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 06:49 pm: Edit

Thanks, Natalia. The GC is great, so I'm glad that will help. It's not that the teacher recs will be bad -- they will be glowing, but just uninspiring, we suspect, based on the way these teachers teach! Congratulations on Princeton. Have a wonderful time there.