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Dear Parents,

I've heard from many people that it is most advisable to get a recommendation from a math/sci teacher and the other from a history/english teacher. However, the two teachers that know me best are my math teacher (who taught me in Calc BC and is the math teach coach which I have been in for 4 years and is the treasurer) and my science teacher (who taught me for Physics B and is currently my Physics C teacher who also coaches Science Olympiad in which I am a very active member). I'm sure both of them would have excellent things to say about me. However, I only know my history teacher from last year because he taught APUSH and my English teacher from English Lit Honors last year and AP English this year... both of them I rarely talk to outside of class. I'm planning to apply to Yale EA with prospective major being Chemical Engineering.. which 2 teachers do you think I should ask for recs?

Thanks

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 10:10 pm: Edit

What you heard is not true. Some colleges will tell you what kind of teachers they want you to get recommendations from. For instance, some tech colleges want you to get recs from science and math teachers.

Others leave it wide open as to what teachers you select. Still others may ask for only teachers of academic subjects or they may request teachers from junior or senior year.

If you have a choice, select teachers who know you well, think highly of you, and also have the time and ability to write excellent recommendations.

By Marite (Marite) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 10:11 pm: Edit

Does Yale stipulate that recs must come from teachers in two different types of disciplines, e.g humanities/social studies and math/science?Some actually do. In that case, get either your history or English teacher to write a rec and get one of the two teachers who know you best to do a supplemental rec. I should think that, unless your classes were large, your APUSH and your AP English teachers are quite capable of writing a good rec for you. Provide them with a resume/brag sheet, and mention particular assignments you enjoyed and got good grades for. If there is something in particular you think should be highlighted, make sure to mention it in to the teacher.

By Helicoptermom (Helicoptermom) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 10:19 pm: Edit

I agree with Northstarmom; unless the college specifically asks for recommendations from teachers in different departments, ask the teachers who know you best. In your case, it's especially appropriate because you've done outside work with those teachers in a field that interests you for college study. (My daughter, who's now at an Ivy, got recommendations from two humanities teachers, even though she had a strong interest and ability in math, because the humanities teachers had taken more of a personal interest in her than any of her math teachers.)

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 10:33 pm: Edit

So that the teachers can be specific about excellent things that you did in their classes, it can be very helpful to give teachers copies of some tests that you took or papers that you wrote for their classes.

By Athlonmj (Athlonmj) on Monday, October 04, 2004 - 07:26 am: Edit

Thanks everyone.

Yale doesn't require that one rec be from a math/sci teacher while the other be from a humanities teacher. Unfortunately, they do not allow any supplemental recs (due to the amount of apps they get each year). So, I think I'm going to ask the two teachers that know me best, my calculus teacher and my physics teacher.