blondie888

Is it better to get a letter from a teacher that knows you well but haven't had you in class or from someone who has had you in class but doesn't know you well?

JJG

If your only choice is "from a teacher that knows you well but haven't had you in class or from someone who has had you in class but doesn't know you well" I think you should get both and send them one more than they asked for.

Student615

I also think it depends on how the first teacher has come to know you so well. For example, is she your mom's best friend and just happens to also be a teacher at your school, or is she someone who supervised you on a project and advises you in NHS, etc. but has never had you in an academic course? If the latter, then I'd say that type of thing is just fine because she still knows you in an academic setting.

Remember that "knows you well" can be kind of a misleading phrase. Yes, it's great if your teacher really knows you on a personal level, but if she only knows you in the classroom, it's not necessarily a problem. There might be a teacher you've never spoken to outside of class, but who can truthfully say that you've done great work, you're always respectful, you're a leader in the classroom, you show unique insight, you handle tough situations well, whatever. What you don't want is a rec from the teacher who has little to say beyond "He had excellent attendance and a decent command of the Spanish language" (the underlying message here is a combination of "I didn't really notice this kid" and "This is the most complimentary thing I can say," neither of which looks great).

serenaxcheelam

would it be good to give those folders on the first day of school?
It would give them plenty of time, but i dont want them to think of me as an annoyance.

also.
is it okay if i write what i want them to state in that thank you letter?
it is awfully hard to write about how great i am without sounding arrogant.
thanks

norms39

are teachers used to writing lots of recs for one person? is it bad to dump like 5 on the same teacher?

Northstarmom

Colleges request recommendations from teachers who had you in class. Colleges want the perspectives of people who know personally about your academic performance and capabilities.

TalktoHerTonight

I'm going to a large public university and in my 4 classes, 3 of them are by TA's. If I'm asking for recommendations as a transfer student, is it ok if I get recommendations from TAs rather than professors? I don't know how to deal with that.

Student615

norms39 -- Most teachers will write one letter for a student and then just tweak it as necessary for the various applications, so the only thing they'll have to do repeatedly is fill out rec cover sheets. In this sense, it's probably easiest to ask the minimum number of teachers (unless you have certain reasons for wanting other people to write recs for certain schools. I think I sent 2 teacher recs to almost all of my schools, but I got recs from 3 teachers, so the combinations varied).

serena -- Obviously you can send thank you notes whenever you want, but I think that most students generally send them after the recs have been submitted (and possibly even after they know where they'll be attending, or maybe one note right away and then an update when they know their plans). I think the issue of "what I want you to put in the letter" is kind of a touchy one and is important, but could be easily brought up awkwardly. If possible, it might be best to discuss face to face. Just my two cents.

blondie888

If say we are applying to eight schools, do we use the same two teachers for all of them or can we use four different teachers so that each will do four? I just don't want my teachers to burn out.

yihan.zhu

i'm wondeirng if the subject the taught matter?

i'm really interested in economics/international economics, and i speak chinese, english ,french(4 yrs in hs) , so would recs from math(statistics &calculus) and french (2 yrs) teachers help me?

what other subjects should i consider? our school doesnt offer economics until lsat half of gr 12..........


the things, neither of the teacher mentioned above r in my clubs/school organizations....does that matter though?


thanks!

myau

How many recs most teachers typically agree to write for one student? If a student is going to apply for 10+ schools, how many teachers should s/he ask for recs? If there aren't enough junior year teachers to write all the recs for some productive applicant, does it make sense to ask the senior year ones? (It's common knowledge that such requests should be made as early as possible, but 12th grade teachers don't know their current students yet; but, could they write recomendationd for those applications which are due by Jan. 1? If so, when typically they do it?)

serenaxcheelam

student615--i was thinking of writing her a thank you letter to give to her when i give her the whole package. a lot of people are telling me to write a sample teacher rec written in third person just so that if she doesnt know what to say she can refer to that sample.
instead i wrote a thank you letter that also talks about myself and my interests--how i view myself. it was much more easier to do this than to write a sample because everything i wrote was pretty much informal.
but do you think that this is an ok replacement for the sample letter?

do you think that giving her everything on the first day would be bad?

lowfatsourcreme

I would think that if a teacher writes a rec letter for, say, UCLA, it shouldn't be too hard to make a few changes, print it out again, and send it to Northwestern. Especially with the Common App for so many schools. They just make a photocopy.

DanAdmiss@Tufts

In answer to
and
One teacher will write one recommendation for you, then make copies and that same recommendation will get sent to all 5, 8, 10, howevermany schools you need. College admissions offices have no expectation that the recommendation will be written only for that one school. Each teacher writes one recommendation and copies of that get sent everywhere necessary.

serenaxcheelam

so lets say that i have 2 schools using the common app teacher rec form
so do i print out two copies of the same form, have her fill it out and send it? or should i just print out one, have her fill it out, copy it, and then send it out?

another question
i went to hong kong and china recently and i saw a set of little chinese figurines--little bald shaolin kids reading books and studying. should i give this to my teacher when i give her my package? i really dont want her to think that i am giving her all this stuff just so she will write a better rec for me. are the figurines too much? should i just give her some small chocolate or candy?
thanks for your input!