<p>Question: I attended one school up until 10th grade and then did my 11th and 12th elsewhere. Is it okay if my recommendation letters and counselor rec are from teachers from my previous school or do they have to be from the most recent school attended?Colleges prefer recommendations from teachers who taught you in 11th […]</p>
<p>I cannot figure out how a kid could get a LOR from a teacher who is teaching them senior year. At my daughter’s school, if you want a good rec, you really need to ask at the end of your Junior year in order to be in line early and not end up with a second choice teacher or a generic rec.</p>
<p>Policies and practices definitely do vary from high school to high school. But if local circumstances make it difficult for a student to get a reference from a 12th-grade teacher, this can be a big disadvantage to the student.</p>
<p>I do a grant-funded counseling program at a NYC school where the students had always been told that they had to get their references finalized by the end of the junior year. But I explained to the school administrators that, for some seniors, the 12th grade teachers are the best matches. There are often times, too, when a 10th grade teacher is a strong choice, but the student refrains from asking since colleges prefer (or sometimes even require) junior or senior teachers. But then, when the student shows up in the fall, she discovers that she has a favorite 10th-grade teacher as a senior teacher, too. This actually happened to me, many eons ago, and it still happens today. So it’s unfortunate when the school regulations–or culture–preclude the option of waiting until senior year.</p>
<p>I just noticed this thread and find your link somewhat reassuring. My D went to one school (in the UK no less) for 9th and 10 grade years, then her current school for Jr and soon-to-be Senior years. She feels a bit bad that the Bs she got in Religious Studies and Home Economics have dropped her class rank. Anyway, she will have three teachers who have worked with her this year and will work with her next year, so she should be in good shape for references if they agree to do them for her.
That said, would there be any advantage in asking one of her UK teachers to write a rec if it is called for? She had an Art teacher there who liked her very much and was able to see my D as a passionate, talented and multi-dimensional standout student. She was very sad to leave his class. Just wondering since if we do, we should start giving him a heads up soon.</p>
<p>2girlzmum–It’s fine to have the art teacher write a supplementary recommendation if you feel that he may be able to show a side of your daughter that her more recent teachers will not. BUT …</p>
<p>You say that she will already have three references from her current school. Four teacher recs is too many. Colleges don’t like to be flooded with extra, unsolicited recommendations. The more selective colleges typically ask for two teacher references; some colleges require only one. I recommend sending no more than three teacher references to the colleges that ask for two … and only send a third one if there is some particular reason for including it.</p>
<p>Moreover, colleges prefer references from teachers who have taught the core “academic” subjects, which would not include art. (Obviously if your daughter plans to major in an art-related area, that’s a different story.) Even so, as noted above, if you feel the art teacher can provide a look at your daughter that her other teachers won’t, then include this extra rec … but only if your daughter sends just two from her current school and not all three.</p>
<p>Thanks! Her current teachers are in Math, Physics and Art. She will probably study engineering so the Math and Physics teachers will get first dibs on recommendations if needed. My main thought on the UK Art teacher was that in many classes, D is pretty circumspect - she’ll ask a question if sh has one but I think tends to stay quiet. But her UK Art teacher described her as eloquent and passionate - adjectives not usually used with this child.</p>