I asked and submitted AP Computer Science Principles and AP Precalculus teachers for letters of Rec. AP CSP isn’t considered a core subject, and a lot of Ivy’s require core subject teachers.
Did this little mistake ruin my chances?
I wish they made this well known. I watched a good amount of college advice/have been to college webinars and all i’ve heard is that they prefer 11th grade teachers.
Man. I’m stressed.
“Core academic” in general means not art, music, theatre, PE, drivers ed, home EC, etc.
It does not generally exclude CS, econ, psych, PLTW, etc.
You’re fine
Most ivys want one stem and one language / humanities teacher recs. CS and Math is not what they are usually asking for.
Thank you man. Just thank you. I was so stressed out over this man. You don’t even understand. I just needed some reassurance. I would beat myself up over this if I knew I ruined my chances cause of something as small as this.
Each school asks for different things.
What’s done is done. The likelihood of getting into an Ivy is small regardless of LORs.
Have you applied to all you plant to? If not, read school’s criteria. If you’ve not sent all in, perhaps you can get another teacher for the next school or if they allow an extra.
If not, let it go. I doubt this would be the reason for rejection.
They do make it known. Please don’t rush things but inspect everything b4 u do it. If they don’t mention it, they likely don’t care.
Dartmouth doesn’t specify. As an example but asks for a peer recommender.
Yale does and says this but doesn’t say it can’t be two in a similar discipline. Whether CS counts or not, I can’t say.
But these potential mistakes are all avoidable if you slow down. Let it be a lesson for the future. Fix the remaining apps and move on.
YALE
All applicants for first-year admission should request two letters of recommendation from teachers who have taught the student in core academic subjects: usually Math, English, Foreign Language, Social Studies, or Science. Teachers who have taught you in your junior and/or senior years often write the most insightful letters. These teachers will best speak to your recent progress, your preparation for rigorous collegiate coursework, and your potential contributions beyond the classroom.
DARTMOUTH
Yale specifically says CS counts.
Thank you. I missed that.
OP needs to look at schools independently, and if they know their list up front, should have game planned or now can b4 filing another app.
I just looked at your stats in another thread. You are a very competitive applicant. No one can say whether or not you will get into an Ivy League university. However, assuming that you apply to a good range of schools, you will be accepted to at least one and more likely multiple very good universities.
Top universities, such as Ivy League schools, are looking for academically excellent students who are a good fit for them. They get it right quite often. Other very good schools, such as your in-state public universities, are looking for strong students. From your other thread my understanding is that you are indeed quite a good student.
And to me computer science and math are “core subjects”. Look at what each school says and see whether some of them should also have a letter of reference from a non-technical teacher (such as English, history, or some other humanities subject).
Senior year of high school is stressful. However, this will work out one way or another.
Q: Which Ivy League schools did you submit these two recommendations to?
All of them…
Which says you need two that are humanity or STEM?
Have you gone through each?
If you erred on one, do they take an optional third that could fix this?
Have you looked at each school? For example, Dartmouth wants a peer review.
Anyway, what’s done is done - but you leave it alone. Looking at your profile, I’d think you’ll be at UVA regardless. But forgetting that, don’t bring attention to yourself. But I don’t think all are ruined - but see if there’s one you didn’t follow instructions if you can fix it.
For example, Brown says this:
“We require two letters of recommendation from teachers who have taught you in major academic subjects (science, social studies, mathematics, a foreign language or English) and we will accept up to four letters through the Common Application. Please note that if you are considering a Bachelor of Science degree or the Program in Liberal Medical Education, at least one of your recommendations should come from a math or science teacher.”
Now is a science? I don’t think so - but pick up the phone, call and ask. You don’t need to give your name. If they say it’s fine, you’re good. If not, guess what.
“In our experience, the required counselor recommendation and two teacher recommendations provide all we need to make a thoughtful, informed admission decision. However, if someone has unique knowledge of certain strengths or accomplishments that would not be addressed in the required recommendations, you are welcome to have another person write on your behalf. In addition to the required recommendations, you may also request one optional recommendation through the Common Application if you choose to do so.”
So they’re not looking for the English teacher per se but that’s your chance to make it happen.
But don’t assume because what you’ve done is likely fine already.
Go school by school - and adapt as needed.
But there’s zero reason to panic. But this is a life lesson for you.
So you’ve already submitted applications to all eight Ivy League schools? Even though the RD deadlines are in January?
Not necessarily. If you put the teacher recommendation invitation into the common app they can submit their recommendation to common app whenever they want to. It doesn’t necessarily mean the applicant has submitted a completed common app to each school yet.
Thanks for the explanation. A follow-up question: If the full application hasn’t been sent yet, is there time to make changes to recommendations? I’m just trying to figure out if this can be changed. Thanks!
Yes. The student assigns the recommenders to the schools, and can make changes until submitted
I pulled this up from the Harvard University website. They prefer two recommendations from teachers in two different academic subjects. Some school districts classify computer science as also a mathematics subject.
My advice, if you’ve already submitted the application, is to request & submit an additional recommendation preferably from an English or social studies teacher offering a genuinely distinctive perspective. As far as I am aware, all Ivys accept the additional, optional recommendation.
This will not lessen your admissions chances; it could be a good strategy to signal to the committees that you are very STEM-focused (finance/quant is your major of interest).
Even when an additional letter is allowed, I recommend avoiding a third teacher. Admissions officers already read plenty of “this student was great in class” letters. An optional recommendation is best used to highlight a non-academic side of you—such as an insights from an employer, coach, or mentor.
What “signal” are you talking about?
STEM is STEM. Finance is not STEM .
I was thinking quantitative graduate tracks. Some of the schools he is applying to offer master’s degrees in disciplines, e.g. finance, that are STEM-designated. AcceptAllCookies is not planning to pursue a degree in humanities.
There is no such thing as “destroying your Ivy chances”. If you don’t get accepted (or do) to an Ivy, you will never know why.
