<p>How heavily do the recommendations play in the admissions process for Brown. Also what about demographics? I’m a prospective junior, looking at applying next year.</p>
<p>Extremely heavy emphasis on recs. Given that most applicants will attain an academic threshold, you need to be able to stand out. The rec letters are one of the few means to be able to do so. As for demographics, there is some effort at diversity – do you have anything unique to bring?</p>
<p>Is there a limit on the number of recommendations? What teachers, in terms of area of subjects, would you think would be most important? I know science in important for sure, as well as counselor. I’m from a very rural town in GA. 2,000-3,000 people.</p>
<p>Brown allows you to submit up to five letters of recommendation. I go to an arts school, so for me, I had a split between my writing teachers and favorite academic teachers. Ask for recommendations from teachers that know you better and that won’t write a generic “He/She is a great student and participates in class, yada yada yada.”</p>
<p>Oh. I have a slight problem; I’m not sure exactly how much some of my AP teachers like me. I feel like two of them have ambivalent feelings towards me even though they know I’m a diligent student. Also my school offers very few AP classes. I go to a really crappy school. We have maybe 5-6 AP classes. My school genuinely cares about sports and support classes, and doesn’t really care for those who strive for academic excellence. I know this is bad, but my school, in it’s 40-50 year existence, has never sent a student to an Ivy. Will this really hurt my chances?</p>
<p>Colleges know that you probably didn’t get to pick your high school, therefore, all they care about is that you challenged yourself as much as possible with the opportunities that you had.</p>
<p>If you express that sort of attitude toward your school in a way that your teachers know how you feel, then I would expect some conflict in writing you good recommendations! Teacher are often doing the best they can with what they have. Next year you will presumptively have one or 2 new teachers that you haven’t had yet. I would approach next year, and the rest of this year with a more positive and if possible helpful and friendly attitude toward your teachers. There is really a big difference between a “diligent student” (translation “grind” or worse “grade grubber”) and the student “who is a joy to teach”. Think of this as just one of the many times in your life that you will be seeking the approval of your “supervisor”. If you can get to even know your teachers a little as people, and have a positive, helpful attitude, you may find that the rest of your high school time will also be more enjoyable. When you do start prospecting who might write recs for you, it doesn’t hurt to ask “how would you feel about writing a college rec for me?” (Not in that exact way, but as you feel is appropriate for the person and you.) If you are careful in reading between the lines this can help some with figuring out if it would be less than glowing, and/or sometimes if the person just hates writing them, so may not be the best “ask”. Also if your college guidance counselor is good, particularly in a small school they should be able to help you figure out who is likely to write you good letters.</p>
<p>I do not mean to bring down my school, but I’m just telling the truth. Our school has been on the news throughout the years multiple times for: demeaning acts by staff with students, student neglect, and various other things. My school district claims to be in a “financial dilemma,” but I cannot get over the fact that my school has various local and corporate sponsors, yet they waste money on athletics and support classes with 2-3 students. This year we were going to have AP Calc, but only 11 people signed up and they canceled the class. The few AP teachers I have actually agree with me on most things, and I believe they’ll write me good recommendations. I’m only concerned as to how effective the writing will be. I have great relations with counselor. Should I look out for anything else? I’m currently preparing for SAT1’s and 2’s. I hope to at least score 2100 on SAT1, and 680’s-high 700’s on SAT2’s. I know I should aim for perfect scores, but I don’t want to get too ambitious and over confident.</p>