What do you guys think when a school has the option for many LORs in the common app? For example, some of the schools my daughter is applying to have up to 5 optional in both teacher and other recommenders. My thought is that most admissions officers aren’t reading ten letters! And you want them to read your very best ones. So it feels like a game here regarding how many to submit.
At a college fair my daughter spoke to two reps from small schools she expects to be competitive for merit that use the common app as the primary application for scholarships. Both had the opportunity to add many letters. She asked how many they really want/recommend. One rep said “as many as you have. I read them all-5 is an impressive nunber.” The other rep at a similar school that has room for ten letters answered the same question with “two max, maybe three, if it is exceptional.”
So that is good info for those two schools specifically but two very different answers. So she knows what to do for those two schools but what about the others that have the option for many letters? What is the thinking here? The LOR seems like such a game sometimes. How many to submit? Does she hold one back in case it is asked for later in a scholarship or honors application?
I’m definitely overthinking this. Just wondering how other people approach this. My daughter has 5 letters right now. Of course she thinks they are good but she hasn’t read them so how would she know if they are “exceptional”? Her recommenders have many to write and put a lot of work into them I am sure. She doesn’t want to go asking for even more letters when it seems to just be extra.
Most schools, if asking for any, ask for one or two - and some will say, an optional third one.
I think in many cases, kids get letters from teachers that don’t know them outside the classroom - hence you should have a resume or brag sheet to give them.
I think having 5 is too many - but I would see what each school allows.
When you have five, you’ll have to pick and choose which to send because most won’t want that many.
You’ll never know what anyone writes (nor should you) and you might think the teacher that likes them best might be the best letter and yet you might be wrong.
My guess is - in many (not all cases) they are used - but it’s probably more likely for if they are a good egg vs. a nightmare.
A lot will depend on your school list - if you have one yet. I never saw anyone ask for more than two with an optional third. But you should have two academic, maybe a 3rd (like a coach, employer, or other teacher) and beyond that, is overreach.
I think my kid got a third academic only because teacher #2 took forever and ever and ever to get it done - and we had to hedge the bet.
She doesn’t have schools that are asking for that many. She does have multiple schools that give the option to submit that many.
It is the optional part that gets me. If they told her exactly how many they wanted that would be fine. But when it is five optional? I just don’t believe someone is reading all those. But one person told her that they do. I wish they would just say what they really want.
Most give a # and may say if someone has something different to add you can submit another etc.
On essays, optional means do it. LORs is one place where the minimum is enough.
What new light will a 4th and 5th person add ? Even a third given that person is often non academic - a coach or band leader - it could add perspective.
Many schools, of course, don’t accept LORs at all.
Which is requesting or offering five ? It won’t sink her but it’s likely of zero impact. Some may say can’t follow directions though.
If you give a school name or two we can assess deeper.
University of Kentucky- 0 required 3 optional teacher, 0 required 3 optional other
Centre - 1 required 4 optional teacher, 0 required 5 optional other
My daughter is a very strong candidate, above 75th percentile for these schools so she isn’t needing an edge for admission from LOR but they use the common app as the scholarship app. So?
Yeah she needs one total. Waaaay overkill. Oh, and not hard admits. They need her more than she needs them and Furman and Centre will be throwing money at you if her gpa, sat and rigor are that strong.
Furman doesn’t even list LORs on required materials or FAQ.
So I’d send none but she can ask the counselor via email if they want since they don’t list any. They’ll likely say no or sure submit one.
Centre one and only one - A teacher recommendations.
They say “Completed by someone who has taught you in a college preparatory course in your sophomore, junior or senior year.” Go by the website, not Common.
UK none
Clearly your daughter waaaay overdid it.
Best of luck to her but sounds like she won’t need it - unless you have budget concerns.
Yeah but one of those AOs is the one that told her 2 maybe 3 and one at another school that is 1 required 5 optional said she wanted as many as possible.
So I agree with you that no one wants ten letters. I don’t know why they do that. But the AO told her that she reads them all and wants as many as she has? She is going to take her at her word. But I think it is ridiculous.
Just to make it more muddy. Our flagship that got 60,000 applications last year and she has automatic admission to has a special scholarship for in state students that they say to send LOR to your local AO in support of. My daughter asked “how many?” And they said “as many as you have” I wish they would just say what they want. No one is reading all those letters and it is a waste of everyone’s time.
So I agree with you that it is overkill. But AOs are directly telling her they want them.
Yes there can be a scholarship or Honors program that has a requirement above the school but no way five.
But your kid did them and thinks this is the way so the question is answered in that sense.
Good luck but short of a horrible test score you submit or not meeting minimal requirements, it sounds like a student in with huge merit.
I repeat these schools need you far more than you need them. Furman has a 13% yield - lower if taking out ED And they throw money at kids. Centre about 1/4 in the last CDs a few years ago but much lower non ED.
If you are legit 75% plus, they’ll be begging for you, with money. Special programs and more acceptance isn’t their issue. Getting kids to attend is - assuming you can afford $40-50k ish.
They may not know her stats or maybe they are trying to make her feel good. After all admission people are sales people and yes a special scholarship or program might require an LOR but you are taking about not difficult to get into schools for most and if she’s over the 75th percentile, including a test, the only question to you is - are they offering enough
UK is a fine school but very different from Centre and Furman. There are other smaller publics from a Murray State to UT Chatt to Christopher Newport or others that might fit her better.
Has the guidance counselor read the LORs? If so, I’d ask them how many to send. They can determine which ones are strong enough. And if they are all strong, I think if the school will accept them, you have nothing to lose. I can’t imagine a school that says up to five being upset to receive five.
She is not sending that many to any of those schools. She is sending two to the one that said 3 max if it is exceptional.
One said she wanted 5-6 if she had them. Literally. I would not lie.
She is deciding how many to send to the others. One? Two? She is not sending 5 to any of them I listed above. She went and asked the couple at the college fair because I told her I didn’t believe they wanted as many as it had room for on the college app. So I am not arguing with you.
I have said many times I agree it is overkill. When the common app has 0 or 1 required but space for 10 I think it is reasonable to ponder whether we send 1 or 3? And when two such schools directly gave her very different answers it seemed a reasonable question.
She needed some specific letters for specific scholarships she is applying to so she needed the core teacher but she also need an outside recommender and a leadership specific so she needed 3 unique ones anyway and one honors program that wanted 2 unique academic recommenders. So she did end up with a number of letters and not just because she is extra.
I agree but I’ll note Common is saying this. I don’t see LORs listed on Furman’s website, even in FAQs. Centre says one.
I agree it won’t hurt but OP asked if it’s overkill - and yes it is.
I don’t see how the GC would see them if they are uploaded from the teacher to common or am I missing something ?
But if Common will take and they submit, likely a non issue as you note, especially for a strong student who each school will zero in on in hopes of securing their attendance
Actually at my daughter’s school it does go through the guidance counselor. The counselor uses Scoir and uploads them to the common app. She also said she reads them and sometimes will advise which are the best ones to send. She is working with her guidance counselor to manage which ones to send to which applications.
Wow - something new to me. I stand corrected. Seems an unfair advantage to students who don’t have Scoir and to the teachers giving their honest assessment.
let us know how she ends up.