Hi all,
I’d appreciate some of your opinions on sending another letter of rec as I do not want to waste the time of my coach, myself, or the admissions office?
This is my 10th year of swimming with this team, and my coach has been the head of the team for my entire time. He only coaches the “Senior” group (the older kids, generally high school age) and has only specifically worked with me since I was a freshman. He’s seen my races from all ages but hasn’t necessarily worked individually with me technique and such until I was 14. He’s seen me grow up from a little kid finishing last at a local championship meet to a national qualifier. He’s seen how I practice and my consistency and loyalty with the team. He’s seen how much I have sacrificed from my other activities that I like to do. He’s seen how I interact with my teammates.Many of my teammates think he can be a scary person, but I feel confident in saying that he likes me and can write positively about me.
Is this enough to justify an extra letter of rec to the schools below? The wording of some of their websites have strongly discouraged me from actively seeking one, but my coach essentially directly asked me if I would like one.
Princeton asks for “new, detailed info.”
Stanford asks that the person “knows you well” and can “provide new insights.”
Cornell only encourages the 2 required - should I send the third?
Carnegie Mellon does not say anything that I can find but has a spot on the Common App - should I send the third?
Pomona doesn’t really say anything either.
MIT says that “they are welcome but most do not.” Does this imply that I should not send them?
Dartmouth says that an applicant may submit one.
Yale asks that the person “knows you well personally or has mentored you closely” but seems to strongly discourage them. Should I send the third?
Brown seems to discourage them as well and requires a hard copy to be sent. Should I send the third?
Harvard?
I think if I pursue the letter, I would definitely send it to Princeton, Stanford, and Pomona.
Can I have some input (if you guys have any) on Cornell, CMU, MIT, Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, and Harvard?
Anything is appreciated. Thanks.