Value of Recommendations?

Modadunn
Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:53:54 +0000

Agree with the above. Our GC Dept says the same things about the thick file.

I will offer a caveat however… Don’t load up on recs before you might “need” the extra boost. S was rejected ED from a “dream” school. And so he was obviously a little panicked going into the RD round (refusing to love enough again for EDII). However, between asking his teachers for recommendations (English and CIS Econ), and finishing his applications in December, he had changed his ideas of what he wanted to study so that all his college apps were Bio, Molecular Bio, etc all due to taking AP Bio his senior year of HS. So… it was suggested that he ask his teacher (once a college professor who switched gears when her babies were born) to write a modified rec to add to his end of semester grades. I honestly think this made his entire application make a lot more sense since he had never been a “Science” kid in HS, but it was clear he had a gift when it came to instinctually understanding this stuff. It was very short - a mere bow - not the package.

And if you’re wait-listed … you’ll surely want to be able to add at least something, but if you’ve already got four recs when they’ve asked for two, you’re already bordering on overkill.