What is MIT's view on self studying and taking hard math classes earlier on?

mootmom
Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:42:42 +0000

One extra rec is fine, if it shows some new side of you that would not otherwise be highlighted in the rest of your app. If you think robotics is not going to be covered in the rest of your app, have the coach write one, but consider that if there isn’t really anything new the coach could add other than, “rainynightstarz was such a great member of this accomplished team…” it might be at least as good to ask the art teacher instead for your supplemental (third) rec. Generally when you start talking about a fourth rec, it had darned well better be a very different one – in your case above, I would not recommend a 4th from a math club advisor. If you truly feel you need to add a 4th, consider the art teacher, but only if art is a significant part of who you are and what you do with your time and energies. When they say “two recs” they actually mean two. Not “how many can you give us before we wonder if you understand the meaning of ‘two’.” It will not handicap you in ANY way to “only” provide the required two: most people stop there. The supplemental (third) is to show a side of you that doesn’t come out otherwise in your app; if this is art, and the art teacher will have insightful and meaningful things to say, that might be a good choice. You could write about FIRST somewhere in your app and cover that ground fairly well.

(If your friend is the prez of 1072, she does know me. And she for sure knows my sons. )