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  1. #1
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    Default Choosing Teacher Recommendations for college apps

    So DD is finishing junior year and is asking teachers for college recommendation letters. She is looking to become a pt so will likely study exercise science or kinesiology. She is looking at competitive schools. Her math teacher has agreed to write one. She is excelling there and the teacher has recommended her for two rigorous math classes next year. She also has a good relationship with the teacher. For another she is unsure what to do. Either her AP Chem or her Bio teacher have already closed the window to request a recommendation. DD had multiple exams around the request deadline and forgot to fill out the required questionnaire. The other one is less likely to write a standout letter more due to her nature than anything to do with dd. She could get a great rec from the head of the early childhood education program where dd either will have a minor or a major in from her high school studies. She was considering her English teacher but the woman is a bit split personality. Dd is an excellent, organized student who helps others so a pretty ideal student but for some reason this teacher is mixed on dd. Dds friends have commented on it in the past. She told dd that she would say “how consistent she is with turning in assignments”. This seems pretty vanilla to me. Our school has one college counselor for the whole school and each class has about 500 students. Thoughts? Do all recs go through guidance typically? If so would her counselor then read it and be able to not send it if it was unhelpful or potentially detrimental?

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    Default Choosing Teacher Recommendations for college apps

    DD asked her AP Lang teacher and AP Physics teacher. Think about who might write the best recommendation. the AP Lang teacher always had lots of insightful comments on DD’s work (and she can write well since she’s an English teacher), so I thought she would be a good person. One of the podcasts I listened to said that female recommenders wrote letters that contained better details. The letters shouldn’t include a re-hash of the kids’ activities, but should reveal what they are like in the classroom.

    As for counselors, many schools require a counselor letter. We have 3 for over 1200 kids (in 3 grades). DD has met with her a couple of times about registration (our counselors do everything…no specific college counselor), but there’s no real relationship (impossible when they have 400+ kids each). Colleges understand that, so don’t worry.


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  3. #3
    nfceagles's Avatar
    nfceagles is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Default Choosing Teacher Recommendations for college apps

    Is the early childhood option an actual teacher from her transcript? Not an extracurricular activity? It needs to be a teacher. (Some schools allow optional additional recommendations from outside school, but I assume you are trying to nail down teacher recs. Given you have one from a stem and core subject, if the other is a teacher and from a significant part of your DS’s high school coursework, I think I’d go with that one.

    Another option: Is there a chemistry teacher (from a prior non AP course) who would write one? Sophomore teachers aren’t ideal, but we used a sophomore teacher for one of ours.

    I don’t think guidance can screen them and withhold them. I wouldn’t count on that.


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    Last edited by nfceagles; 05-31-2023 at 05:01 PM.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by nfceagles View Post
    Is the early childhood option an actual teacher from her transcript? Not an extracurricular activity? It needs to be a teacher. (Some schools allow optional additional recommendations from outside school, but I assume you are trying to nail down teacher recs. Given you have one from a stem and core subject, if the other is a teacher and from a significant part of your DS’s high school coursework, I think I’d go with that one.

    Another option: Is there a chemistry teacher (from a prior non AP course) who would write one? Sophomore teachers aren’t ideal, but we used a sophomore teacher for one of ours.

    I don’t think guidance can screen them and withhold them. I wouldn’t count on that.


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    Yes the Early Childhood is actual coursework on her transcript. She has taken courses since her freshmen year and also volunteered in the on-site preschool. Her prior Chem teacher is no longer at the school but she might ask the other one again. I am hoping that some of her chosen schools also allow an outside recommendation because she did an internship at a local girl focused pt practice and I think one if he mentors there would be great. She has known them since she was 8 yrs old and when the founder first went out on her own. They have not done any prior internships for high school students and created the opportunity for her.

    I think I will tell her to forget her current English teacher as I worry about what she would write even though she was the one offering to do it for DD. Example teacher wrote on DD’s progress report that dd did poorly on quizzes. I pulled up DD’s grades upon receiving the progress report and she had 90s and 100s. Turns out no one did well on the one quiz and the teacher created a re take which dd aced. I know they are limited to canned comments on the progress reports but found it odd she would choose that comment when dd’s graded didn’t reflect that.

  5. #5
    sariana is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    I'm a former high school English teacher. FWIW I would decline to write a letter for a student if I didn't have positive things to say. What would be the point of torpedoing a student? Writing those letters takes time, and why agree to do it for someone I don't think highly of?

    But of course I don't know if your DD's English teacher is thinking that way. You and DD will have to make that assessment. Perhaps DD could have a longer conversation with the teacher to discuss what could be said: leadership qualities, collaboration skills, etc.
    DS '04 "Boogaboo"
    DD '08 "Lilybear"

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    klwa is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    I would go with the early childhood teacher if you're more sure what their recommendation would be. The English teacher sounds like there's a personality clash between her & your DD that could (either intentionally or unintentionally) make it's way into the letter.
    -Kris
    DS (9/05)
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    jenmcadams is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    One thing to keep in mind is that some schools required two letters to be from core academic subject teachers (or at least one, which you have with math). My son had three letters + counselor. One was social studies, one was french and one was an outside organization where he interns. He would work with his counselor on which ones went to each school through Naviance/common app based on number of letters accepted and criteria of each school. When my daughter went through she was able to manage that process (which letters to which school) herself because school wasn't using Naviance. It ended up working ok this year, but required a bit more coordination.

    As far as the counselor letter/form, it depends on your school/counselor. We're at a mid-sized public and my kids had a good relationship with their counselor, so met with her regularly and worked with her on the counselor form/letter. She had seen all the letters of rec and used her conversation with son to touch on other things in her letter than had been covered in teacher/internship recs. I think this is unusual in a public school (seems more like what my friends in private schools get from counselors) and even in our school, counselor said she only does official letters if requested by student. Otherwise she just does the standard form.
    Mom to a DD (8/02) and a DS (6/05)

  8. #8
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    She can email a few of the college admission reps at the schools she's planning to apply to and ask specifically. They are more than happy to answer questions. Some may prefer teacher recs only from core classes, others may be more flexible.


    The purpose of a counselor’s recommendation is to provide context for your entire four years in high school. It aims to address things like:

    What is the rigor of the high school?
    How did you take advantage of the curriculum?
    How did your courses challenge you?
    What is the student body like?
    How do you overcome long term challenges?
    Do you have any extenuating circumstances?

    It is different than a teacher rec, which focuses more on the student's academic record in a specific class plus personality and character traits.



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    JustMe is online now Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    So, ds (a junior) asked a teacher he had in 9th grade today. She advised him to ask an 11th grade teacher and told him that colleges would wonder why he hadnt asked a teacher he had more recently for both recommendations if he went with a teacher from the 9th grade. This teacher really loves ds (and still nominates him for things these days) so I don't think she wouldn't want to write one for him.

    Does anyone have a link or a quick list of things students can use in a "brag sheet" (things they might want teachers recommending them to know)? Ds feels he is well-liked and considered a good student by all of his teachers, but doesn't feel any of them know him particularly well and, according to him, some are known not to write the greatest letters.

    ETA: I just google and found the linked Brag Sheet from the Common App. Do students typically fill this out and give it to teachers; does it go through Naviance or some other way? Ugh, I don't particularly like it, but certainly would have ds use it if that is the way its done. Ds' school college counselor is on leave so er are not getting any info from his school.
    Last edited by JustMe; 06-02-2023 at 08:49 PM.
    lucky single mom to 20 yr old dd and 17 yr old ds through 2 very different adoption routes

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