You have your basic letters of rec lined up because you def followed our advice and secured them junior year. Your counselor and two teachers you’re close with are going to write beautiful letters about how you should go to Harvard/Stanford/UNC/UC Berkeley/etc., etc. However, you’re in the Common App and realize that your dream school actually allows up to two whole extra letters of rec. Should you take it? Ask a few more people? Maybe a family friend who went to the school? Our answer: probably not.
Here’s the rub, kids – an extra letter of rec is probably not going to take you from the “no” pile to the “yes” pile. In fact, it might hurt you. Yes, we know we say that there is no such thing as optional in the college admissions process, but this is the exception to the rule. In the broadest sense, more rec letters attached to your application means more to read.
Imagine this: you’re an admissions counselor at a top college. You’ve read 75 applications so far today. You didn’t get a lot of sleep last night (Survivor marathon), and the coffee is wearing off. You pick up an application and realize it has more heft than anticipated. A sigh escapes, and as they peruse the pages, they see two extra letters of rec from people who obviously do not know this student as well as they’re trying to pass off. Yeah, it’s cool that their dad’s friend went there, but as far as you can tell, this student hasn’t seen him since that Christmas party their parents threw in 2013. You smell the phoniness from a mile away. You put them in the deferred pile.
Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but it holds a nugget of truth! Rec letters need to be meaningful and personal. If you must have an additional letter of rec, let’s walk through some hypotheticals that we think are worth it.
You are extremely active at your place of worship. You’ve organized fundraisers, started outreach groups, taken over running the choir, and started a new community service group that has made a measurable difference in the community. You literally lead the youth group band and you’re in the main orchestra too. Go ahead, and ask for the additional rec letter from the youth leader.
You do a lot of plays and musicals. Wait, let’s restate that – you are plays and musicals. You’ve participated in 5 productions a year since 8th grade, you’re the lead, but you spend every weekend painting sets and building props, you help teach the middle school theater program, and the whole program knows they’re gonna be toast when you leave. Ask the theater director for a letter.
You’ve worked at a local business for a few years and you’re super close to your boss. You were the savior of Black Friday, because everyone else called out and you took up the charge. You can style mannequins and stage accessories like a retail Tim Gunn. You’ve increased sales and streamlined the inventory system for fun. Ask your boss.
Your mother’s best friend went to the school of your dreams, and you are actually close to her. You have helped her over the summers with yard work, she’s helped you get an internship at her company, and you have dinner with her once a week (outside of the 4 other times a week you see her). She knows you, maybe even better than your own mother does, and she has (most importantly!) intimate knowledge of how you’ve grown, what your goals are, and what you’ve done to achieve them. You can ask her.
In addition to your Math and English teachers, whom you are close to, you are also incredibly close to your Art teacher. You signed up for art on a whim (you were not that good at it, but choir seemed boring, and you did not want to carry a tuba around school for band), but you’ve been dedicated, hard-working, and a good leader for younger students. Your Art teacher has become a confidant and informal advisor, helping you with everything from your history presentations to summer job applications. She helped you master gouache, and you taught her TikTok dances and whatever the hip teen slang is these days. Go ahead and ask her.
If you have a situation similar to the above examples (this isn’t exhaustive, obvi), then you can ask for an additional letter of recommendation. However, it is important to note that not every school allows letters from any ol’ person. There are some schools with strict limitations on who can write you a letter of rec. Some schools might accept a rec letter from a family member (risky!) or ‘other’ (read: family friend), but others don’t. We’ve noticed that schools that allow additional rec letters almost always accept clergy, arts teacher, coach, or employer.
When in doubt, we say stick to the letters you’re allowed. But if you do have a very close relationship with an adult who knows you and can write a very personal letter, then go for it.
If you need help strategizing for college admissions, navigating the process, or writing your essays, reach out to us today.