You’ve done your whole Common App, written killer essays and supplements, and you’re ready to press submit. “…wait. Hold on. They’re saying I have the option to add two additional recommenders besides the required ones? I can ask two other people, like my dad’s friend who went here 20 years ago that I barely know, to write me letters of rec? Boy oh boy, what a day!”
Hold your horses there, cowkids. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. We talk a lot about how ‘optional’ isn’t optional when it comes to college apps, but there are a few notable exceptions, and this is one of them. It’s important to note that a recommendation letter isn’t going to be the thing that gets you into college. An additional letter of recommendation miiiiight help you, but it has an equal chance to hurt you, or at least annoy the admissions counselor reading your packet.
Almost all your college applications will require counselor recs and up to two teacher recs, but some schools do allow extra recommenders. Each school also has their own list of allowed additional recommenders, so some schools might allow a family friend, while others want you to stick to actual teachers/bosses/leaders. There are a few reasons to submit a letter of rec, and some big reasons not to.
Maybe there is something about you that your teachers can’t capture. Maybe you just aren’t close with teachers that you have to have letters from. Maybe you had a cool job or internship with someone who is an alumni of that school. Maybe you’re very active in your place of worship or scout troop! Those are times when an additional letter can be useful. We say can because you need to make sure if you ask for an additional letter of rec that it’s worth the space it takes up.
If they aren’t saying anything new or interesting about your character, behavior, personality, etc., then all you’ve done is give a tired admissions counselor another 250+ words to read that say the same thing as before. We don’t want that. If you’re gunning for those top-tier schools, you need to think about each part of your application as a side of a die (spoiler: the die is you. You are the die.), and recommendations are a key part of giving admissions officers a fuller perspective on who you are.
If you ask for an additional letter of rec, it needs to be from a truly substantial source. The Troop Leader you’ve known for 10+ years who watched you turn into an entomology whiz will have much more to say about your future as a zoologist than your dad’s friend who graduated from that school who you met once when you were 12. Schools can sense the difference between these types of letters, and shameless attempts to ride the coattails of someone you don’t know won’t help your application.
You also might think recommendation letters hold major heft for your applications, but you’re wrong. Recommendations won’t tip the scale in your favor, but they can tip the scales in the other direction. Think about it, every single student is submitting recommendations. Almost all of those (we hope) are glowing reviews of the student, who they are as a person, and all their wonderful accomplishments. Those reviews are, in our opinion, admissions-decision-neutral. However, a bad recommendation or an empty, shallow recommendation will pop out at admissions officers and potentially turn your placement into the Maybe Pile into the No Pile.
So Should I Ask for One or Not?
Maybe?? We air on the side of ‘no,’ unless it’s an incredibly crucial addition. You should only ask if the recommender can shed light onto something they couldn’t glean from any other part of your application. A recommendation isn’t going to get you into college, but it could keep you out.
If you need help strategizing for college admissions, navigating the process, or writing your essays, reach out to us today.