By far, one of THE most-asked questions…
So I thought I’d repost my answer from November 16th:
Olin asks for two Teacher Recommendations. Can I send in additional letters of recommendation?
The simple answer is… Yes, absolutely! But don’t go crazy - we don’t need letters from every teacher you’ve ever had or the department chairs or headmaster/principal of your school. It’s about the quality of the letter and how well the person knows you, not the title underneath the signature.
However, there are a couple of things I’d like to point out. First of all, we ask for one letter from a math or science teacher and the other from a teacher of your choice. I would like to encourage you to consider asking a non-math/science teacher for the second letter of recommendation. The purpose of the Teacher Recommendations is to give us some perspective on what you’re like as a student. If have both of your letters come from teachers math and science, we often times get a rather one-dimensional view of you. So think about asking your English or history teacher (or some other humanities or social science instructor) - even if you didn’t make your best grades in those classes, those teachers often have great insight to share with us and can help flesh out your application by providing us with a different angle.
Secondly, if you’d like to submit an additional recommendation, it should still add dimension to your application. And since it’s supplemental, it doesn’t have to be academic. So ask your boss or Scout Master; consider your band director or coach; essentially, any adult mentor in your life would be a great addition to your file. Remember: an extra letter of recommendation is just that - icing on the cake! We do not require it and you won’t be at a disadvantage if you don’t submit one.
Oh and there’s been tons of stuff happening on campus the last few weeks and it’s taking me a while to get everything organized and posted. I’ll have new pics from recent events (and perhaps of me drowning in the mountains of mail and anything else I can think of!) soon….
There is a light at the end of the tunnel - and it’s not a train!
Allison
allison.bahme@olin.edu
781-292-2203
IM: OlinAdmission
http://www.olin.edu/
