1
3 years ago
Admissions Advice

Recommendation letters
Answered

I am taking an elite summer program called Summer STEM Institute where I will be working on research projects with college professors and technology company entrepreneurs. Is it better to ask for a recommendation letter from my research mentor instead of my main subject high school teachers?

recommendationletters
1
2
🎉 First post
Let’s welcome @szukaichen to the community! Remember to be kind, helpful, and supportive in your responses.

Earn karma by helping others:

1 karma for each ⬆️ upvote on your answer, and 20 karma if your answer is marked accepted.

2 answers

1
Accepted Answer
3 years ago

BOTH! Depending on the school you could be allowed to submit even more than three letters, though you seem like you might be aiming for a competitive school and they usually limit you to three. However, it is always good to have different letters to chose from. However, don't get the recommendation from your mentor because they come from a prestigious institute; get the recommendation if you think they know you well and could appreciatingly describe what you have to offer.

1
0
3 years ago

Depends.

If the recommendation letter cap is of 3 letters then the right thing to do would be to ask for a recommendation letter from the person who knows you well and can vouch for you without being vague. Does your research mentor know you well enough to write a recommendation letter(Mentioning specific qualities about you with explaination)? If yes, then go ahead and ask them. In the end, qualification is secondary to the quality of the recommendation letter. Much better to have a recommendation letter from a High School teacher who knows you well than a noble prize winner who has no idea who you are.

0
What are your chances of acceptance?
Your chance of acceptance
Duke University
Loading…
UCLA
Loading…
+ add school
Your chancing factors
Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
200
800
| 800 verbal
200
800

Extracurriculars

Low accuracy (4 of 18 factors)

Community Guidelines

To keep this community safe and supportive:

  1. Be kind and respectful!
  2. Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
  3. Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!

How karma works