Types of Recommendation Letters
- Han Education
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
Required Recommendations (3 in Total)
High school counselors and teachers usually provide three letters:
1 from the high school counselor
1 from a STEM teacher (e.g., Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science)
1 from a humanities teacher (e.g., English, history, economics, psychology)
Colleges want to assess students from multiple perspectives, which is why both STEM and humanities teacher recommendations are needed.
Optional/Additional Recommendations
(Each school’s requirements may vary—typically 1 to 3 additional letters allowed)
Most Top 50 colleges allow students to submit additional recommendation letters from other individuals to give a fuller picture of their extracurricular strengths. These may include:
Art teachers
Athletic coaches
Internship supervisors
Research mentors
Family members
Peers
Others
Recommendations from art teachers or athletic coaches can highlight a student’s special talents, especially for applicants with strong extracurricular profiles in these areas. These letters often emphasize long-term commitment and persistence, which are commonly viewed as strong positives.
Letters from work or internship supervisors should focus on skills that colleges value, such as learning ability and teamwork. If a student has taken on responsibilities or leadership roles, these should definitely be included.
Research mentors can describe a student’s creativity and innovation in research. While it’s uncommon for high school students to have groundbreaking research results, mentors can still speak to how the student leveraged their strengths, like programming or data analysis, to enhance research accuracy or efficiency. Any co-authored publications should also be noted in the recommendation.
Note:Letters from family members or peers are very rare. If submitted, the purpose must be well-considered. The content should connect to the applicant’s potential contributions to the college, rather than simply listing family anecdotes.
Given that colleges are increasingly interested in students' responsibilities at home, students may consider explaining these aspects through a recommendation letter.
If you have any questions towards college application, feel free to reach out to us, our consultants are more than happy to provide more insights to you!
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