Recomendation letter from teacher or superintendant?

I need 3 recommendation letters to apply for a congressional nomination.

I can either choose my AP US Histroy teacher (who was an English major in college)

Or I can choose our school district's suerintendant. I don't know her personally but My father and I both know her husband through the American Legion. Her husband even told me I should get one from her.

So my question is whom do I ask? Does having a letter from the superintendant have any more weight than a teacher??

ALSO, because I dont personally know the superintendant, I feel like a letter from my AP US History teacher would be a bit more personal.

Nick, it's my understanding that a letter from a family friend who has known you for a good part of your life and can reference your character traits is better than a high ranking official that really doesn't know you.

My DS asked his soccer coach of many years, our priest (he was an alter server for many years), and a close family friend. You could see the common thread in each very different and independent letter. They can see that too.

Good luck to you. Sounds like you are pacing this well. No need to get those in too early. Better to have strong letters than early letters.

Is it possible to get both of them to write? Or do you have others in mind?

NavIss58 said:

Nick, it's my understanding that a letter from a family friend who has known you for a good part of your life and can reference your character traits is better than a high ranking official that really doesn't know you.

My DS asked his soccer coach of many years, our priest (he was an alter server for many years), and a close family friend. You could see the common thread in each very different and independent letter. They can see that too.

Good luck to you. Sounds like you are pacing this well. No need to get those in too early. Better to have strong letters than early letters.

Is it possible to get both of them to write? Or do you have others in mind?

Click to expand...

Well ive asked my AP Chemistry teacher to write one and im very confident with that one.

So I was planning on having only one more letter that is school related (AP US Teacher or superintendant) and then haveing my 3rd letter from outside of school....because I know some people prefer to see that.

First, for any letters, if you're told to get one from X, you need to get one from X even if X barely knows you or doesn't like you. This is the case, for example, with USNA wanting a rec from your college prof if you're applying from college. The only exception is if X is physically unable to provide one (died, can't locate, etc.).

The above said, if you have a choice, it is much better to have a letter from a presumably "less important" person who really knows you well than a "more important" person who doesn't. As the above poster said, if possible, it's good to get recs from people who see you in different circumstances (other than school). This could mean a community sports club, your church, your employer (could be someone for whom you babysit or cut yards), etc. It's not a requirement and some people aren't active outside of school.

Finally, you never need to submit more than the number of letters of rec requested and, in some cases (MOCs, mostly), it will hurt you not to follow instructions. So, always check whether someone accepts more than they request. If you do submit an extra letter, as noted above, it should touch on some aspect of your life that isn't otherwise covered and is relevant to your application. More is not always better!

Please really think outside of the box for this. We thought of the "obvious" until we realized that an old neighbor/friend of the family who happened to be a Federal Court Judge and had overseen our son's adoption would be an excellent choice. It turned out that he did such a wonderful job and gave a really unique insight with the letter he wrote. He didn't come to mind right away, but as we thought about it, he was the perfect choice..and our son got 2 congressional nominations.......