Are three recommendation letters needed?

2014

5-Year Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2013
Messages
43
Besides high school English teacher& math teacher's evaluation, are three recommendation letters needed and encouraged? Thanks!
 
Short answer: do what the NA instruction tells you to do.

Longer answer: LoR can be submitted if they expand on what Admissions can see from the rest of your application. If your resume says that you're an all-state athlete, having a coach write a LoR saying you excel at sport is redundant. If OTOH the coach says that you're a leader and that you spent many hours working out on your own to improve - well that may be worthwhile.

Also remember that your nominating sources may require more than the NA does.

Learn the requirements and limitations of each and follow them exactly.
 
USNA doesn't "encourage" any more than the two required LORs. As noted, they will accept others; however, as OSDAD said, they need to say something "new."

LORs that are usually NOT helpful include those from: long-time family friends, other teachers, h.s. coaches (as a general rule), military officers you happen to know, summer employers, etc.

Those that MIGHT -- and I really emphasize MIGHT -- be helpful are the following:

-- Employer IF you work durig the school year (often to support your family) such that you really can't participate in school actitivies

-- Non-h.s. ECA or sports leader (e.g., religious leader, Scout leader, non-h.s. coach) IF this is your primary or only ECA/sport and thus your h.s. teachers are unable to comment about it.

There may be other examples but, as you can see, extra LORs should be the exception, not the rule. USNA expects that the LORs they request are sufficient to give the information they need (along with the rest of your packet). With the thousands of applications they receive, additional LORs only add work to the process. Thus, if it doesn't shed "new" light on the candidate, it's not going to carry any weight and was just a waste of time for the writer and reader.
 
Back
Top