# of Recommendations

[spicysalmonroll]

I noticed that most schools recommend at least 3 recommendations. Does this mean more than 3 is encouraged? How many recs is normal?

[Warelin]

Three is generally the rule. Some schools will allow you to add 4 or 5. However, more letters isn't always better. A 4th should only be added if it could offer something of value that the other 3 can't. The 4th letter is usually a good letter to use to speak about your teaching ability.

[TakeruK]

More is not better. At some schools, even if they allow you to upload more than 3, professors may just choose not to read the 4th letter (or beyond). Remember that people are generally dealing with stacks of applications that can be very very large. If one of your good letters is letter #4 (you don't know how they will be sorted), then you are taking a big risk.

I agree with @Warelin. In addition to their suggestion of only including a 4th letter if it adds something special, my rule for submitting more than the required number of letters is that I only submit them if I'm genuinely okay with the committee picking any random 3 out of the list. If I am confident that any combination of 3 letters is competitive, then I think all the letters are roughly of equal quality. Otherwise, pick your top 3 and stick with those. I say this because I wouldn't include a 4th letter just because it adds something different---I'd only include it if it adds something different and it's as strong as the other three. (Note: also ensure you have the right priorities for grad programs; I don't know about your fields, but when applying to grad school, teaching ability isn't very important because most undergrads don't spend a ton of time teaching, so grad schools [at least in my field] do not select students based on this).