“Can I send an extra letter of recommendation?” is one of those questions to which many families protest the answer, which is why I come back repeatedly here to a consistent theme—follow the application instructions; don’t decide that you have a better way. If a college wants extra letters of rec (or any extra materials), they’ll tell you.
This post from the University of Virginia about letters of recommendation is worth a read whether or not you are applying to UVa. First, they address the notion of sending extra, unsolicited materials to any college:
“I promise you that colleges ask for the items they want to review. There is no hidden message that we really want something else.”
The remainder of the post also does an excellent job explaining the roles of the teacher and counselor letters of recommendation in the UVa admissions process. And while the writer is not claiming that those details are necessarily true for other colleges, unless your chosen colleges tell you otherwise (there’s that theme again), applicants would be well-served following the advice in the post.
Work with what each college gives you in their application and essays. Spend your time clearly and thoughtfully answering their questions. Don’t resort to sending unsolicited extra materials in the hopes that more information will actually make you a stronger candidate. More stuff equals more fluff.