<p>My D’s teacher said he leave something off on purpose so colleges have to call him and talk to him. There is a way teacher can really get you.</p>
<p>There ARE teachers who will “get” a student. I attended a lecture by a Yale admissions officer who said he once got a letter than said something like this:</p>
<p>“In all my years as a teacher at this school, we have sent many students to Yale. Many of them have been my students. In my opinion, (name) is not Yale material.”</p>
<p>So, it DOES happen, but I doubt it happened in this case.</p>
<p>Many of the arguments already made in this thread are valid. But there are a few things that have not been brought up and I thought I’d do so, as well as reiterate what some of you have already said.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>This “so-called” amazing letter may have seemed amazing to the OP, but may not have been at all amazing to an admissions officer. Saying that you have the top GPA in an AP class is simply a statement of fact. It’s useful to the admissions department, but is hardly going to cause them to do backflips of joy over the fact that the OP applied there (at least, in the most selective colleges). They probably already know the GPA, have some idea of how that stacks up vs. current and past applicants from that high school, and the like. Most recs that kids on here think are amazing are really just considered “standard strong” by admissions departments. It takes a really special letter to stand out.</p></li>
<li><p>The ratings the teacher gives are not for “all time teaching” except in the very last box which says, “one of the top few encountered in my career.” Otherwise, the instructions say to rate a student “compared to other students in his or her class year.” Note that this does not say “other students in a particular AP class,” but ALL students in the school in that class year (in most cases, seniors). </p></li>
<li><p>Savvy teachers understand that checking boxes close to the top for all the students they evaluate means that their evaluations will quickly be discounted over time, especially at colleges that accept a number of kids from a particular high school. So, they try to evaluate as honestly as they can. That way, the REALLY outstanding students are more likely to get in to the most selective schools.</p></li>
<li><p>Having the highest GPA in a class does not necessarily mean that a student has an ounce of creativity, adds anything to classroom discussion, has much intellectual promise, shows even a tinge of leadership, or performs well on any of the other ratings on the common app. form.</p></li>
<li><p>As others have pointed out, getting an 800 on the SATI writing section means being able to follow rules. How do you suppose Shakespeare’s work would fit those rules? His contemporaries ridiculed him for not following the rules, but we have forgotten most of them. Frankly, it’s possible to get an 800 on the SATI writing section and be an unimaginably pedestrian writer.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Another way to look at this is that the teacher may have written the best rec he could given his feeling that the OP is above average in most things, and even top 10% in a few, but not really all that outstanding compared to the other kids in the OP’s class year.</p>
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<p>Simple, the teacher is answering based on his experience with many more students over the years, not just that class. Also the OP may be at the top of a not particularly distinguished class. Some years are better than others, and maybe this crop is a mediocre one in the teacher’s estimation.</p>
<p>It is also possible that the teacher got to know the student better and subsequently downgraded his estimation.</p>
<p>OP, </p>
<p>Your arrogance and sense of entitlement may have affected the teacher’s avaluation. Perhaps he saved his stellar recommendations for someone who actually enjoyed the class and loves the topic, rather than one who grubbed for grades and scores. </p>
<p>Why do you think the teacher knows your SAT scores? My son’s teachers sure don’t. Depending on the school, 800s and 5s may not be any great shakes.</p>
<p>I think the OP has understood what everyone is trying to say. There’s no need to rub it in his face anymore.</p>
<p>I just want to “echo” what everyone else in this thread has said by saying that I agree with them.</p>
<p>He sounds like a great teacher who wrote a great recommendation. You should be thankful for that. You have NO right to insult him as if he’s committed some grievous crime against you.</p>
<p>You guys fail to see the situation of one individual. You guys would all be ticked off too if you had the most outstanding profile, and the teacher deliberately lied to you. He showed me his letter, and convinced me to waive my right to see the evaluation because he claimed that it looks good, but I still got to see it of course. He did it right in front of my face, and then folded it, and put it in the envelope. You think that I’m an idiot? </p>
<p>Countingdown, how was I being arrogant? I’m angry, but I never showed that to anyone in person. I’m extremely modest, and when things like this happen to good people, sometimes it gets alittle touchy. Had this happened to you, you would’ve taken this probably a lot worse than I am. </p>
<hr>
<p>courer, it is his 7th year of teacher. If I topped off to be his No. 1 in his seventh year, that means that I was better than probalby 500+ students throughout his seven years, thus that would definitly be considered as “best I have known in years..”</p>
<p>You guys all fail to place any rational points in this thread. Only a few people seem to understand that there is some sort of grudge going on…</p>
<p>LOL.</p>
<p>– that’s all I have to say. Mister Sinister, you are so deluded. Just because you consider yourself the best writer in your grade, does that mean you’re one of the Top 5 students your teacher has seen in a 7 year career? Even if he only has one “best” student a year, he would already have 7 of them, and can only have 5 ‘top 5’ students. </p>
<p>800 SAT CR or 800 SAT W mean very little about how good of an English student you are. Depending on your school, a LOT of people can get that score. In a lot of schools, almost everyone taking AP Lang gets a 5 on the AP exam. It’s pretty easy to do.</p>
<p>Also, consider this: is it more likely that EVERYONE on this thread is a huge stupid jerk and that you are right, or that you - one very opinionated, very angry, and very naive person - are wrong and the rest of us are right? If you made sense, more people would agree with you.</p>
<p>You say “I still got to see it of course”, but that is not “of course”. Most people do not actually read the recommendations their teachers write for them. At my school, we give the teachers the envelopes and they mail them off. I fail to see how he would be trying to hurt you if he GAVE IT TO YOU and SHOWED IT TO YOU. Then you could obviously throw it away. Why would he waste so much time to do that?</p>
<p>More importantly, why would you ask for a recommendation from a teacher who has a grudge against you? Few people understand you because you haven’t made it clear enough.</p>
<p>if he was trying to be deceptive, why would he have checked the boxes in front of you where you could see? i would imagine he would try to be sneakier than that if he was trying to screw you over.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The SAT reasoning writing test measures writing ability quite well… writing is a subjective thing, so it’s impossible to come up with a perfect rating system, however, CB has been pretty successful at making a good writing section.</p>
<p>The MC should be intuitive for truly good writers.</p>
<p>SAT Reading/Writing are just like AP English Language + Comp.'s little brothers. If you do well on the latter, you should do well on the former.</p>
<p>OP,
Having seen some of your previous posts (where you said teachers thought you were too perfectionistic), I think that perhaps the lesson here is obvious. You took a perfectly excellent recommendation and found fault. </p>
<p>In the real world, job reviews aren’t all accolades and exhortations of perfection. They include honest feedback, and good reviews include specific points for improvement. Lose the attitude that you feel entitled to a stellar recommendation because you hit XX benchmarks. Earning someone’s respect is about a lot more than that.</p>
<p>I hope that my son’s teachers talked about his good points as well as times where he didn’t succeed but showed character in the process.</p>
<p>hahahahaha I find it hysterical. This kid is whining abotu a teacher who wrote him a fantastic letter of recomendation. “He deliberately lied to me and convinced me to waive my right to see the evaltaion” are you serious? You honestly think that a teacher has suc ha sadistic sense of humor that he would intentionally convince you to waive yoru right just so he could poorly evaluate you. It is also funny how all of us posters are “big jerks” 
you make me laugh, clearly your personal qualities were evdent in his classroom and you are nowhere near a top notch student.</p>
<p>Imagine if this kid doesn’t get what he watns for christmas, - “watch otu for deceptive parents…” They say they love me, then bam! no presents!</p>
<p>When he gets rejected from college “becareful of deceptive adcoms”</p>
<p>I’m glad you posted this because i thoroughly enjoyed reading your ranting. Your maturity level is that of a 12 year old and your self image is grossly inflated; i hope that out of all of this you at least become slightly humbled. What makes you think the he decieved you by not writing that your one of the best students he’s ever had?</p>
<p>I don’t generally post on these types of threads, but you’re either a ■■■■■ or a spoiled rich kid and i felt compelled to speak my mind.</p>
<p>remeber this - There is always someone better than you. No matter how good you think you are there is another person out there who does what you do better so dont go stompign around, with your big bad 800 writing score and #1 class rank thinking that you’re a godsend.</p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you for the entertainment</p>
<p>I hate all of you. Clearly, you guys can’t seem to use someone’s situation and apply it to yourselves. All I wanted to know is if this happened to anyone else, and you guys all turn around and bash me by claiming that “I am ignorant” or “arrogant”</p>
<p>QUOTE:::
– that’s all I have to say. Mister Sinister, you are so deluded. Just because you consider yourself the best writer in your grade, does that mean you’re one of the Top 5 students your teacher has seen in a 7 year career? Even if he only has one “best” student a year, he would already have 7 of them, and can only have 5 ‘top 5’ students.:::QUOTE</p>
<p>The form doesn’t not say top 5 students, it says top 5 percent. That means one out of 20 students. If he had 500+ students, and if I was his in his top 7, that is subject to top 1 percent, and nothing less. </p>
<p>QUOTE:::800 SAT CR or 800 SAT W mean very little about how good of an English student you are. Depending on your school, a LOT of people can get that score. In a lot of schools, almost everyone taking AP Lang gets a 5 on the AP exam. It’s pretty easy to do.:::QUOTE</p>
<p>I beg to differ. I am the only person that has scored a perfect 800 in writing in the past 2 years, and if I’m not mistaken, the New SAT hasn’t even been out longer than that. Writing is of course subjective, but if I managed to do well on that test, I deserve some recognition by my teacher.</p>
<p>To top it off, I think he does hold a grudge, and that is all I’m going to look at. You guys have brought irrational criticisms to the table…</p>
<p>Countingdown, you amaze me. Don’t you have something better to do in life? The same goes for all of you. Stop making this “personal situation” seem as though it is my fault. It doesn’t affect you, it affects me.</p>
<p>what reason do you have to think this teacher has a grudge against you?</p>
<p>i’m not trying to attack, i’m honestly curious.</p>
<p>Generally, the students that care enough to come to CC and post are among the top of their class. But i guess since a majority of the posters on this thread seem to think you’re arrogant, conceded, and quite egotistical, we’re all idiots. I like your logic. Make sure to write yoru essays about how the world revolves around you - i’m surprised you don’t have your own holiday yet, but that must be because of a deceptive government. This is one of the few threads that has literally made me LOL…you’re whining! Maybe if you wrote more and whined less your evaluation would have been better, but that’s just speculating.</p>
<p>I’m surprised he got an 800 with the way he writes on here. His logic: “My computer is deceptive, you’re not really seeing my grammar. My English teacher is sabotaging me by editing my posts!”</p>
<p>There are plenty of people who grade grub for good scores and are nowhere near being good writers. Perhaps you weren’t as good as other people he had in his classes. </p>
<p>or maybe your whole class was below average. </p>
<p>or maybe he just doesn’t like you, of which i would not be shocked.</p>
<p>If anything it was YOU who was deceptive. You waived your right to read that evaluation. And you read it anyway. And if it was good you probably would have sent it in saying you waived your right to see it. </p>
<p>it is you who is the sinister liar in this situation. So i would really question whether this is happening to a “good person”.</p>