<p>"quirky" is kind of a synonym of "mavericky", isn't it? </p>
<p>Not trying to politicize this thread or anything!</p>
<p>The counselor gave my son the recommendation letter. Apparently, she had nothing to hide.</p>
<p>Was it a copy for his information, or the original to be forwarded to colleges?</p>
<p>Originals of recommendation letters must be sealed in an envelope and then should be signed on top of the seal. I appreciate it when the teacher voluntarily gives the student a copy for them to see. I'm guessing that if the teacher could not give a good recommendation, they would tell the student that they couldn't write the letter.</p>
<p>Even if a student waives the right to see the letter, the teacher can provide a copy if he or she wants to do that.</p>
<p>Maybe things are more informal at my son's school. There is no "waiving" issue. The teachers and counselors seem to do what they want to do.</p>
<p>My d's gc showed both d and myself her recommendation letter during a gc meeting. This is standard procedure at her school. There were typos in it, but the letter was absolutely glowing and we chose not to ask her to amend any of it, errors and all.</p>
<p>I saw two recs from gc's today at work that caught my eye. One wrote a lovely letter praising "Mary Smith" as an outstanding citizen at their school. Unfortunately, the letter was supposed to be for "Debbie Jones" and Debbie was finally mentioned in the last line. This gc obviously uses a form letter and subsitutes names. Another letter written for a boy described him as a "lovely young lady."</p>
<p>I still feel it's a good idea for a GC to share the letter or at least have someone else in their office proof read it. These errors happen all the time.</p>
<p>I sometimes wonder how adcoms can take any recommendations seriously, unless they say something very specific about the kid that is reflected elsewhere in the file.</p>
<p>Our college counselor retired just before my younger s's junior year. While the new guy is nice enough, he really didnt know us or our younger s that well, and I think it was evident in his recommendation. We didnt see the letter, but DS was asked to provide information about himself, and we were asked to provide a description of him, an example of something he did or said that was exemplary of his persona, etc. I have to wonder if, after a while, the application and letters of recc all sound very much alike and say the same things over and over. Hopefully the teachers wrote some specific examples of something the kids did, but not all teachers remember these incidents. I recommended to my s that he remind one of the teachers he was getting a recc letter from of the comments he (the teacher) wrote on one of his (my son's) history papers (it was wonderful). My s felt awkward doing that so I doubt he did. I do feel for the teachers and counselors who have to write so many letters. Especially for new counselors or folks in big schools (my s grad class was mid size-- about 250) it is a lot of work.</p>
<p>MY DS2 wrote an app. essay for a summer program on his quirky talents - I think it makes your son an individual - and I would not worry a bit about it.</p>
<p>btw vicariousparent-- I loved your "mavericky" analogy! LOL</p>
<p>Quirky. Everything about S1's applications last year SCREAMED quirky. Guess who accepted him -- the schools that truly valued quirkiness.</p>
<p>lol what are you talking about no waiving issue. It is a federal law.</p>
<p>If the word accurately describes him, then great. I sense that not enough parents, students, or even counselors focus on fit, worrying instead about getting seniors into the most highly ranked school. But if your kid is quirky, the schools he’s applying to should know that and the schools that will love and embrace and nurture that trait won’t be turned off. He’ll end up going where he’ll thrive.</p>
<p>sonssecty, is your son considering or looking for schools that value quirkiness? There are some excellent schools that call themselves quirky. :)</p>
<p>this thread is 1 year old, so I seriously doubt the OP is still looking for input.</p>
<p>This is a quirky thread- no? </p>
<p>Goes dead for 1 year, then comes right back to life and continues as if nothing had happened.</p>
<p>I have almost always heard “quirky” used in a positive way. To me quirky describes someone unique, individualistic, offbeat (in a good way), wildly creative, with a positive attitude, someone who probably doesn’t take themself deadly seriously and has a good sense of humor.</p>
<p>Whaaaat? Dead for a year? Is my connection that slow? Where is that Comcast 800 number…</p>
<p>A “quirk” is an abrupt curl or a twist which creates a groove that sets abead apart from the others. It means your son sets himself apart from the crowd. in a unique way.</p>