<p>It is my pleasure to recommend Emily to your university. I have known Emily since the beginning of last school year when she enrolled in my AP English Language course. It was clear from the beginning that my rigorous course was, with a little effort, going to be the right place for her—Emily is an excellent reader, writer and thinker. It was also clear that she was either not willing or unable to participate at the level I require on a daily basis.
At first I took her reticence as a stubborn, passive aggressive stance. After all, how could a young lady who clearly was very intelligent be so unwilling to participate in class discussions? I realized soon enough that she wasn’t trying to be rude or even detached—she was terribly, terribly shy. I challenged her to be more involved in discussions. I could tell she wanted to conquer this anxiety and come out of her shell; but, of course that’s easier said than done.
At first, I did my best to coax answers out of her. The moments were few and far between, but they were there. It was a start. By mid-year last year she would actually raise her hand and ask a question, add an insight or state an opinion. I spoke with her mother about her progress and she was delighted at the improvements and shared that Emily was much more talkative at home about English as well. All this time, the work Emily generated was of exemplary quality—it was clear that she was mastering the class. She may have been reserved, but she was quickly developing the reading, writing and thinking skills required to succeed at the college level.
Fast forward to this year: AP English Literature. In many ways a much harder class to participate in because the material (literature) is ambiguous. To voice an opinion or make a speculation, one must be willing to be “shot down”. In short, it’s risky business. And, Emily is a leader in class discussion. Daily.
I am so impressed with the personal growth she has gone through. I have seen it in not
only her class participation, but in her social interactions with students and teammates.
She has always had the “smarts” and the intellectual curiosity—but her shyness did seem
to interfere with her taking pleasure in her education. Now I see her wholly invested on
campus—happy, smart, and a leader in the classroom.
I know you will see her impressive list of accomplishments in sports and academics. I
hope this letter also reveals a bit about her character. She works hard—not just on
running and grades, but on the improvement of herself as a whole person. She is a
Renaissance Woman able to converse intellectually about literature one moment and the
sciences the next. In every way I have observed Emily (in the classroom, on campus and
in athletics) she is a model of maturity and integrity. She is ready for both the academic
and personal rigors of college.
Sincerely,</p>
<p>First - I agree that I don’t know why you would think that this would hurt you. I’m also surprised you were able to see the recommendation - although clearly the instructor is very positive about you, so maybe they shared on purpose.</p>
<p>I had a similar recommendation from my English teacher who has been a personal mentor to me in overcoming my anxiety in class discussions. I think that because the letter highlights your growth it is extremely helpful to you. Your teacher made your maturity evident and I think that’s important.</p>
<p>Wow I only wish my recommendations were this good, but that’s unlikely. This is a fantastic letter of rec, and will definitely help (not hurt) your chances at getting into the top schools. I’m guessing that you think it may hurt you because of the way it started with your shyness and lack of participation. But it was smart that your teacher included that part to show how you’ve grown and become a more engaged student and individual. I want this rec for myself dammit, I’m pretty sure mine was “He gets good grades but doesn’t participate or talk at all in class. The end.”</p>
<p>As for the actual letter, it is really quite good. When the worst thing your teacher can say about you is that you are shy, that’s a pretty glorious recommendation.</p>
<p>I think it was incredibly disrespectful of you to post this letter. Wow - he writes you a very thoughtful letter of recommendation, and you post it for the world to see saying, basically, did he “screw my chances?”. I’d say you’ve shown a real lack of maturity and no consideration/appreciation for the effort this man put in for you. Sad, really.</p>
<p>Emily: I don’t know if it’s your lack of common sense or your thinking this LOR “screwed” you or your umbrage at the fact that’s the most annoying thing here.</p>
<p>As for the LOR itself, I understand it has some good parts to it. But I’m worried the stuff said at the beginning of the first paragraph, with me “clearly unable to do what he expected” will hurt my chances at being accepted.</p>
<p>But he went on to say that this was the result of shyness, which isn’t much of an indictment of you. Trust me, my LoR practically said that I’m a lazy bum. Your letter is really very good, better than most.</p>
<p>Shows improvement over time, much better than a generic letter about a student that was “always good”. One of the best letters you can hope for, will only help your application.</p>