<p>As long as they tell you they'd be happy to write you one, I don't see why they'd try to sabotage your chances. I mean, what teacher wouldn't want to say one of their students got into an Ivy?</p>
<p>What stops me from asking some of my teachers is what/how I did in their class… so I’m afraid of what they would write about me if they did agree lol.</p>
<p>^yeah…i got a C in ap biology (like a 78), but my teacher really likes me & agreed to write me a letter. but, like, would she mention the grade? because i think she thinks that was my potential (she knows i studied really hard), but, i mean, my junior course-load was insane & i think i could have done much better. i don’t want colleges to think my potential is “average”. should i talk to her about this…? any advice?</p>
<p>Yes. I read many rec letters every year as part of judging a scholarship competition.
I have read several letters that said “I have little information to give, as I have known this student for only a few months.”
I have read letters discussing the grade-grubbing behavior of students.
I have read letters saying that the student did not stand out in class and rarely participated.
While all of these letters were harsh, you have to wonder why a student would ask a teacher that they’ve known only a few months to write a rec in the first place.</p>
<p>WOW, ouch^ D:</p>
<p>For college recommendations, even teachers who hate you will just write lukewarm and unenthusiastic letters. A Columbia admissions officer told me that he’s read thousands of recs, and while many were bland, none were blatantly negative. </p>
<p>Overall I would not worry a ton. While a glowing recommendation will help you, the recs are mostly there to corroborate the profile created by the rest of the application.</p>
<p>It all depends. At our school, there are a few AP teachers who write a lot of recs, and they are brutally honest (Johnny programmed his calculator to cheat in Calc. Susie displayed indifference and a bad attitude, etc.) Somehow the seniors never believe warnings about using these teachers for recs, and are shocked when they are rejected Early Decision from their dream schools. Some wisen up and use other teachers for Reg Decision and do better.</p>
<p>Perhaps it is the folly of youth–‘everybody must love me because I’m popular and cute so I deserve a great rec.’ Or the hope that teachers will develop amnesia concerning their years of behavior?</p>
<p>I visited an info session on college apps in general, and the Admissions Officers there said that in regards to a teacher rec, there’s a lot of reading between the lines. For example, if a teacher never mentions your participation in class, that probably means you did not participate too much. I guess what I’m saying is teachers rarely write, “THIS STUDENT WAS TERRIBLE AT MATH”, they just wouldn’t mention your math ability. However, admissions officers are not naive.</p>
<p>“For college recommendations, even teachers who hate you will just write lukewarm and unenthusiastic letters. A Columbia admissions officer told me that he’s read thousands of recs, and while many were bland, none were blatantly negative.”</p>
<p>I’d say this was true of my adcom days. </p>
<p>We got letters that were wonderfully written and you instantly knew this person really admired and respected the student. You could also tell the ones written by people who didn’t really know the student well. Then, there were those that were obviously written by someone who knew the student well, but who didn’t really have wonderful things to say. It was very easy to “read between the lines” on those letters and one of us usually ended up calling that person for a “private” chat. Always enlightening… ;)</p>
<p>My DD experience–one of the most popular teachers(and hardest grader-very few A’s-only wrote 5 letters per year) had a reputation for writing poor recommendation letters–but DD wanted to be one of the five-and felt her letter would be strong as she earned A+'s, strong positive feedback in class & on her papers-worked with her on one of the campus clubs. So…surprised when the teacher copied the recommendation letter for our DD(even though DD never asked for a copy) and gave her the copy.
The letter was poorly constructed, and vague in her discussion about DD-almost felt generic-with DD name mentioned a couple of times. Radically different from her other recommendations…so…may be words to the wise-if a teacher has a reputation-you might heed the “warnings”…APOL</p>
<p>Idk if I should get a rec from my calc teacher, who is also the math dept. head, and an advisor for the math team. Here is my story:</p>
<p>Before freshman year, I asked her if I could self study geo at my house during the summer and skip to alg. II. She said okay since my dad was a PHD in physics and could help me. I aced the final, got to go alg II.</p>
<p>I was also on the math team and always asked her for example problems, tips, etc. as well (she is like one of the advisors). I helped lead the math team to great results in all 3 years I was on it. I’ll be captain for 4th.</p>
<p>She also invited me to take the AMC, which I did well on, and she proctored the AIME exam my sophomore/junior year which I took. </p>
<p>Before sophomore year, I asked her if I could self study pre-cal with my dad’s help and skip to AP Calc AB. Again yes, and I scored a perfect on the midterm/final exam she gave me in the summer.</p>
<p>For junior year, she was my advisor and director of my self study EPGY Calc C course, which I aced. Though she didn’t do anything for it.</p>
<p>For senior year, she will be my advisor/director for multivariable calculus (EPGY) again.</p>
<p>Throughout my 4 years, I tutored other students in various math courses too.</p>
<p>All good stuff right?
Well here’s the bad stuff:
I played game boy games in my calculus class because we were in a computer lab and I brought a usb with a game boy emulator and some games in it. Or I slept. Half my class did it too. I didn’t do homework, and didn’t pay attention at all basically. Still aced all the tests and finished with an A. Still…playing video games isn’t very good haha…</p>
<p>So…on one hand I’m a brilliant, motivated student that wants to accelerate his learning and go deeper than what most high school students go through. On the other hand…I also played game boy games and slept during the class she taught. I believe she gives fairly good recs; a student last year got into Stanford with her recommendation, and he was also a strong math student.</p>
<p>Hmmmm. I might be better off asking my physics teacher.</p>
<p>Yes, there are teachers who write mediocre or worse recommendations. I had one who told me – after I had been accepted to Harvard – that she had told Harvard not to accept me because she thought I was incapable of doing the work. I graduated from Harvard with honors in the subject that she taught. </p>
<p>I had no idea that she would write that type of recommendation as I was one of the top students in that class, and had gone far out of my way to do original research on our senior project.</p>
<p>When I asked her to write a recommendation, she had given no indication that she would write a bad recommendation.</p>
<p>^^^^
Sounds like pure jealousy, Northstarmom. It’s unfortunate, but it happens.</p>
<p>Not nearly the same scope as your story - but in the same light…
I was not allowed to go into 2nd semester Engl my freshman year in college - even tho I knew I had aced the placement test. I was not even allowed to see my test or know my grade. I was just told I “failed!” When I talked to my mother about it - she just sighed. She said she was afraid something like that might happen. </p>
<p>As it turns out - the guy who was head of the Engl dept at this university was on the Engl faculty of the university that my mother went to and where my father taught (he also taught Engl). My mother was the “star” of the dept and my father evidently was on the fast track - getting promotions before this guy and then being named Dept Head. When my parents started dating - evidently the guy went ballistic.</p>
<p>My mother knew that he was the Engl chair where I went and she was hoping he wouldn’t know who I was - but he figured it out. Not a common last name - and then 1 quick call to admission…bingo!</p>