Good recommendations at really large schools?

Applying to College
1

<p>I go to a large public school. Teachers have hundreds of students and numerous classes, which means less one-on-one interaction with the students. I'm worried about whether I can get quality recs from my teachers since it's a little tougher to get to know them.</p>

<p>I mean, it's not like I sit in class and don't say a word to the teacher. I participate, I behave, I do the coursework, and occasionally I have friendly small-talk with the teachers I like. But some of these articles I read about recommendations try to push you to be the teacher's best friend or something, and that's not really something I can do. Plus many teachers will get annoyed if you keep bugging them anyway; they work hard and get tired of our faces like we get tired of theirs sometimes.</p>

<p>Counselor recommendations are the same way. My school has 9 guidance counselors, and even then they can't remember all the students. I visit my counselor a lot compared to other students, but it's mostly for small things. Most kids at my school barely know their counselor. </p>

<p>I can get recommendations easily. But these "spectacular" recommendations that people talk about might be too difficult to get for me. Going to a large public that is #3 in the state means that it's tough to stand out unless you're really bright. I'm just average, but hey...I guess that's why I can only get an average rec lol. :D</p>

<p>I know I can get one really good rec from my Baseball coach who also was my 11th grade English teacher, but it might not help me much because I'm trying to major in Mechanical Engineering :(</p>

<p>Can anyone from a large school offer some advice for getting good recs? I'm applying to mostly public schools, and I heard that they're more test score and GPA oriented when concerning admissions, which is good.</p>

2

<p>For recs: it’s typically recommended to get 1 from a history/english type teacher, and another from a math/science type teacher. The recommendation, if it’s a “standard” and not “glowing” recommendation, shouldn’t hurt you too much, so long as everything else is there. Colleges want to know what they’ll see in the classroom, which is something only your teachers can provide. Recommendations help, and a glowing recommendation COULD make the difference, if something else seems missing, but for the most part they’re used to see you from someone else’s perspective, and a weak recommendation doesn’t necessarily a weak application make (though, if your teacher says NEGATIVE things about you, it will almost definitely hurt you).</p>

3

<p>bump</p>

<p>10char</p>

4

<p>ask the teacher out on a date jks</p>