<p>On the chances boards, people include great Rec's or average essays etc.</p>
<p>who judges these and how do you get better recs?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>If the rec basically rephrases your resume or transcript it is not very good. This would include any rec that went into detail about your GPA or SAT scores. The college is going to see that in your application anyway so they don't really care. A great rec discusses having you in class and specifically references a project or paper you did. This shows that your teacher actually KNOWS you as a student and that they are not just inserting your name into a generic letter format.</p>
<p>I think to get better recs. Find a teacher who you relate well with and has known you well throughout your years.</p>
<p>a good rec is one that points out a specific personality trait, hardship you've overcome, project completed, or anything else that is not listed anywhere else on the app and provides good perspective on why you would excel in the college setting.</p>
<p>One of my recs was from my math team sponser that wrote about working my way up from the bottom of my team freshman year to be number one at the end of my junior year. I think this is an example of a "good" rec.</p>
<p>thanks, i need to get better relationships w/ my teachers :D</p>
<p>Yeah, that relationship helps. I know for my recommendations, I chose people who knew me knew me knew me. They told the colleges about some of the personal things that I did that wasn't overt or showy, but it was a hidden thing that I did. And they could touch a lot on my personality, my intellectual vigor in the classroom, etc. If you can do that, then you'll be fine.</p>