<p>My recommendations are pretty bad. It seems like most of my teachers are really rather uninspired, and despite doing my absolute best to be an active student in class only one of them wrote me a good recommendation...for a school which she is an alumni. The rest prefer to write short (one paragraph); general recommendations that could just about apply to everyone. Most of them wrote their recommendations in ink. My counselor (well actually she's the office lady, she's hasn't "counseled" since the school was founded) actually letter for everyone. She just fills in the appropriate information in the appropriate spots and hands it to you.</p>
<p>It's a shame when the letter says "Johnny is a well respected and intellectually gifted student... and then says"...he maintains a 2.3 GPA...</p>
<p>I appreciate the recommendations but I'm a bit worried. My grades, standardized test scores, and essays are good but my recs are sub-par. I'm trying to apply to LACs and I'm worried that they'll actually read them.</p>
<p>In my opinion, recommendations only affect the decision under two circumstances:</p>
<ol>
<li>They were outstanding, filled with praises or really touted your shining personality. Something like "best student I've had in years."</li>
<li>They pointed out something negative that should be alerted. Something like "this student never spoke out in class" or "I question this student's integrity."</li>
</ol>
<p>Most, most recommendations fall somewhere in between. The "he's a good student with good grades and participates and it was a joy having him and you could accept him" kinda letter. Even if the letter was really good, other factors like GPA, SATs, ECs, Essays will still matter more, so don't stress too much about it.</p>
<p>Remember that colleges look at the whole package, not just one element. It's true that the lackluster recs are hurting you compared to a kid who's teachers gush over her/him. However once crucial factor to LACs is fit; with their small size they need each kid to really bring something to the school and belong there. A few dozen bad apples at a large state school is a drop in the bucket, but it can really diminish the experience at a LAC with its small classes and enrollment.</p>
<p>Knowing this you can work to maximize the things you do control. One is your essays. Gear them towards showing your passion for learning and for each school how you match what they're looking for. One huge negative is complaining; don't breath even a single thing about uninspiring teachers, lazy classmates, etc. And showing desire/fit will really help. This means learn as much about the schools as you can, visit if possible, interview on-campus or with an alum in your area if you can. Another way to show interest AND learn more about the schools to make sure they're right for you is to meet with a current student. Colleges are on winter break now, and if you contact the admissions offices at the LACs you're considering they may be able to put you in contact with a student in your area home on break.</p>