<p>So I was wondering... if a teacher agrees to write a subjective evaluation for me, but i'm applying to several schools (presumably looking for different qualities in applicants), do you just ask the teacher to write a whole bunch of different ones? I feel that's very inappropriate since you are taking up more time in their busy schedule. How does everyone do it??</p>
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I feel that's very inappropriate since you are taking up more time in their busy schedule. How does everyone do it??
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Well, they're not cards. You don't just play the best one for the highest stakes, just ask them to write several recommendations. Chances are, they'll use the same one for all of them but change the name of the school - that's what mine did.</p>
<p>Cheers,
Alex</p>
<p>Most schools just ask teachers to evaluate your character and academic potential in their recs, so they usually write one letter and tweak it according to each school's specific needs; I know mine did. It's part of their job to write recs, anyway, and if you've given them everything they need to make writing letters for you easier (self-addressed stamped envelopes, etc.), it shouldn't be a problem.</p>
<p>mine wrote a letter on the school letterhead-photocopied it and then just wrote in all forms to refer to that letter.</p>
<p>my teachers didn't actually reference the specific schools themselves. They just used colleges indirectly, as in "I'd be thrilled to recommend ___ student to any college that she so chooses." or something like that. I'd like to point out, it is their job to write recommendations, but it is NOT their job to necessarily write you a good rec. You have to give teachers a basis to write well. And I sure as heck am not going to harass my teachers to write "different" recommendations for one purpose (applying to colleges). Teachers have lives too. If you'd like a couple of recs for a job, and scholarship, and a college, then that's a different story. But don't ask them to write one to suit your every whim (oh, I need one that shows off my leadership abilities, one that shows off my academic achievement, one that explains my personal circumstances, and another one that details my research). That's just ridiculous, if you know what I mean. Perhaps a good way to do it is have more than 1 teacher able to write you a recommendation. You can bother one for elite colleges/leadership abilities, another for colleges/academics/writing, etc. That way you aren't bothering one person for everything, at least.</p>