<p>I received two amazing teacher recommendations! One of them went to one of my top schools and wrote two pages. He talked about a lot of things in a really great way! The only came from a teacher saying if she was able to have a daughter, she would want her to be like me. I'm just curious how influential they are in the review process??</p>
<p>If it is a school that really takes the letter seriously - not all do, then it can definitely get you in once you pass the initial screening for academic qualifications. They can also sink you. But don’t think you can evaluate the letter and your chances - you have no idea what any given school is looking for. Positive is better than negative, of course, but they are not guarantees.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, how were you able to read the letter? </p>
<p>Recommendations are like SAT scores - they get you past the initial screen and then the rest of your application matters. Positive rarely helps much; negative hurts though. </p>
<p>Are you coming from a public school or a private, college prep school? Schools know that teachers vary widely in their ability to communicate, and they don’t expect as much from public school teachers as they do from college prep ones. I would actually worry about a 2 page letter, Whoever wrote it must not really understand what schools are looking for in recommendations–because whatever points they are making can easily be made in less than 1 page. </p>
<p>I would also worry about how you got to see them. Did the box saying confidential get checked? Because if it didn’t, it’s not going to help. But, it won’t hurt either. </p>
<p>I don’t think you can read anything into it in terms of your chances. After all, you have no idea whether that same teacher didn’t write an even more enthusiastic 3 page letter for someone else.</p>
<p>@qialah I go to a public school. I was able to read them after they were already sent and submitted. Most teachers give a copy of the recommendation as something to hold on to in the end. The teacher who wrote a 2 page one was someone I knew for years and he made it very personal. It wasn’t probably 2 pages without all the signatures and stuff. </p>
<p>Positive can help very much- but it depends on what they say that makes it positive, whether it is relevant. Yes, they expect good letters from public hs. Don’t worry about a 2 page letter, Not that uncommon. But again, it is what they focus on that makes it great or ok. Doesn’t always matter if you waive, btw.</p>
<p>Having one from a teacher who is also an alumni is a boost for sure. Other than that, good letters or rec from teachers in core areas (not gym, art, home ec, etc) can make a difference. </p>
<p>Great thanks to everyone!!!</p>