<p>So, I was with my counsellor and had to send off my Stanford apps. He put the references in front of me and I managed to peek at the first page of each of my references…</p>
<p>There were 5 tick boxes:</p>
<li>Below average</li>
<li>Average</li>
<li>Good</li>
<li>Excellent (top 10%)</li>
<li>Top few in my career</li>
</ol>
<p>My chem teacher gave me good marks. They were mostly 4s, with a 5 as well.</p>
<p>But my bio teacher however, gave me 3s only… :S
It’s not **** or anything negative (apparently the written responses were positive according to my house tutor), but its not exactly GREAT considering I’m applying to Stanford and mostly Ivy League schools.</p>
<p>I kinda regret asking my bio teacher write my reference now… I SWEAR I think she’s doing it because she has something against me. She thinks I’m one of those “too smart for their own good” kids, who like to show-off and blurt out answers. I only asked her however, because she’s known me for quite a few years, and because of the fact that I scored high marks on my biology exams (definitely top worthy of 10%). </p>
<p>I need to know, will this hurt my chances of getting into top universities?
How much do teacher references weigh in the admission process??</p>
<p>Something similar happened to me although nothing to that degree. I had asked my computer teacher who I've known since spohomore year and I've worked with and helped in the school since then. I felt he knew me best. When I asked him to write a recommendation letter he did so. My counselor then told me that she needed a copy of the recommendation letters and and so I went over to ask him if he could give it to her. Instead he gave it to me and didn't even seal it. So I took a peak while he was printing it out. The guy writes 3 freaking lines. I was just lucky I had not applied to other schools at that point. I only applied to three in which he had sent out the letter of recommendation letter and one of them accepted me already plus the other are state schools. But boy that really had me like a bit upset. Two years working with the guy and he could not save a paragraph or half a page about me. His response was too generic and really makes it seem like I'm desperate asking for recommendation letters, which is not the case. Needless to say, I didn't use his recommendation letter for the others school I applied to.</p>
<p>You realize that if all rec-writers gave all their kids straight 5's the college would learn to start ignoring letters from that teacher after a while, right?</p>
<p>Yeh I know, but still, I don't think her reference isn't doing me justice. I know for a fact that I'm one of the top 10% bio students in my school. </p>
<p>I think she grudges against me for personal reasons.... I have gotten into an arguement with her way before but I thought everything was ok now.. guess not :S</p>
<p>Still, even if u were a teacher and u did have a grudge, how could u do that to a prospective student! Universities matter alot.. .well to me at least...</p>
<p>You find a recommendation form and everything for a school you're not gonna apply to and give it to your teacher and ask for a recommendation. Your teacher will write what ever they think, and when you get it back, you open it and read it. You're not gonna by applying for the school so it doesn't really matter.</p>
<p>Read it over to see what you're teacher thinks about you</p>
<p>you need to get another rec that will sing your praises not just average you down.<br>
this kind of rec can be the kiss of death. they mean much more than you think in addition to your essays. they can be criticial so it is imperative you obtain another teacher who can highly recommend you.</p>
<p>Ask the teacher if they can highly recommend you for such and such school. Don't be stupid and just assume they will. If they can't give you assurances, find another.</p>
<p>At my kid's hs, a top 20 school put on a rvw of 5 apps. Very intelligent kids were done in by a mediocre, lukewarm rec. The teachers may be eggheads and think they're doing the kid just fine. They're not.</p>
<p>Musictoad makes a good point. I can definitely see a situation where a teacher rec ends up not helping you, but I don't think it should ever hurt you. When you ask a teacher to do a rec, they're supposed to be honest, yes, but honest in a way that it won't be detrimental :)</p>
<p>Some HS teachers just don't get it--the whole college review and selection thing. Especially math and science teachers because everything in their world is black and white.</p>
<p>When D applied two years ago and asked her science teacher for a rec, the GC at the HS just about had a heart attack. "he doesn't write good recs" she said.</p>
<p>The GC understood. This is a marketing campaign to sell yourself, to distinguish one's capabilites and future contributions to community building at the University/LAC. If you diminish your capabilities with a bad/lukewarm rec, you have failed to market yourself well. Plan, plan, plan.</p>
<p>or as the Donald would say----
"you're fired"
or as Martha would say--
"you have to leave"</p>
<p>I had just one teacher give me straight 5s, and the other was an even mix of 5s and and 4s. The first one has known me for two months, and the other two years. </p>
<p>They both absolutely adore me, but I wonder whether or not colleges will get curious of this because academically, I'm only in the second decile of a very large (900+) public school.</p>
<p>I've seen reference horror stories, where teachers use the reference to "get back" at a student who annoyed them or they didn't like. I think it's reasonable to ask a teacher, "Is there any reason why you can't give me a great recommendation?" The teacher could lie, of course, but if the teacher waffles or is evasive, I'd choose another one.</p>
<p>At this point, it's too late to do anything. I'd say that one "average" reference won't kill your chances, particularly if the narrative part is fine. The admissions folks see all kinds of stuff from high school teachers, and are aware that some teachers are going to give high ratings and others middling ones.</p>
<p>I wonder how it goes if you absolutely adore a teacher, they know you well, you're more than teacher-student to each other but also friends...and yet the teacher can't write English very fluently. I mean, they try, and their pride would get smashed if you suggest they write in their native language and you get it officially translated...what would you do, then?</p>
<p>thats why you ask them to write u a good recomendation :)
sometimes if a teacher gives u all high marks it makes it seem like u were the teachers pet, get another and even it out show that u arent like that was your chem teacher nice? i had a techer who i though hated me write me a recomndation and it was actaully really good</p>