<p>...want to know?</p>
<p>Repeatedly, applicants on this board mention how their recommendations or essays are great, but honestly, how do you know that? What is your basis for comparison? Have most of you actually seen your recommendations?</p>
<p>Just curious...</p>
<p>my teachers showed me them before they sent them.</p>
<p>If your teacher likes you then you probably got a good rec.</p>
<p>Jonathon - true to an extent...IF your teacher knows how to write a good review. I would assume a teacher in a private school where most kids are on a track to go to a top private high school would be well versed in doing that - after all, it's to the current school's benefit to place the students well. </p>
<p>However, a teacher at a public school could love a student but not realize the finer details in writing a good recommendation due to lack of experience, new teacher or what not. </p>
<p>How about all this talk of great essays? Again, how do you know what you stack up against? Not trying to be pessimistic but wondering what the basis of judgement is...</p>
<p>Well, most of the questions on the rec form are multiple choice. </p>
<p>For example: Please evaluate th candidate to other students of the same age/grade you have taught. Please check the appropriate box below. </p>
<p>So pretty much they just have to check the box.</p>
<p>However, thre are some questions such as "What are the first three words that come to mind to describe the student?" </p>
<p>I only have about four questions like that on my recommendation forms.</p>
<p>i know because my teachers (2 of them out of 3) also attached a long personal note talking about me more in depth to the rec form and the rec form alone is outstanding.
im pretty sure not everyone has that? </p>
<p>what essays are you talking about? the ssat ones or the ones on the apps?</p>
<p>is "Curious, tenacious brilliant" good for "the first 3 words that come to mind to describe this applicant"?</p>
<p>No, blairt. Those words all seem rather lackluster. To get into the schools that you're applying to you need to have only one word for all three words: perfect.</p>
<p>well, they wouldnt want perfect kids either</p>
<p>True, true.</p>
<p>Nobody is perfect. Highlight for more information. I am Nobody. = D</p>
<p>Nice to see someone who can realistically assess their own strengths and weaknesses.</p>
<p>It's true, it's kind of pointless that we all put "good essays, good recs", even if our recs really are good. We do it anyway 'cause it's fun. :D
My English and French teacher showed me them, and I know about a few others because they told me. My maths teacher didn't, but I saw the question "list the first three words that come to mind" question. She used five words. :D That was my favourite part of all the recomendations that I saw.</p>
<p>I know what those five words were:
[ul]
[<em>]Perfect
[</em>]Perfect
[<em>]Perfect
[</em>]Perfect
[li]Perfect[/li][/ul]
Hence, you are Nobody. :D</p>
<p>Right, Chaos. :rolleyes:
Congrats! You're a Senior Member now. :D</p>
<p>"what essays are you talking about? the ssat ones or the ones on the apps?"</p>
<p>I guess both - but more importantly the apps as more time is put into those.</p>
<p>oh, well i guess everyone has their own standards. We'll never know if it'll be "great" to the adcoms. also, my dad asked exeter how they actually decide which kids to pick out of everyone, they said its a long process, but in the end, it will come up to writing because schools lack good writers these days.</p>
<p>good for me and whoever else is a writer :)</p>
<p>yay! i didnt know that they cared so much about that!.. i thought exeter would care more about science and math.</p>
<p>you think they would favor creativity (as long as it was a good piece of writing and the creativity didnt interfere with the structure)..something that sounded like it was from a descriptive memoir? (Brave New World is a good example.. orderly, well-crafted writing but very descriptive.. and eerie).. just wondering.</p>
<p>My teacher had a form to fill out...and some ratings of me that she had to fill.
I wish I could have known, but she sealed it shut in the envelope I gave her. (Not that I tried to open it or anything :))</p>
<p>But the school delivered a prompt reply, so I am sure it is all good.</p>
<p>doesn't the federal law allow you to see your recommendations? I thought I read that somewhere..</p>