<p>hey, I have a teacher who really knows me as a person. I've know him since freshmen year when I made the JV soccer team and I've played for him until this year, I've been in his chemistry class, and I'm taking his AP Chem class next year. So I want to as him for a letter of rec but he told me that he sucks at writing. do colleges care about how the essay is written or do they only care about the content? Should I get a letter from him or not?
thanks</p>
<p>Strange that a teacher would say he sucks at writing. Most high school teachers are used to students asking for letters of recommendation. Sounds like a teacher who knows you both academically and through sports, would be a great recommendation. </p>
<p>My advice would be to ask again, while trying to figure out if he would write a favourable recommendation. To do so, try to provide guidelines for the letter - instead of just asking in general for a letter of recommendation, mention what points you think would be helpful. For example, that you demonstrate commitment to scholastic/extracurricular activities, takes a leadership role , positive attitude, etc. Sometimes it helps to give direction to what you want in the letter. Once you specify that, your teacher may be more willing to write the letter. Maybe it’s true that science teachers suck at writing letters. If not, he may really not want to write the letter and could be trying to let you down gently, so is probably not the best choice for the recommendation after all. </p>
<p>I think that most teachers want to be helpful, so would try to write a good recommendation letter - giving them some ideas of what you’d like to see in the letter if they are willing, will help give you the recommendation you are looking for. I have also asked for a copy (and have always received one). If a teacher refuses to give you a copy, then I would be suspicious of its content.</p>