Is a rec better (as in more accurate, reliable) when it states critically about the applicant (which include his weaknesses) or is it better when it praises the applicant to cloud 9??
<p>praises to cloud 9, definitely</p>
<p>Adcoms read recommendations looking for phrases such as "one of the best students I have ever encountered during my twenty years of teaching" or "it is amazing how Beth's fellow students look up to her in awe as if they think she is going to be President of the United States someday". Find the people who will say the best things about you.</p>
<p>but isnt that abit unreliable? Do the adcoms look at the reliability of the rec? i mean it's not possible at all the a person to be perfect.</p>
<p>The adcoms read a lot of recommendations of course, and some teachers will know how to write recommendations and others won't. For example, a teacher who knows how to write a good rec will concentrate on your personal attributes and not just provide info that is elsewhere in the app already. However, a person who wants to give you a good rec will not purposely try to be objective and critical. Any small imperfection that is mentioned in the essay such as "doesn't participate in class as much as he could" is totally blown out of porportion when recs are read. Something like that could be real bad (at least as far as the rec goes).</p>