<p>I was reading one of my recommendations from a teacher today, and whilst I was quite pleased with most of it, there was one tiny little detail that made me go "hmmm".</p>
<p>Basically, she said that my "shy attitude disappears when giving speeches..." (or something along those lines. It was worded differently).</p>
<p>Will this work for me or against me? I'm the president of my school's student council and have numerous leadership positions, so will that be enough to confirm that I'm not really a shy person when it comes to speaking with people? I basically have to deliver speeches to 300 people every few weeks, so it's not like I'm a reserved kind of guy. I just don't want to come across as not being confident. Universities, with such low acceptance rates, will find any possible excuse to reject people.</p>
<p>Should I very subtly ask for that sentence to be omitted?</p>
<p>Yes, she is allowing me to see it (is that against any rules? I’m an international student at a school that sends few students to America, so we’re not completely aware of the process).</p>
<p>I’m not massively fussed by it, and I think the teacher was being very genuine, in which case there’s no point in hiding anything, but I thought it might be worth asking. I know that for the UK, teachers mention both strengths and weaknesses of a student, but from what I’ve gathered on CC, American recommendations seem to be all praise.</p>
<p>i dont think its a bad thing. it means you are diverse and showing a different side of yourself at the appropriate times. maybe you are more reserved in class because you are respectful of the teacher and pay atttention</p>
<p>Yeah, I don’t think it was meant in a bad way. Come to think of it, what she was saying was not bad in its general context, so I won’t mention it. I’m being overly paranoid because of the competitiveness of these schools and just need to accept the way I am xD. There’s no point trying to change universities’ perception of me because karma will come around and kick my… ;)</p>
<p>Needless to say, if I’m rejected, it won’t be because of 1 phrase in 1 teacher rec.</p>