Recommendations

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Both my science teachers from previous years don't like me - that leaves me with my math teacher from last year, which is my AP Calculus teacher. </p>

<p>I went to see him about recommendations today and he said he'd be willing to write one, but he warned me that he will write both the "good and the bad," which he said he does in all recommendations that he writes.</p>

<p>I don't know how I'm supposed to take that - I struggled in his class a lot, but I went to him a LOT for help, asked questions, and my grades ultimately went up...so I don't know. My options, if I don't ask him for a rec, is my Modern America teacher who I don't particularly trust (he's kind of a kook) but he does like me, or a mediocre Spanish recommendation (nothing really special there)..I feel like my AP Calc teacher would give me an "out of box" recommendation. My other recommendation that's not academic is my debate coach - if I could get both my recommendations from elsewhere, I would use the head of the math department at our local university, but my guidance counselor advised me to use a teacher who had me for a period of time.....and someone in the "subject" I plan on majoring in.</p>

<p>Also, I have an extenuating circumstances essay that I will supplement along with this, where I had to take care of my dad while he was really sick, so I don't know if that helps the blow of the math teacher's "she struggled but tried really hard" rec. I really don't think he's one of those teachers who would bash me, because in all the times I worked with him after school, he seemed to like me.</p>

<p>What do you guys think?</p>

2

<p>Do you know people who got a rec from him? Where did they get in?</p>

3

<p>@Euroazn, I feel like he changed his policy this year because he wrote me a recommendation for SIMR last year and I think it was pretty good, and I had been struggling a lot in his class too…last year, he also gave a rec to a bunch of my friends and didn’t mention it. So this is very strange.</p>

<p>The one kid I know he recommended got into BU. The other was a math whiz and under his wing, I’m assuming he asked this teacher for a rec - he got into Dartmouth (and that is REALLY rare from my school).</p>

4

<p>I suppose you can ask him to elaborate - if he refuses to, he’s probably a poor teacher to ask anyway.</p>

5

<p>if hes ur last choice yes. if not dont do it.</p>

6

<p>how do you think a recommendation from a spanish teacher would go over?</p>

7

<p>How do <em>you</em> think the rec would go over?
It depends on the rec!!!</p>