<p>Alright, so my junior year I got a 79 in a regular-level class (Precalculus), but my teacher was very friendly to me (despite being very mean to other students), and always complimented my work ethic and ability to manage a schedule of multiple APs with all my extracurricular leadership.</p>
<p>Should I get a letter of recommendation from her? Or would it just bring attention to the 79? Should I instead focus my efforts on getting my guidance counselor to outline the difficulty of the class, or should I focus my efforts on getting this teacher to highlight the better points of my character? I feel as if I cannot do both.</p>
<p>Another alternative would be to take the Math II test – basically, I’m just wondering what I could do to most reciprocate for the C+ I got in a regular difficulty class. </p>
<p>I took 3 APs, got As in 2 of them and a B in one of them, and got 3 5s (including APUSH, which I self studied) and a 4 on AP Bio, which was statistically 4x harder to get a 5 than last year.</p>
<p>Not making excuses, but I want to convey the fact that I’m not a bad/unintelligent student, and that I was a victim of a difficult teacher. What would maximize the impact of that message?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t use that teacher for a rec unless you can’t find another one. That teacher surely will not be implying that you were the ‘victim of a bad teacher’. Which is bunk anyway. Don’t try to convey that anywhere on your app, it will look weasely. Let it lie there, you aren’t expected to explain one grade the way you can explain a trend that was due to illness or something. They can see for themselves how you did in your other classes. Doing well on the math SAT will always look good and is a good idea.</p>
<p>^Fine point indeed-- do you think it would help me get Merit Aid? (Doing well on the SAT II Math)</p>