I gave my teacher a list of things I have done through out high school showing what I have done. She asked if I should make it directly to the 3 colleges I put on there. Or should it be more generic?
So my question is would I be better off making the rec. driven more towards certain schools, or a bunch of schools?
<p>It need not be tailored to a specific school , but she should be writing about her experience with you, and your work in her class. A rec written by a teacher highlighting a students resume really doesn't add much to an admissions application.</p>
<p>Most teachers who are experienced with references will write a core letter and sometimes be good enough to then go into Word and write closing statements or insert a specific reason College X is a good match for the student with an example.<br>
This just takes a little effort and ability to not accidentally mix up college names! And you will never know if they managed it! Only one of his references sent him a copy of the letter. My S provided his references with a typed page with a couple-three sentences about why each school he applied to was appealing to him. In other words, he helped them visualize his future life at each campus..likely groups he would join, major/minor or study path he was interested in, perhaps quoting him on something he said about a campus visit or a specific comment on a class he attended and liked.
This is a lot to ask of busy teachers, so do your best to provide your references with a cover letter on your colleges early. He also provided his teachers with his Activity and Honors sheets...teachers can't possibly know that much about your outside interests if you don't help them. My S's list included schools that were very different from each other in size and location and selectivity issues, so this can be confusing to references. Shed light on all the things they might be wondering about.</p>
<p>Generic would be fine... It's what you did that matters, not how you say you did it..</p>