<p>I noticed that one of my teachers put "average" and "above average" for one or two of the ratings on his recommendation. I was wondering if teachers in the US generally put the top bands, and if something like what my teacher did is likely to hamstring an applicant significantly. I go to an extremely high-performing school (allegedly top ten state schools in country; sent twenty pupils to Oxford and Cambridge from a year of one hundred and twenty or so), so I suppose it could be taken in context. I'm a British applicant, btw, who was deferred for SCEA.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms/2013/2013TeacherEval1_download.pdf[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms/2013/2013TeacherEval1_download.pdf</a></p>
<p>All selective colleges, Harvard included, are looking for students who are rated by their teachers as either (a) one of the top few I’ve encountered - top 2%, (b) Outstanding - top 5%, or (c) Excellent - top 10%.</p>
<p>“Above Average” and “Average” and lower categories. So, depending upon the caliber of the overall applicant pool, those ratings may not help your application (sorry). Only time will tell.</p>
<p>^^ I want to know that as well.</p>
<p>Most, if not all, qualified applicants will be rated as “above average”</p>