can an excellent (if teacher says you are one of the best students she has this year and other things) teacher rec and a well thought out/written essay impact one’s app a great amount even if his stats may not be on par with avg accepted applicants?
<p>Ummmm.... it might. Don't depend on it though. I think someone mention earlier about a teacher lying about a girl being a cheer captain when there isn't even a cheer squad or something like that. Colleges are well aware of the fact that rec might not always be accurate.</p>
<p>^ Yes, but some of the genuine recs do catch the attention of adcoms. They can tell if its orginally true or not.</p>
<p>But I must agree, the whole "recommnedations" thing has lowered in significance over the years.</p>
<p>They can absolutely make a difference. Adcom officials can only get a general sense about you from your application (stats, ec's, etc), if your recommendation elaborates on character, qualities, and passions, then it goes a long, long way. I think one of my teacher's recommendations- who taught a subject i'm pursuing in college- sealed the deal for six of my colleges. I refused to read it, but my guidance counselor (who compiles them for us) said it was "very, very generous" and the teacher who wrote it flashed it to me and it was 2 1/2 pages (not double spaced). My stats were below the averages of all but one of the colleges (8 total) that I was accepted to (5 competitive privates, 3 publics [one out-of-state]).</p>
<p>I might add, however, that getting to know teachers should come naturally. Sometimes I see on television where students (or their parents) invite teachers over to dinner or something, which, from what I know, is totally unrealistic (but I'd imagine it happens in a small town environment, or if a student is attending a really small private school). Then there's always the type that stays after class to talk to teachers, bug them about test scores, have one of those uncomfortable chats on occasion to build some relationship- don't do this, puh-leeeeease. A friend told me one day, "I don't know what to do once I get in college. All these professors are soo smart, they probably won't even talk to me. How am I ever going to get their recommendation when I apply to grad/medical school?" I just told her that it's natural, like making any other kind of friend. You HAVE to have a common interest- that's why, typically, college admissions expect you to get a rec from a club advisor or a teacher who taught you a subject that you're pursuing in college. If you're a biology major, for example, you damn well better get a rec from your AP BIO teacher. The expectation is that you stay after class sometimes and talk about advances in medicine, changes in technology, or just need some clarification on DNA replication because it's soooo cooool and you just have to know it. I know someone is going to give the excuse, "my bio teacher is a witch and everyone hates her." I've heard it many times over, but maybe you're just not into the subject as you had hoped (shock- painful truth!).</p>
<p>As a final note, and this may or may not apply, but sometimes the teachers you enjoy most are not only because they're cool and fun to chat with, but because you thoroughly enjoy the subject that they're teaching whether or not it's your intended major. If you want to go Pre-Med (ugh... =) ) but you find yourself always hanging out with your history teachers, then it might be a good sign that you're heading down the wrong path. </p>
<p>Hope that helped, best of luck!</p>
<p>TTG</p>
<p>wow! thanks ttg, i always feel happy and thankful when someone takes the time to put up a long post that really does answer my question. im kinda on the same path as you..ok stats but i have great realtionship with my bio ap teacher and i am going for bio sciences major. is it better to not look at the recs? should i maybe go over my college essay with her for feedback and so she could get extra info abut me? i usually participate in class and sometimes stay afterschool, sometimes even just talks on a more personal basis. i hope the rec will help a bunch! my bio teacher in my opinion is the best teacher ive had in a while. thanks again!</p>
<p>Atlantiz,</p>
<p>Not looking at recommendations is just respectful, and it shows that you trust your teacher in forming a good opinion about you. When you have to "check" over it, then you have trouble. After reading many students on CC talk about their experiences, I sense that many of the students who get into the top schools like to read their recommendations. Me, I am not even tempted to glance a peek.</p>
<p>As for the essay, it's best to leave it in the hands of an English teacher. My teacher had the great idea of requiring students in our class to turn in some personal statements for college and she graded them; I did a horrible one the first time around and I submitted, on a personal basis, three more "final drafts" for her to look over until I ultimately arrived at the REAL final draft (at semester's end, I was lacking 3 points for an A, so I asked my teacher to grade my revised essay which bumped up my grade!). Well, the point I was trying to make is that an English teacher will help you out a lot more than a science teacher would for the essay. Usually teachers will ask you for a list of activities you've done or something like that before they sit down and write a recommendation for you, but just giving your teacher a copy of your personal statement should be sufficient.</p>
<p>Lastly, don't ever rely on your teacher recommendations TOO much. Even if you ever, NEVER MENTION IT TO THEM (teachers). If you end up in college, the teacher should only play a secondary role- the colleges want you, not your teacher. Recs are only one part of the application, it's up to you to hold your end of the bargain. In the end, an excellent rec will generally only help "save" one with standardized test scores in the bottom 25% of the school's range. So, first you gotta "qualify" for the school's standards- then the excitement begins. =)</p>
<p>TTG</p>
<p>A rec from a single teacher is not going to get you into a school where you don't have the stats.</p>
<p>i have a friend who had a teacher rate him as 'best in my career' for quite a few of the qualities. however, he didn't get into his school of choice (chic), for reasons that i have yet to understand.</p>
<p>perhaps the teacher was on the blacklist for giving off too many "best in career" marks.</p>
<p>Once I was called by the adcom at Stanford--this was in the middle of one of their meetings--to elaborate upon a point I had made in a student's rec. Another time a colleague of mine received a handwritten note from an an admissions officer at Brown thanking him for his letter and letting him know how important it was in deciding to admit the student. Recs don't always make a difference, but, as these stories prove, they can.</p>