Can I have a teacher give me a reference for the UCAS, or does it have to be my college counselor?
Thanks
What tends to happen in the UK is that all subject teachers write a little bit about the reference, and then this is compiled together by a counsellor type person.
As was said before, generally all the subject teachers each write a mini reference which they send to your guidance counsellor who then compiles the best bits into one reference. The references tend to be more academic than American ones and the tone is meant to be more humble…
Also, specific to the subject that you are applying to study, then traits to you as a student (ie, self-motivated, self-disciplined, etc). Your roles within the student community, your wonderful personality traits, etc are all seriously secondary to your ability and aptitude for the subject.