<p>A long one? A well-written one? A combination of both? Shorter, more concise ones? My teacher let me read mine after she sent all of them off, and I like it a lot...but I'm not sure if it'll be "good" in the eyes of admissions.</p>
<p>Highly enthusiastic and with specific details of why you're a great candidate, not just generalizations. A rec that can comment on not just your academic skills but also reflect positively on your character and personality would be good.</p>
<p>A great recommendation would convincingly explain why you are one of the best students teacher has had in his/her entire career.</p>
<p>Oh good...I think this one does that :). Let's hope my second one is the same.</p>
<p>What do you mean "this" one? Did th teahcer let you see it?</p>
<p>Err, stupak, read the OP.</p>
<p>Gah, none of my recommenders offered to let me read a copy, so I didn't ask. One of the two should be best in career though...</p>
<p>An admissions officer at an information session indicated what is considered a great recommendation. He said that most teacher recommendations do not turn heads in the admisisons office. Most say generally the same attributes about the applicants. He said that the type of recommendation the admission officers notice of are ones in which it is clear that the teacher put a great deal of thought into writing the recommendation.</p>
<p>Specific examples and commentary on personality or behavior. Also, I've heard that admissions officers don't like reading recs that are more than one page long.</p>
<p>Heh. I also wonder how the schools distinguish between the recommendations by idiot or overly-nice teachers and those given by ones who actually know what they're talking about</p>
<p>My thoughts exactly - because I've got a BRILLIANT English teacher (everyone says he must be one of the top 5 Eng. teachers in the country, if not the best) that I want to get to write one of my recs, and I'm pretty sure that what he writes would be really good, BUT I'm worried that the adcoms won't know that it means something (a lot, actually) coming from him (i.e. that he isn't just being "overly-nice", to quote asiaknight). :)</p>