I requested a letter of recommendation from a teacher and they invited me to a meeting in which we would discuss why I think she would be a good fit to recommend me. However, I am confused by this proposal as if she was a good fit would it not already be obvious to her? What can I say that she doesn’t already know as I was in her class. Is she trying to say no without saying no? Or am I missing something here?
Take a deep breath! This is normal. Remember that you are one student. Even in a small school, she most likely teaches dozens of students. What she remembers about you, and what you would like her to remember about you may not overlap entirely. More importantly, she knows that to write a good LoR she needs to know who she is writing it for, and what aspects you want to emphasize. That means you need to have done some thinking first!
So, prepare for the meeting by making notes- to leave with her- that address:
-kinds of schools you are applying to & why (for example, LACs b/c XYZ, EDing to College A b/c b/c…)
-college goals & hopes (bullet points only!)
-highlights of her class for you. Cite specific examples. Think about why those examples stand out.
Writing an LoR is work- and writing a good one requires being able to specifically link the person with whatever it is they are applying for. It is normal when asking for an LoR- for college, grad school and jobs to help the person by doing up a very clear & succinct page with examples that make a link between the person you are asking to write the LoR & the place you need it for. Pay attention to the questions she asks you- she is actually giving you a real gift by meeting with you.
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All I can say is that the people whom my kids asked, immediately said yes. They knew my kids well enough to be able to give excellent recommendations without any meetings or brag sheets. This sounds odd to me, unless it is her standard practice. Can you ask students who are currently seniors if any had this same experience with this teacher? Meanwhile, start thinking about whether there might be any other teachers whom you know would give you a good recommendation. I suspect that my kid’s best recommendation came from the only regular level class he ever took (because of incredibly heavy extracurricular time demand). He didn’t want to ask her, because it was only a regular class, and frankly, the teacher wasn’t that good. But she had observed him helping his classmates to higher achievement in that class (since he was so bored in it) and so she wrote him an amazing letter, praising his character.
i’m assuming you’re applying to college next year also. as a fellow rising senior, don’t worry! one of my favorite teachers who has helped me through so many hardships also wanted to have a meeting with me even though i’m quite sure he knew me very well. high school teachers have a lot of students, and knowing each one of them personally is hard. a LOR is not only a reflection of what a teacher sees in a student, but also of how the student is a good fit for the institution they are applying for. i suspect your teacher wants to know YOUR goals and your thoughts in order to best customize the LOR.
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Just guessing:
It may be that this teacher is uncomfortable writing a letter of recommendation for you because she doesn’t know you well or because you did not do well in her class.
Regardless, you should find out why at the meeting.
I did very well in the class though I admit that I did not build a very strong connection with her. I participated only slightly more than the average student. However, if this was the case I would hope she would just say no instead of inviting me to a meeting when she has already decided?
Maybe she just doesn’t remember you well and would like to be reintroduced. The fact that she wants to meet with you indicates that she is taking the request seriously–and that is a good sign.
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Yes, it’s a good thing and she wants more input from you in order to write an even better letter.
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It is possible that she has a very strong opinion of you, possibly due to your doing well in her class, but does not feel that she knows you well enough to write quite as good of a letter as she would want to write.
This sounds quite normal. Perhaps the one thing that is slightly abnormal is that she is putting extra effort into making sure that she writes a good letter. I do not think that there is a problem here at all.
This is what it sounds like to me.
Regardless, you will find out more at the meeting. I would expect this to be a pleasant discussion that includes what you want in your future.
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This was common in D20s large public high school, especially for kids they really wanted to support and further tailor the LOR to the college. They may have known the student from an academic perspective, but they wanted deeper insight to draft a more holistic perspective of the student.
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When I worked as an instructor in college I did the same thing, unless the student was somebody with whom I worked extensively and recently.
In my opinion, it is most likely so that the teacher can write a better tailored LoR.
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Yes everyone in this thread was correct. At the meeting, she basically talked about the LoR process and gave me a sheet to fill out in extensive detail to aid her.
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