<p>I really don't understand the logic. If a teacher is going to write something negative/lukewarm about you in the rec letter, then shouldn't the teacher just deny your request for a letter at the start?</p>
<p>That's what teacher's at my school do. They decline to write it and say that they shuld ask another teacher.</p>
<p>Teachers may have negative comments, say, if you were caught cheating or something. Otherwise, they may use euphemisms to quietly portray your not-so-desirable characteristics (for example, if the rec is from an English teacher, they may say that Tom contributes in class mostly through his writing or something like that, connoting that he's a quiet person). Also, if the rec is overall bland and generic and not backed with anecdotal evidence and specific examples, it won't help your rec at all, so you'll be at a disadvantage compared to people whose recs have those things. Finally, if the rec isn't that great or isn't that detailed, the admissions committee will question your judgement and wonder why you couldn't get a better recommendation - why teachers don't know you well at all or why they don't like you that much.</p>
<p>That's why it's always important to allow your recommenders a way to say no.</p>
<p>recommendations are not gimmes. please don't expect your teacher(s) to write you a great recommendation just because you need them to get into a good college. they're going to write what they honestly think about you.</p>
<p>Teachers are not going to lie, but they aren't going to purposefully harm your chances at getting into college. They will present you in the best light that they honestly can.</p>
<p>When I applied to college, one of my teachers wrote in the recc that I wasn't Harvard material. I didnt' realize this until after I was accepted, and she gleefully told me that info. Meanwhile, my SAT II scores in that subject were very high, and my senior year project in that h.s. class is probably something that impressed Harvard since I even went out of town to research the subject. My grades in her class were high, and I even was for fun sometimes auditing a local college class in that subject. </p>
<p>Consequently, one never knows what teachers will do. One simply hopes for the best.</p>
<p>The teacher said you weren't Harvard material, you still got accepted, and then the teacher gleefully told you she had said this? I simply can't understand what she was thinking...at least it didn't hurt you, Northstarmom!</p>
<p>how much effort do teachers usually put into writing the letter? some college guides i read had recommendation letters that were lengthy, detailed, filled with anecdotes, and almost unbelievably well-written. but in large public schools most teachers simply don't have that kind of time, and usually don't know you that well. can anyone share a real recommendation letter that a teacher wrote for him/her that worked?</p>
<p>i think (Hope?!) that schools take that into consideration. Just like a lot of intl. schools are not that familiar with writing rec's at all and so they are a bit more bland and generic due to a lack of familiarity with the system while others as you said, just simply do not have the time when coming from a large public school. So like i said, i think adcom's do take everything into consideration.</p>
<p>In our case, we never go to read the recs that accompanied our S's apps because he signed the waiver.
I know that the teachers & college counselor at his HS take a great deal of time & effort in writing their recs (come in frequently & spend extended time working on the recs--lots of weekend hours). I am sure it varies a great deal, but believe especially the AP instructors put a LOT of energy into these recs because they know how important it is for the students.
It is important for the teachers to be candid with the schools because it will affect their credibility vis-a-vis other students they are also recommending. </p>
<p>Some teachers have a hard time saying they won't recommend a student so they might instead just write a more generic or bland or vague rec. Not really the best solution, but some teachers go that route.</p>
<p>I think it is unethical for a teacher to agree to write a letter of recommendation for a student and then put negative things in it. </p>
<p>Perhaps when you request a letter from a teacher you should be clear to ask, Can you write me a positive letter?</p>
<p>Or, maybe you should talk to your guidance counselor about how to choose an appropriate teacher.</p>
<p>Be sure to give your teacher a copy of your resume - don't assume they know all the good stuff you are involved in!</p>
<p>Unethical? Maybe "bad taste" or "awkward," but it's certainly not unethical for a teacher to write negatively about a student. In fact, it would unethical if they wrote flattering things about the student if they knew the person was a poor candidate for that college, given their character or abilities.</p>
<p>I disagree. </p>
<p>A teacher who can't write a good recommendation should simply tell the student they need to ask someone else. </p>
<p>It's called a RECOMMENDATION for a reason. If you can't recommend the student, then be honest about it.</p>
<p>In fact, at my son's high school this is the strict policy and I think it's a good one.</p>
<p>I think all of this is why some schools no longer want recs--they assume most people can fine SOMEONE who will "say good/nice things about them."</p>
<p>Regardless of how we feel, I believe what I posted above happens, unbeknownst to the student & family. Counselors MAY have some idea about all of this as it applies to the individual HS & may be able to guide the students somewhat.</p>
<p>my math teacher has strict rules about how you should go about getting a rec from him. he listed a huge list of requirements one his eboard..so basically a very small amount of people to go him because they dont meet the requirements.</p>
<p>Instead of putting the onus on the teacher to deny you, it's entirely appropriate to ask, "Can you give me a good recommendation?" I've occasionally heard of teachers who didn't like a student providing a negative recommendation. I don't think that's very honest of the teacher, but in some cases they may feel the student hasn't been honest with them. By asking, at least you are calling their hand and forcing them to be honest or lie to your face; the latter is highly unlikely.</p>
<p>I agree with Letmepass... Every college application how-to book gives these amazing but (I think) somewhat unrealistic examples of teacher recs. I mean, every rec is like 3 pages long and FULL of personal anecdotal references. I think the only way you can get something like that is if you actually spoon-feed to your teacher what you want them to write?</p>
<p>Am I right? Am I wrong? Are those books full of crap?</p>
<p>I've heard several teachers this year tell students they could not write them a recommendation, because they could not leave out the students negative qualities. I think thats the right course of action, instead of writing something negative without telling the student or lying to simply please the student.</p>
<p>Acrylicz, yeah I seriously think that those recommendation letters in those how-to books are really unrealistic. 3 pages long??? Seriously. </p>
<p>One of my teachers actually said a shorter recommendation is better.. like 3/4 a page. His logic is that adcoms like brevity and don't wanna spend so much time reading one rec letter. Do you guys think that a shorter recommendation is actually good?</p>
<p>I agree that the policy is a GOOD idea; I just don't think that the word unethical best describes a recommendation that puts a student in a negative light. Letting a student lie on an application or cheat on a test is unethical -- giving adcoms a headup about this or similar behavior is far from it.</p>