<p>I had three teachers from Junior year who liked me a lot. I thought I would ask two of them to write me letters of recommendation, but it won't work out. One told the whole class at the end of the year that from now on she will not write recs because they took up too much of her time. The other two teachers moved to a different state, so I cannot ask them either. </p>
<p>Now I'm planning to ask my biology teacher (whose personality makes me unsure if he's going to write nice things in general) and my math teacher from sophomore year (who doesn't know me that well). Neither one of these teachers have a specific reason to dislike me, but they don't LOVE me either. I'm planning to apply to competitive colleges such as Rice, Emory, Duke, and Wake Forest. Will these weak applications lead to a rejection?</p>
<p>That teacher thinks it takes up too much of her time?! What type of teacher is that? I think she should still accept recs. Sorry for the outburst, but that’s kind of rude.
About those other two teachers; is there any way you can contact them or find their email? </p>
<p>You can always get recs from senior year teachers. </p>
<p>But in any case, I don’t think the weak letters of recommendation will have a serious effect enough for you to be rejected. If the recs are negative, then it might. But if they’re weak, the admissions will probably take a closer look at your GPA, rank, grades, ECs, etc.</p>
<p>If she thinks it takes up too much of her time, she probably shouldn’t be a teacher. </p>
<p>I think that weak recommendations might do you a disservice, but could you try adding a supplemental one, maybe from a sports coach/religious leader?</p>
<p>Apply RD and use senior year teachers. Also, teachers that leave will usually leave a forwarding address because they know students will need recs. Good recs are important at top schools.</p>
<p>I’m in a similar situation…I really don’t see why a teacher wouldn’t write a good recommendation for someone applying to top schools like that though, unless they hated you (but in that case you wouldn’t be asking them). A student of theirs going to one of those colleges would reflect well on them, right?</p>
<p>^ I’ve always wondered about that. Why would any teacher write a mediocre recommendation? If I was a teacher, and a student I liked was asking for a rec, I would totally exaggerate and write amazing things haha</p>
<p>flyingllama: One day you may hire someone with overblown recs and they turn out to be a disaster. I think you’ll value honest recs then, won’t you?</p>
<p>Mediocre and negative rec letters do get written. Thank goodness.</p>
<p>Most recs that are positive tend to be exaggerated, because everyone else does that. But from what I’ve heard quite a few mediocre ones and very few negative ones (since people can tell when a teacher doesn’t like them) do get written.</p>
<p>OP, if I were you I’d ask the teacher who doesn’t write recs anymore to make a special exception for you. If a teacher really thinks you’re one of a kind or one of the best students ever, she will make an exception as long as you don’t go telling others about it. Remember it was probably because too many people were asking her for recs, not that she just hated writing them in general. Also, try to get in touch with your other teachers who moved. Again if they really feel ready to go to bat for you they will make the effort though it can make the logistics sort of hard. The reason I tell you to do this is that recommendations are really important for admissions to top schools. You do not want to skimp on any area of your application, especially with the crazy competitiveness these days at top schools. Though if worse comes to worse, try to make a very good impression on your senior year teachers and apply RD. Do not skimp or settle, or else it may come back to bite you in the you know where.</p>
<p>Now this isn’t related but it sort of oddly reminded me of a time when the teachers were negotiating their budget to no avail with the powers that be and thought about (although briefly) refusing to write letters of recommendations for kids, since it wasn’t in their contract. Obviously they didn’t do it, but I mean that’s a pretty good negotiation tool lol.</p>
<p>I’m nervous about this too. I do to a distance learning high school, so my teacher recommendations will be form letters. I wanted to get recommendations from my ninth and tenth grade (public high school) teachers as supplements, but I got such a nasty reception from the only teachers in my public high school worth remembering that I’m not sure if it will pull through. I’m kind of screwed in that department.</p>