While trying to decide who I’m going to ask for recommendations, I’ve come across an interesting dichotomy.
First, the background:
For my first teacher rec, I’m asking my Psych AP teacher who sponsors both of my clubs. I’m closer to her than I am to any other teacher. I won’t have had her in class until next year, but she knows me really well from ECs. So her perspective will be less academic-based.
The second recommendation is where things get complicated. I could either ask my Sociology/APUSH teacher or my AP English Language&Comp teacher. Both know me well and would presumably write great recs. The difference is in how I did in each class they taught.
- I got a 97 in APUSH. My APUSH teacher went easy on us, and I'm great at history anyways. Not like I slept through that class-- I always work hard-- but it was definitely an easy A for me. So that teacher's view of me is that I was naturally very successful.
- I got a 94 in AP Lang, and while that may seem perfectly good, I had a 92/93 for most of the course and kept fluctuating into the A-minus zone. It was my first class in which I really struggled to get an A. I got more Bs on quizzes/essays than I ever had before, and I was definitely challenged. However, I did manage to squeak out a good grade in the end, and ultimately, I think I grew as a student from being challenged so much.
So is it better to have a teacher recommendation talk about one’s success, or one’s challenges/growth? I’m not necessarily asking about which of my particular teachers would be best, but rather which approach is more successful in general.
Interested to hear your perspectives! 