Teacher said she will not write a reference

She may well be just trying to impress on your that she expects better of you in terms of respect and timekeeping.

When does it need to be done by?

Try making time to speak to her in your own time and apologising, telling her that you didn't mean to show her any disrespect and that you really do hold her in respect. Don't ask her at that same time about writing a reference! Give it some time and she may change her mind, as long as you donmt push her.

I just remembered a few more things from her 3 page report about us:

1) Me being a good actor (meaning that i have lied to her?)

2) I had a position as the president of the Peer Group Support last year (now passed on to the juniors) and she said that me having that position made me to feel like some kind of VIP and that i deserve special treatment from other people. She then continuously referred to me and my friend ( she is also part of the Peer Group Support) as male vip and female vip.

3) Calling me obnoxious which i do admit i am sometimes but i definitely do not show it in front of her.

4) Calling me selfish. So we had this tutoring thing going on where the top students will tutor the weaker students to help them. The top students will benefit by understanding n gaining confidence in the subject as we explain questions to the other students and the weaker students being able to seek help from others. Earlier on when i approached her on Thursday, she said that compared to student X ( another top student, I do not want to put names), I lack the ability to explain things clearly to other people and that this tutoring thing will help me gain the ability to explain better to others. I completely agree as i have noticed it myself. However on saturday in her 3 page report of us, she said that it was me being selfish and not willing to share my knowledge. She even went to the extent to say that i did not care about anyone else's results except for mine (This was particularly aimed at my friend as she blames me for 'influencing' her and the fact that she is not a strong student). Also due to the incident, she has cancelled the tutoring and blames it on the two of us as we do not respect her, what she does for us and the class.

Teachers really will not write anything bad on your reference, even if you are the worst student imaginable. They will always focus on the positives, especially if you go to a prestigious or private school because those schools sell themselves on students getting into top universities like Imperial so they will always try and get as many students into them as possible. I go to a selective school in London and the teachers here try and push as many people to apply for Oxford/Cambridge/LSE/Imperial/UCL as possible and write perfect references for all of these applicants, even if they are the most annoying, unable student. Don't worry about it- as long as you have good grades in your physics tests your teacher will have to write a positive reference.

I would like to believe you but she have said that she has written a report of just these words: 'high academic capability' Those might not be the exact words but it was just a phrase which stated that the student was capable of higher education and nothing else about his/her behavior or character as a student.

I would like to believe you but she have said that she has written a report of just these words: 'high academic capability' Those might not be the exact words but it was just a phrase which stated that the student was capable of higher education and nothing else about his/her behavior or character as a student.

Yes, at least some of us know where Brunei is (tiny oil-rich bit of north Borneo, formerly effectively owned by the British, now independent with a dodgy human rights record).

As a student from outside the EU, you will be charged a pile of money by Imperial College. That will make up for any less than perfect reference, but I suspect a suitable amount of demonstrating that you have learnt your lesson will change her mind. She will be being judged on your results, including where you end up, for one thing.

Don't worry about it. The combination of academic ability plus the fees you're going to be charged will convince most admissions tutors.

In most places, a negative personal reference will make the department more keen to see them - it makes a change from the usual 'they're the best student I have had since the last one' guff.

What do u mean by making the department more keen to see them ?

I would like to believe you but she have said that she has written a report of just these words: 'high academic capability' Those might not be the exact words but it was just a phrase which stated that the student was capable of higher education and nothing else about his/her behavior or character as a student.