Is being quiet a bad thing?

wow are you me this has been my teachers, parents, family, strangers COMMENTS EVERY TIME!! they always say I'm too quiet but I really am not once you get to know me. I am the loudest, most chatty bubbliest person ever once I become friends with someone and they get to know me and we vibe like I can talk for hours with my best friend who I've known for a few years. i used to be so shy from 10-16 but now I'm one of the loudest people ever when I'm with people I like/who are my friends and i can never stop talking haha.

I think you need to try and persuade them to see your view and perspective on this and also learn to maybe come out of your shell a little? i know it's hard and trust ME i have been there and worse and I've learnt to deal with my anxiety and stop worrying about other people's opinions of me and just live my life because life's too short, you know? just be yourself, join some clubs, do some extra-curricular activities, go to the gym, take a dance class, go swimming, order your own food when out, ask to go out to the cinema with a friend, go to a party, throw a party, make your own phone call appointments etc do stuff ot CHALLENGE your shyness/quietness/anxiety!

trust me, the first step is always the hardest but the thought of it is much worse than the actual thing - like injections, exams, etc
Pm me if you ever nee dhelp!

If all of them are saying the same thing then it is likely more noticable than you yourself think it is. I suppose at interviews etc you might just say you are aware that you can sometimes be too quiet and are working on it. Needn't be a huge deal.

Oh thanks so much. I know I am more on the shy side but I have never let it affect my performance in class or even out of class (yes I do already take several extracurriculars). I guess coming out of my shell a bit won’t do any harm haha x

I understand what you're saying, I always used to get teachers saying the same thing. It's a shame your teachers have undermined you by writing that in your UCAS references. I can only recommend to keep doing what you're doing if it makes you comfortable, one day you'll prove them wrong for doubting your capabilities.

On a side note, in my experiences teachers (at GCSE - A-level level) seem to overlook factors such as anxiety quite often

Well, according to every teacher at every parents evening I have ever had - being quiet is a bad thing.

But seriously if you're just quiet in comparison and are fine contributing etc then I don't see why they think it's a problem?

Who the **** wants a quiet mouse doctor? Pick a different career, like a funeral director

Teachers said this about me too, on my references and every parents evening when I was at school.

It's not always interpreted negatively by uni admissions though.
I got several offers without an interview and an exemption from foreign language entry requirements.
At one interview, an interviewer greeted me with "welcome, do come in.. nice quiet girl, I've had dozens of noisy jerks this week".
A few of the rejected loud people turned out to be classmates with stronger communication skills and more extra curricular activities than me.

Don't take it to heart.
A doctor who listens was once a medical student that knew how to listen quietly in the classroom and when doing f2 hospital rounds.

Who the **** wants a quiet mouse doctor? Pick a different career, like a funeral director

I personally like quiet people, maybe because I myself am a quiet person. But since society now sees talkative and loud person as smart and confident, quietness is seen as a negative.