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(edited 8 months ago)

Hi I'm very simular in the way I'm very extraverted and my attendance isn't great due to getting sick with anxiety. That being said teachers aren't allowed to write anything negative in their referencing, only positive things. I'm not sure about attendance but I've not had any trouble as of yet. University's focus more on grades but if you don't reach the grades they look back through documents sent in to see if they will be more lenient. Of course this depends on the university you are applying for and their demand. Hopefully this helps.

Reply 2

jjeeeeeea

My situation was almost identical to yours in relation to introversion. They only talk about positive things, not negative. They will do their best to make you look good. Have you done work experience because that is a great option for them to say something good about you - my form tutor had us send him our personal statements before anyway so he had an idea what to write. He didn't know much about me until then lol. Don't worry, they will absolutely not talk badly about you :smile:

Reply 3

Starrytillymae

please do not worry! they want you to go to university so they will write positive things.

at my college, they didn't write us separate references. per a level, our teacher wrote an "overall reference" for everyone in the class and simply changed the names. then our tutor put together all three references and that was my ucas reference. my english teacher praised me on an essay i never wrote. universities do definitely depend on references but references will never be bad!

Reply 4

McGinger

Schools give positive references - always.

Stop worrying.

Reply 5

Clearing and Applications Advisor

While it isn’t true that references MUST be all positive (negative things can be mentioned as long as the referee has evidence for them) the vast majority of references don’t include anything negative.
And generally speaking where teachers do include something negative about attendance it will usually be ignored as irrelevant by universities (where attendance isn’t closely monitored as long as you’re engaging where required and demonstrating that you are learning).

The only time I’ve known a negative reference to be an issue was a reference that talked about extreme combative attitudes towards teachers and staff. In that case the applicant was interviewed to determine the accuracy of the reference and then rejected because they were hostile and aggressive toward the interviewers.

Reply 6

StudentMinds Rep

Official Rep

Original post by bamsa

So im in year 12, and i’ve always known that you need a reference from your teacher for your application. However, I didn’t realise how important they were! I’m scared my reference will be bad. Academically, I have done well with 99999999988 at GCSE and A*A*A* most likely predicted. But the issue is, i’m naturally introverted and quiet in class, and I feel like my teachers don’t really like me because of this. I feel like they see me as overly reserved and unresponsive, and am concerned they may talk badly about this in my reference. I don’t mean to come across dismissive, it is just my natural personality as I have always been shy. As well as this, my attendance hasn’t been the greatest. Will attendance be mentioned in the reference?? I’m pretty sure it will be over 80%, which isn’t the worst, but it isn’t ideal. Most of the days I take off are because I have no lessons, or during exam season when my mental health takes a dip, so I prefer to revise at home. The school however is not aware of my mental health, so I’m concerned they might see me as someone who slacks off (but really my attendance hasn’t negatively impacted my grades). I’ve never really been able to bond with teachers, and so i’m worried my reference won’t be good. I am aiming for top unis, so I really need the best reference possible. Did anyone have an experience similar to this with their reference?? And if my reference isn’t that good, will it ruin my chances of getting into uni??? I’m stressed!

Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear you're feeling worried about your reference! It is totally normal to feel worried about something which is out of your control and I'm sure many of your peers will be feeling the same way.

It sounds as if you are a committed student and work very hard towards your grades, and I'm sure this will be reflected in your reference. Whilst I cannot speculate on what your reference will say, I'm sure your referee will be looking to support your entry to university so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Have you tried talking to staff about your reference, or your struggles with mental health? Perhaps wellbeing support at your school? Family or friends? I always find that communication is the best way to deal with my worries :smile:

I hope this helps and good luck with your applications!
- Dan

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 7

StudentMinds Rep

Official Rep

Original post by bamsa

Thank you for all your responses!! This has put me at ease. I’m naturally an over thinker, so tend to think the worst.

@StudentMinds Rep i’m just not really sure how to approach my teachers with issues, as I’ve never been the most open of comfortable talking to them.

@Starrytillymae are teachers allowed to just copy and paste across students?? What if two people were applying for the same course with the same reference, wouldn’t admissions realise? :confused:

Hi,

That is understandable, opening up can sometimes be daunting. Firstly, I would say that if you are not comfortable talking to your teachers then do not feel like you have to - a friend or family member can also support you.

However, if you feel that talking to a teacher would be beneficial and put your mind at ease over the reference, I would recommend that you ask to speak to someone outside of classroom hours, perhaps a staff member that you are a bit more comfortable with. Staff are there to support your wellbeing and will be more than happy to help.

Once you move on to university, support tends to be offered in a more structured way through wellbeing support services. You may also be assigned an academic adviser who can help you as well. I would suggest looking at our services directory on Student Space to find out some more about the support services at institutions you are applying for: https://studentspace.org.uk/find-support

- Dan :smile:

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 8

Starrytillymae

Original post by bamsa

me and my friend did in fact apply for the same degree at the same university with a paragraph of our references being the same (same teacher). they either didn't question it and knew it was a thing that schools did, or they didn't pay enough attention to realise. they got a lot of applicants for that course of course, so if our applications were evaluated at different times, it's unlikely they would've realised!

hopefully your teachers take time to personally write them because they are meant to be personal, after all. i'm quite disappointed that mine was rather generalised. speaking to your teachers about your concerns is also a good idea but coming from another anxious overthinker, i know it can be difficult :smile:

(edited 11 months ago)