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Does reputation with teachers affect your uni application?

I'm in year 12 and want to apply to medicine at a competitive uni (oxbridge, icl, kcl) and I'm scared because I have non-existent/poor reputation with my teachers. I don't really contribute in class or put my hand up and kinda just sit there in silence and do the work, or if I'm sat with a friend then I'm the type to talk and not listen and then get told off. I don't have teachers who like me particularly and I have never had conversations with them (unlike my other classmates who are super outgoing and engaged). I think some of the teachers genuinely don't like me too because they think I don't listen or something. One of my teachers is so passive aggressive and always specifically humiliates me in front of the whole class and tells them I've done something wrong or like pick on the stupidest stuff and tells out loud in front of everyone that I need to revise more cause I lack, which is always funny cause I come out of tests with all A*s. My GCSEs are all 9s. I don't really have leadership roles at school or do extracurriculars at school either apart from the school choir. In terms of supercurriculars and stuff like that I love wider reading so I think I'm doing more than enough, but the thing is the teachers don't know that because I don't tell them since I prefer not talking to them. They are the ones writing my reference though and I don't want this to hinder my application. Do top unis care a lot about references?
(edited 1 month ago)
Reply 1
At the end of the day, your teachers want you to succeed, whoever does your reference won’t write anything negative.

You’ve said you don’t do any extracurriculars, if you want oxbridge then these are really important. I would definitely look into doing some volunteering!
Reply 2
Original post by hellosaturday
I'm in year 12 and want to apply to medicine at a competitive uni (oxbridge, icl, kcl) and I'm scared because I have non-existent/poor reputation with my teachers. I don't really contribute in class or put my hand up and kinda just sit there in silence and do the work, or if I'm sat with a friend then I'm the type to talk and not listen and then get told off. I don't have teachers who like me particularly and I have never had conversations with them (unlike my other classmates who are super outgoing and engaged). I think some of the teachers genuinely don't like me too because they think I don't listen or something. One of my teachers is so passive aggressive and always specifically humiliates me in front of the whole class and tells them I've done something wrong or like pick on the stupidest stuff and tells out loud in front of everyone that I need to revise more cause I lack, which is always funny cause I come out of tests with all A*s. My GCSEs are all 9s. I don't really have leadership roles at school or do extracurriculars at school either apart from the school choir. In terms of supercurriculars and stuff like that I love wider reading so I think I'm doing more than enough, but the thing is the teachers don't know that because I don't tell them since I prefer not talking to them. They are the ones writing my reference though and I don't want this to hinder my application. Do top unis care a lot about references?

The thing is, it is best to build some sort of rapport with your teachers. Since you're in year 12 you have plenty of time to build this because it will just help your teachers be inclined to right better about you. Just put your hand up in class a LOT and ask them for help outside of lessons. I personally have a teacher who hates my guts but she wrote some rather nice things so I do believe that having a strong academic report is the main focus and what's important. Focus on getting good grades rather than sucking up to your teacher as your references should be about what your achievements are in school, your rank in subjects, how much of a 'joy you are to teach'. Don't stress about this though you still have a lot of time!!
Original post by hellosaturday
I'm in year 12 and want to apply to medicine at a competitive uni (oxbridge, icl, kcl) and I'm scared because I have non-existent/poor reputation with my teachers. I don't really contribute in class or put my hand up and kinda just sit there in silence and do the work, or if I'm sat with a friend then I'm the type to talk and not listen and then get told off. I don't have teachers who like me particularly and I have never had conversations with them (unlike my other classmates who are super outgoing and engaged). I think some of the teachers genuinely don't like me too because they think I don't listen or something. One of my teachers is so passive aggressive and always specifically humiliates me in front of the whole class and tells them I've done something wrong or like pick on the stupidest stuff and tells out loud in front of everyone that I need to revise more cause I lack, which is always funny cause I come out of tests with all A*s. My GCSEs are all 9s. I don't really have leadership roles at school or do extracurriculars at school either apart from the school choir. In terms of supercurriculars and stuff like that I love wider reading so I think I'm doing more than enough, but the thing is the teachers don't know that because I don't tell them since I prefer not talking to them. They are the ones writing my reference though and I don't want this to hinder my application. Do top unis care a lot about references?

Others have answered the crux of your question, so I'll confine my remarks to something which leapt out at me as I read your post.

You "kinda just sit there in silence and do the work ... not listen ... have never had conversations with them ... prefer not talking to them." Those are not the ideal personality traits of a medicine applicant.

If you apply for medicine you will be interviewed, not just to assess your academic abilities, but also to establish whether or not you're a good fit for the profession.

Is there a chance that you're thinking about applying to study medicine for the wrong reasons. Do you really want to interact with patients, discuss their health, break bad news, etc. Can you picture yourself doing that?
Just to add that you shouldn’t be aiming for competitive med spots at the outset. You only get four med options, apply selectively to those whose recruitment process matches your profile.

As above, there’s no benefit to the school to give you a bad reference, and it’s typically the least important part of an application.
Original post by DataVenia
Others have answered the crux of your question, so I'll confine my remarks to something which leapt out at me as I read your post.
You "kinda just sit there in silence and do the work ... not listen ... have never had conversations with them ... prefer not talking to them." Those are not the ideal personality traits of a medicine applicant.
If you apply for medicine you will be interviewed, not just to assess your academic abilities, but also to establish whether or not you're a good fit for the profession.
Is there a chance that you're thinking about applying to study medicine for the wrong reasons. Do you really want to interact with patients, discuss their health, break bad news, etc. Can you picture yourself doing that?

I did reconsider whether I was suitable for medicine and looked at doing biochemistry instead because I’m a really reserved person, I even got some lab experience but I could not stand sitting in a lab all day and so I started doing volunteering at a hospital outside of school and I really enjoy talking to and interacting with patients and other volunteers. I can’t imagine myself doing another job. When I’m in class, I have loads of questions all up in my head, but I don’t say them out loud and kinda just think about them myself. I just don’t really thrive in the ‘classroom setting’ and I don’t like public speaking in front of loads of people and so I tend to avoid sticking out the crowd. It’s weird because I don’t struggle making friends or anything or like social interactions. I really want to fix this attitude but I don’t know how. I think I should rephrase my sentence. I do listen in lessons, otherwise how else would I have gotten my grades. My point is that I don’t contribute much and for some reason teachers think no contribution = disinterest and don’t listen. Even when I do contribute, the teachers forget I ever did because my voice is quiet and not loud and confident like the others. I wish I was more confident and extroverted.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by carw5
At the end of the day, your teachers want you to succeed, whoever does your reference won’t write anything negative.
You’ve said you don’t do any extracurriculars, if you want oxbridge then these are really important. I would definitely look into doing some volunteering!

I’m doing volunteering at a nursing home and a hospital! I just don’t have any extracurriculars within school (prefect and things like that)
Original post by Admit-One
Just to add that you shouldn’t be aiming for competitive med spots at the outset. You only get four med options, apply selectively to those whose recruitment process matches your profile.
As above, there’s no benefit to the school to give you a bad reference, and it’s typically the least important part of an application.

I want to aim to be ambitious because I think that will help my application overall. Rough guess for unis I will pick is 1 really ambitious, 1 high, 1 average and 1 safe. I’m going to choose all my unis after the UCAT but I’m saying in general for now, whether teacher popularity is crucial in top unis
Original post by hellosaturday
I want to aim to be ambitious because I think that will help my application overall. Rough guess for unis I will pick is 1 really ambitious, 1 high, 1 average and 1 safe. I’m going to choose all my unis after the UCAT but I’m saying in general for now, whether teacher popularity is crucial in top unis

If you have questions for teachers why not seek them out at break or lunchtime? I'm always delighted if someone comes to follow something up or wants more info - you don't have to ask in class.
Original post by hellosaturday
I'm in year 12 and want to apply to medicine at a competitive uni (oxbridge, icl, kcl) and I'm scared because I have non-existent/poor reputation with my teachers. I don't really contribute in class or put my hand up and kinda just sit there in silence and do the work, or if I'm sat with a friend then I'm the type to talk and not listen and then get told off. I don't have teachers who like me particularly and I have never had conversations with them (unlike my other classmates who are super outgoing and engaged). I think some of the teachers genuinely don't like me too because they think I don't listen or something. One of my teachers is so passive aggressive and always specifically humiliates me in front of the whole class and tells them I've done something wrong or like pick on the stupidest stuff and tells out loud in front of everyone that I need to revise more cause I lack, which is always funny cause I come out of tests with all A*s. My GCSEs are all 9s. I don't really have leadership roles at school or do extracurriculars at school either apart from the school choir. In terms of supercurriculars and stuff like that I love wider reading so I think I'm doing more than enough, but the thing is the teachers don't know that because I don't tell them since I prefer not talking to them. They are the ones writing my reference though and I don't want this to hinder my application. Do top unis care a lot about references?

Not all doctors are outgoing and extroverts or even loud, yes I do know of some who are super loud but just an empty vessel, so don't let that be a deciding factor of whether to study medicine. However, I do encourage you to open up and not let teachers put you down in anyway. Try to have a chat with the teachers directly to help determine any issues they may have of you and vice versa.

As you are already volunteering, that's a superb way of getting your supercurricular activities filled up with experiences and reflections on why you wish to be a doctor eventually.

Put away the uni selection for now - what you need is a stellar GCSE, which from the looks of it, you have excellent GCSE and then the next big thing, UCAT this coming summer - this is one of the most important element you need to apply to med schools. You definitely UCAT for the unis you mentioned, like ICL and Oxbridge (less so for Cambridge but Oxford weighs UCAT at 50% and GCSE at 50% (full mark as per your GCSE results) so as to speak for interview selection).

Personal statement will be changed from 2026 entry with 3 questions instead, though I suspect the bulk of the content from a conventional PS is very much valid.

Wider reading is only a smaller part of supercurricular activities, do get grips with current med development and ethnical issues.

As for leadership, it is one of the factors that med schools look for - medical doctors are expected to lead, not follow. So you can train your leadership skills at volunteering, eg organise an activity for patients in your volunteering role and see how you can harness other volunteers in it.

Bottom line is you need to get out of any comfort zone, apologies if I do sound harsh not my intention, and taking on and facing challenges you never imagine or expect yourself ever to handle. It's through such that you will learn.

Press on and hope to see you soon this summer!
Original post by Jonjon7
Not all doctors are outgoing and extroverts or even loud, yes I do know of some who are super loud but just an empty vessel, so don't let that be a deciding factor of whether to study medicine. However, I do encourage you to open up and not let teachers put you down in anyway. Try to have a chat with the teachers directly to help determine any issues they may have of you and vice versa.
As you are already volunteering, that's a superb way of getting your supercurricular activities filled up with experiences and reflections on why you wish to be a doctor eventually.
Put away the uni selection for now - what you need is a stellar GCSE, which from the looks of it, you have excellent GCSE and then the next big thing, UCAT this coming summer - this is one of the most important element you need to apply to med schools. You definitely UCAT for the unis you mentioned, like ICL and Oxbridge (less so for Cambridge but Oxford weighs UCAT at 50% and GCSE at 50% (full mark as per your GCSE results) so as to speak for interview selection).
Personal statement will be changed from 2026 entry with 3 questions instead, though I suspect the bulk of the content from a conventional PS is very much valid.
Wider reading is only a smaller part of supercurricular activities, do get grips with current med development and ethnical issues.
As for leadership, it is one of the factors that med schools look for - medical doctors are expected to lead, not follow. So you can train your leadership skills at volunteering, eg organise an activity for patients in your volunteering role and see how you can harness other volunteers in it.
Bottom line is you need to get out of any comfort zone, apologies if I do sound harsh not my intention, and taking on and facing challenges you never imagine or expect yourself ever to handle. It's through such that you will learn.
Press on and hope to see you soon this summer!

thank you so much for the advice

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