Rate myself for a reference?

[ICUchick]

I asked one of my current professors to provide a reference for me on my application to the nursing program and she happily agreed. Today she sent me a form to fill out so she can be the best reference. This included a section where I have to rate the following:

On a scale of 1 to 5 (1=poor, 2=below average, 3=average, 4 =above average, and 5 =outstanding, NA=unable to evaluate) honestly rank yourself for each category:

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Intellectual Ability NA 1 2 3 4 5 Curiosity

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Lab Skills NA 1 2 3 4 5 Manual Dexterity

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Ability to work independently NA 1 2 3 4 5 Maturity

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Work in teams (Cooperation) NA 1 2 3 4 5 Knowledge of Microbiology

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Requires little supervision NA 1 2 3 4 5 Honesty

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Ethics NA 1 2 3 4 5 Ability to follow directions

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Ability to handle criticism NA 1 2 3 4 5 Neat personal appearance

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Written communication skills NA 1 2 3 4 5 Oral communication skills

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Ability to adapt to changing situations NA 1 2 3 4 5 Critical thinking skills

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Ability to make accurate judgments NA 1 2 3 4 5 Initiative

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Quality of work NA 1 2 3 4 5 Leadership

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Motivation NA 1 2 3 4 5 Sense of humor

NA 1 2 3 4 5 Emotional stability/Ability to work in stressful conditions

I feel a bit cautious doing this as I dont want to under or oversell myself. Any advice?

thanks!

[Mom/Nurse2b]

She's asking you to rate yourself? But I thought that's what you were asking her to do for the reference?! I guess just be honest. After looking at the list, they seem more character questions than actual questions about whether you grasped the material.

[caliotter3]

I think it is nice that she is showing so much interest in the project. I guess she wants a starting point. I would not sell myself short but then I wouldn't paint myself as perfect either. Since she took the time to provide you with this, I would also write a few sentences of additional input that you would like her to consider, such as examples of your strong points, particularly if they were demonstrated in her class. Put your best foot forward.

[ICUchick]

Thanks for your replies!

I am grateful for her interest in providing the best reference possible I was just surprised and unsure how to answer these without it seeming to unrealistic. I was going to stick to the average category to play it safe but I don't want her to question why my ethics or honesty isn't outstanding!

Should I steer clear of the extreme high category? I don't know what would actually distinguish above average from outstanding but when we were trained on personnel reviews we were told to only use the highest and lowest ratings ONLY for extreme rare circumstances.

Thanks again for your input ladies!