<p>Here’s a few more adjectives: bold, physically and mentally tough </p>
<p>Inclusive is a good one.</p>
<p>BobbyCT, on our brag sheets, GCs asked which 5 adjectives described our child and why we chose those words. If your sheet doesn’t ask you to say why, I would certainly add it on each one. </p>
<p>Another thing to think about: if the GC form doesn’t allow for enough room for your answers, think about re-typing the form and taking the space you need. </p>
<p>And if this is your first brag sheet, save it on your computer so that you can use it for future kids. Sure, kids are all different, but some character traits are the same and it does give you a framework for future brag sheets. My kids were 5 years apart and had different GCs, so I didn’t feel so funny about recycling some.</p>
<p>How about empathetic? Might be less pc than inclusive.</p>
<p>Compassionate, empathetic, generous, thoughtful…</p>
<p>Don’t flame me, everyone. But I would watch to make sure the adjective list doesn’t come out sounding too “girlie.”</p>
<p>Yes, the final list needs to be “balanced”. I like the idea of putting in a comment next to each adjective. The question asks “If you had to describe your son/daughter in four adjectives, what would they be?” It does not restrict me from using a short example for each one which will help illustrate the adjective.</p>
<p>the adjective that I hope colleges will associate with my child is “acceptable.”</p>
<p>Decisive? An action adjective that could work for balance.</p>
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<p>A GC that uses only adjectives in his or her rec, without examples or elaboration, wouldn’t be writing an effective rec. Why should it be any different when parents use only adjectives in the brag sheet? Definitely write a comment after each adjective.</p>
<p>Persistent, adaptable, motivated, happy…those describe DD.</p>
<p>Persistent, motivated, dedicated, friendly…those describe DS.</p>
<p>I’ve reviewed the list of adjectives provided and there appears to be a clear discrimination against v-based adjectives. Therefore, I am providing a list of v-adjectives (for good or bad) that you can use as you see fit: vacuous, vainglorious, valiant, vigorous, vapid, verdant, vegetative, venial, veracious, verbose, versatile, vertiginous, vivacious, vexatious, vibrant, vicious, vigesimal (adj.: based on the number 20), vile, vindictive, vinegary, vinous, violent, viridescent (slightly green), virile, virtuous, virulent, visionary, vital, vitreous, vituperative, vivid, vocal, vociferous, volatile, volcanic, voluble, voluminous, voracious… tomorrow we can start with W-adjectives.</p>
<p>^ LOL! You need to challenge yourself and start with something a little more difficult, like maybe X-based adjectives. I love some of the V adjectives, I never heard of a few of them. Something tells me though, that including adjectives like vacuous, vapid, violent, vicious, vile, vindictive and volatile to describe a student might hurt their chances.</p>
<p>voluble, virile, voluminous, voracious = my dog</p>
<p>conspicuously absent from the “V” list was virginal.</p>
<p>I will make no other editorial asides, but add it for those that have the need to employ it.</p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>Ummm, yes, I did leave “virginal” off my list do to editing discretion. Well, I have been asked to skip the W’s and get right down to the X’s. This means we have to skip such favorites as wanton, willful, weasely (no, not Ron Weazley), and woolly, but it seems to be a reasonable request. So here goes: xanthric, xantheous, xenial, xenophobic, xenolithic, xerophious, xerophalmic, xiphisternal, xylophagus, xylotomous, and XavierCugatish. Feel free to use any of them, though using only x-based adjectives to describe your child may lead the potential university to wonder whether mental instability runs in the family.</p>
<p>XavierCugatish? Wouldn’t you want to send an acceptance to kid who used that adjective to describe himself?</p>
<p>Is it just me or does it seem a little goofy to anyone else that colleges require and count on a GC report when most students spend very little time with their GC during their high school years? D is one of 90 students assigned to her GC and their interaction is limited to helping her change courses and other tasks like helping to choose her courses, if she requests it. There is no time spent getting to know the student and GC’s don’t have anywhere near the amount of information they would need to write a recommendation. They don’t really know them and may spend a few hours over the course of 4 years. This is apparent in the fact that a parent brag sheet is recommended. It seems like an odd process. What am I missing?</p>
<p>Our GCs bring late juniors/early seniors in for a meeting to discuss college application plans, so there is at least one contact that doesn’t have to do with class changes. I’ve always advised my Ds to make an effort to introduce themselves to their GCs and keep up a dialogue. Doesn’t have to be long conversations and doesn’t have to happen in the office under an appointment. We’re lucky in that our GCs are appointed by alphabet, so D has had the same GC for all of her 4 years.</p>
<p>Colleges know that GCs, especially from large public schools, have a big caseload. They know that sometimes a GC won’t actually have had much contact with the kid. If your GC happens to actually know your kid well, great! But schools know that the info in the GC letter can come from a number of sources–teachers’ comments, talks with kid, info from parents, etc.</p>
<p>What I think colleges really look at the GC to do:</p>
<p>1–Officially place the kid academically in the context of others in his class. Did he take the most rigorous curriculum available to him? [BIG POINT–a college may not be able to judge what is or isn’t most rigorous when looking at an applicant’s coursework, but a GC knows.] What’s his GPA? [Put that in context-What’s the highest GPA?] What’s his rank? [Put that in context-How many are there at that rank?] Many schools require the official transcript to come through this SSR. What do we need to know about how to interpret his GPA?</p>
<p>2–Officially place the kid in the context of his class in connection with extra-curricular pursuits and personal qualities. The latter is harder to do if the GC doesn’t have a personal relationship with the student, but he or she does get imput from teachers. I think if a kid says in the application that he was senior class president and the GC didn’t make mention of it, it might raise red flags.</p>
<p>3–Give the college a picture of the high school that the applicant attends. Is this a high school that sends lots of kids to college or under 25%? How many AP classes does the high school have? High schools often have School Profiles that delineate racial make up, average test scores, and a whole lot more. Again, this helps to put the applicant’s achievements into context.</p>
<p>4–Let the college know if there is any special circumstance that this applicant has had to overcome or if there is a reason for poor grades one semester or whatever…</p>
<p>5–Let the college know of any disciplinary actions, expulsions, etc. based on academic or other behavior and whether the GC knows if there have been any criminal matters connected to the applicant. This is a BIG one!</p>
<p>As you can see, there’s a lot about the applicant and the school that the GC can fill the college in on, even if the GC is unable to write a recommendation from personal knowledge. A personal recommendation is only part of the package that the GC is expected to put together.</p>
<p>BobbyCT, you’re missing nothing. I have a student at the same school. Top 5% of the class. Highly visible in a couple of different areas, all-state designation three consecutive years among other things; definitely not invisible. Well, wife and I went in late last year, junior year, and met the GC. GC had no idea about our student - nothing whatsoever. Nice person but when we left we looked at each other and asked the same question: How is it even possible that the GC doesn’t know who our child is, and how could that possibly be good for the majority of the students at our school?</p>
<p>Think about this: the GC has 90 students. So for one day out of every two months the GC needs to make appointments with 2-3 students per day, little ten to fifteen minute appointments. “Hi. How are you? Tell me what’s going on.” How hard would that be? Our GC’s can’t make the time to do that? Whenever I’ve been near the counseling office I notice one constant - few are in their offices. Is this yet another area where our school employees are spending more time in meetings and in “training” rather than having contact with students? I really wonder.</p>
<p>Also, echoing some of the thoughts in this thread, I wholeheartedly agree that supplying adjectives without narrative is not especially helpful. The idea that a narrative or example attached to the particular adjective is an excellent suggestion.</p>
<p>So my final four adjectives included compassionate, conscientious, ethical and independent (which will include her inclusive trait). I have thought it to death and this is what I will go with for the brag sheet. Thank you for all the feedback and help!</p>