Canadian Guidance Counsellors

<p>Umm, does anyone else find their schools' guidance REALLY unhelpful?
Mine refused to help me with AP exams (we don't have the program, and the counsellor basically told me it's my problem even though AP Canada tells me that my school administrating the exam for me should be the best case scenario).
I also don't know how I'm gonna get that rec letter, cuz no one really talks to guidance on reg. basis, and my school's principal is apparently against US uni apps (according to the counsellor mentioned above)</p>

<p>my old counselor sucked. My new one is new to the job (used to teach) and said she’d need me to help her out with the admissions process. But, I think I’m gonna have to do a tonne of stuff when it comes to applying since she is so new to everything.</p>

<p>That happens all the time… Well, we are internationals and so we are supposed to be more resilient.</p>

<p>resilient is such a nice word
xD</p>

<p>Do US students have weekly meetings with their guidance councilor to discuss their feelings or something?</p>

<p>^lol that’s kind of what the other posters make it sound like…
“oh my guidance counselor LOVES me so my rec letter was WONDERFUL”</p>

<p>my guidance counselor doesn’t even know my name - -</p>

<p>lmao, well mine know my name, but I mean obviously in the US GC’s are more knowledgable about admissions that here. like, for example, today I needed to pick between 2 courses and they asked where i wanted to go to uni at. i’m like in the states. and yea, they were like “well, u have enough U courses for canadian uni’s”. they like beat around the bush. they don’t know ***** about US applications (which is sad, since we are a border city)</p>

<p>I was the first US applicant that my GC had filled out forms for. I had to teach her how to do it. =/</p>

<p>my guidance counselor is awesome!!! however the other 3 just suck!!!..but he was really cool throughout the process…he made me write his reference letter and then he pretty much just polished it</p>

<p>^that’s sick. yea, my GC said that she’d need me to help her out and print off sheets/info. that she would need and everything. I think I’m gonna have to pretty much guide her through the process, but she’s really nice and helpful.</p>

<p>Ya…if the GC is willing to help you the process WILL be very smooth…there is 1 GC in my school who wants to do everything on paper…so some students filled out 6-7 apps ALL on paper…luckily my GC wanted everything to be online…so it all worked out hehe…but definitely communication is essential for success!!!</p>

<p>yea, if you have a GC that is cooperative and willing to help its great. My GC actually taught me gr.9 french and gr.10 spanish as a teacher, so we know each other very well. She could care less about me not going to Canada and seemed very helpful. When I mentioned UTexas, she’s like “oh, don’t worry, we’ll try to get some scholarships other things too”. Like, she almost seems pumped about the process that is to be next year.</p>

<p>Haha. Viggy, I didn’t start talking to my GC until like October of my senior year. =/</p>

<p>ditto what darks0ulz just said… Haha I just got admitted to Wake Forest yesterday though! the first place I’ve heard back from! Yay.
I taught my GC how to use the CommonApp and such too though… anyone else have any worries that they did everything totally right?
OH on that topic… can anyone help me? Sending midyear grades… how do I do it?!</p>

<p>^what’s your intended major? And did you apply for FA or not? and of course, Congrats!</p>

<p>I have NO idea what I want to do so I applied everywhere as undecided.
Nope, I didn’t apply for aid.
What’s your intended major?
And thanks! It’s a nice feeling. Like everything you’ve done suddenly has a point! haha.</p>

<p>One is a complete jerk until you’re a senior. The other is amazing all around and you definitely don’t need to book an appointment. You just walk into his office and go “Hey Sir, can I talk to you for a minute?” Though, I’m staying in province so I wouldn’t know. I think being a border city makes our guidance counselors a lot more helpful with International…some people go States-side for school especially for certain aspects of the arts, so I would assume they would be pretty helpful.</p>

<p>My HS counselor (Public gifted) had me write a draft copy of her recommendation…Each visit to her is always punctuated by “Do you know how many kids I have under me?” I think in a HS of 1200, there are maybe 300 Grade 12 kids to 4 counselors. Only a total of 30 kids apply to US schools, and she probably has 8 kids…</p>

<p>Go figure.</p>

<p>My regular guidance counselor is coincidentally the one who handles all of the US school applications. I never needed to meet with her until this year and when it came to the letter she told me to get another teacher to write it. At first I was a bit skeptical but I got my choral director/vocal music teacher of four years to write me one. Apparently it worked!</p>

<p>I called several high schools in my city and there isn’t a single counselor who has any information on applying to US colleges–in fact, very few knew how to apply to Canadian universities. The OUAC is done online and the counselors have very little to do with the process (this is what I was told). The high school my DS goes to is considered top in the area (only one with AP) but almost 50% stay for a fifth year because the “free education for another year” is promoted by everyone!</p>