For many colleges, a counselor recommendation letter is needed. However, I think I made a bad impression on him. How do I get to know him and change his impression? Normally, the students don’t talk with the counselor at our school. How do I do it without seeming like I am using him?
He’s literally payed to do this stuff, just go and talk to him about it.
If he doesn’t know you very well, it will be challenging for him to write a quality letter. You could set up a meeting to go over your resume and to talk about the reasons you are applying so that he has more information to write about.
I suggest writing an email clarifying your excitement to work with them. I would apologize for any awkwardness in the meeting and suggest a follow up meeting. Ask what you can do to prepare for the meeting to make the process easier. At my kids school, they meet multiple times with the college counselor, this helps them to get to know the student. In addition they fill out lots of questionnaires and surveys to prep the counselor for discussions. If this isn’t the case, maybe you can use this experience to get to know the counselor better.
I’m in the same situation. I think I’ve pressured my counselor too much during this admission process, so now I feel like she doesn’t really like me anymore. Honestly, I just left it be because this is a new counselor and I doubt there’s anything bad to say. If they do put in something unlike you, I’m sure the other recs (assuming they’re good) should show the AO’s that the problem is that your counselor just doesn’t like you, not you, yourself.
But if you do want to change the impression, I encourage you to greet him whenever you see him in the hallways, classrooms, etc. This could show him that you genuinely care and appreciate the work he’s done for your app.
I’m in the same boat. My counselor doesn’t really respond to e-mails, and I never see her in the hallways, so the only way to talk to her is a meeting (while missing class time), so I think I may have come off a bit too strongly. Honestly, I’m just hoping for the best. She hasn’t started…