<p>Hi, I was just looking at the school report part of the common application and saw that the counselor also writes some sort of recommendation letter. How can the counselor write about me if they don't even know me very well? You see, during my sophmore and junior year, I kept dropping out classes in the beginning of each year so I don't think the counselor would look at me in a good way.</p>
<p>tmdgus, it sounds like you have two problems:
- the counselor doesn’t know you well
- what she or he knows about you isn’t very good</p>
<p>I suggest a two-pronged strategy:</p>
<p>1) Ask adults who do know you well to write a quick note to your counselor. Don’t ask teachers, as they will be busy writing college recommendations themselves, but do ask other adults. Have you done any volunteer work? Been on a sports team? Have you been employed by anyone? (babysitting or cutting grass counts) Try asking the adults who have supervised you in any of these activities. A pastor/minister/rabbi/etc who knows you well is a good choice, too. These notes don’t even have to be all that formal. A letter from an adult who can testify to specific good qualities (hard worker, reliable, cheerful, creative, outgoing, etc) can make a big difference. Your counselor might even refer to these comments in his or her letter. (“tmdgus’s supervisor at the gas station where s/he works after school describes tmdgus as ‘a real people person.’”)</p>
<p>2) As soon as school starts, think of some reasons to stop by and chat with your counselor. Don’t bring him or her trouble, or questions that you should already know the answer to. Think of questions that might help your counselor to know you better and will reflect well on you as well. (“I’ve always been fascinated by astronomy, and I’m thinking of majoring in it in college. Do you know anything about X University’s astronomy program? I saw online that they have the Blah Blah telescope, which is something I would love to have a chance to use.” Then you get into a discussion of how you built your own telescope, etc.) You can also stop by to ask questions about the application process, testing, recommendations, etc. (“Do you think I should retake the SAT with these scores?” “I was thinking of asking Ms Jones for a recommendation, what do you think?”). If you do what I have recommended in Step 1, you will have another good reason to stop by (“My supervisor at the mentoring program where I volunteered this summer said that he sent you a letter. I’m just stopping by to make sure you received it.”). Remember that the purposes of these visits is not to actually GET information from your counselor, but to GIVE your counselor an impression of who you are (although of course it’s great if your counselor also has good information to share). You might also consider asking your counselor if she or he would be willing to look over your college essays, as they will also be an excellent reflection of who you are as a person. I suggest stopping by once every two weeks as soon as school starts.</p>
<p>Good luck with your applications!</p>
<p>That was such an amazing reply Thank you!</p>
<p>You’re very welcome. Lots of kids are, unfortunately, in the same boat - especially in schools where each counselor is responsible for a large pool of students.</p>
<p>Hope it all goes well.</p>