<p>hey, i'm applying from singapore where the concept of a guidance counselor isn't very enmeshed. i graduated 2 years earlier (only applying now because of conscription) but have managed to find enough teachers who are willing to write me recs. what i'm not sure about is which one should fill the form meant for my "counselor". as subject teachers, they're probably equally qualified/unqualified anyway. </p>
<p>is there any difference in the weightage of importance placed on a counselor rec vis-a-vis a teacher rec?</p>
<p>A counselor is not the same as a teacher because it is a counselor's job to take a personal interest in students through all four years of high school, much like a parent. At the same time, he/she advises you on courses, tests, and any other education-related questions.</p>
<p>Sort of an off topic question.. counselor turnover is high at my school so I got a brand new one senior year. What is he going to write for my rec, I've only talked to him 2 or 3 times total?</p>
<p>Yeah it's generally the students who are very involved at school who know the counselor's the best. If you don't, you're just going to get a generic recommendation that probably restates your extracurriculars and gives some vague compliments about you. It hurt your chances, but it just won't help you either.</p>
<p>For those students who attend a phs with a large student body and high turnover for gc...my D had to deal with the same thing. She did the following:
Gave an "academic resume" to the GC, which included her summer schools, and ECs. She had her teachers mention in their recs that there was a new GC assigned her file-we don't know if they included it in the letter sent to the school however, and she made a point of mentioning that point when she
had her private interview with an admissions rep. Her mom-me-had to stay on top of her file to make sure everything got sent to the colleges on time, as they were not really set up for private schools-just the state schools. G'Luck-I hope this helps!</p>
<p>There are so many counselors who don't know their students. The main role of the counselor is to give the colleges a sense of the kind of school you're coming from, how rigorous your course load is, based on what your school offers, and can also put your class rank in some kind of context. Obviously if s/he can comment on your participation in activities, sum up comments from teachers, and/or write some anecdotes of his/her own, all the better.</p>