I’m meeting with my guidance counselor, who is going to write all of my principal/counselor recommendations. I’ve never even seen her before, and I’m pretty sure no one has ever applied to a boarding school from my school. (I don’t live in the US and it’s not a very popular choice.) I was wondering what to tell her when I meet her. Should I tell her explicitly that I’m going to be applying and tell her what I need to do to get a good letter? Should I try to get to know her first and talk about something else that’s unrelated? Also, when should I send the request for a letter of recommendation? Should it be before I meet her, so I can mention it, or after?
Last year my kiddo had just transferred to a cyber charter school when she decided to apply to boarding school. She never met her counselor in person. I wrote to the counselor explaining that my daughter would be reaching out to her for a letter and sent her my kiddo’s resume. Kiddo emailed with her a few times. Same thing with the teacher recs (only I didn’t get involved). They must have written good recommendations because she got in. The point is, you don’t need to know them personally, just be sure to explain what you need and when, and give them written information about you so they can write a good letter.