<p>I am concerned as to how my guidance counselor will write my recommendation. As far as I know she has to comment on character traits, motivation, etc. However, my guidance counselor barely knows me! I went to her office this past spring (junior year) and she didn't know my name. I'm not criticizing her since she has to deal with hundreds of kids, but I'm just curious as to how she would write an accurate rec.</p>
<p>What the guidance counselor can write in his/her recommendation is explain what courses your school offers and if you are taking a rigorous courseload or not. Teacher recommendations are considered more than your GC's, so don't worry.</p>
<p>yeh your guidance counselor will talk about how you have taken advantage of the opportunities availble to you and how you have performed in respect to others in your school. That can be done by looking at a transcript. Colleges are aware that with many large schools, GC relationships are not always personal. Not knowing your guidance counselor well will not be a great thing, but it will not hinder your chances.</p>
<p>The negative side of a large school : /</p>
<p>Agree w the people here, focus on Teacher recs!</p>
<p>In my case the guidance counseler I've known personally for many years just retired, and some new person (i don't know who yet) is replacing her and going to write my rec...ugh.</p>
<p>This might come off as a bit cynical, but I think this is one of the ways schools can give preference to wealthier kids without being blatant about it. </p>
<p>In the real world we know what the OP says is true; in CA public schools there are often 750 or more kids per counselor, and they have their hands full just trying to take care of the discipline problems and keep ones about to drop out in school. A kid who does well is a blessing and is ignored. By contrast parents who can afford to send their kids to private schools (or live in multi-million dollar suburbs which is pretty much the same thing, since the public there are pretty good) expect real counseling for their kids, and get it. Those kids don't have to fight for time to see their counselor, it's built in; you'll meet with one regularly as part of the system. Nor are the counselor loads as high as in most publics so they have more time to know you.</p>
<p>Come app time the letters of rec from counselors are a pretty good proxy for figuring out what type of school the kid went to. One is impersonal and reflects the counselor doesn't know the kid from Adam, the other detailed and personal. So you want more of the former type of kids, ask for a counselor letter and factor it into admission decisions.</p>
<p>If you think this doesn't come into play, read this
[quote]
*Q: I attend a large public school where my counselor doesn't know me well. Will I be at a disadvantage because this person couldn't possibly write anything insightful about me? *</p>
<p>Gary Ripple, now director of admissions at Pennsylvania's Lafayette College, was asked this question when he was admissions dean at Virginia's College of William and Mary. He said to the student questioner: "I wonder why your counselor doesn't know you. Your counselor probably has over 300 students he or she is responsible for. You should take the initiative to get to know your counselor. At William and Mary, we look for students who take charge of their lives." The student sank slowly into his seat, Ripple recalls.
What</a> School Is Right for You? - US News and World Report
[/quote]
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<p>NY_Democrat--i'm in the same position :'( but my old gc said i can contact her if i need a lor, so u can prolly do the same :/</p>
<p>Guidance recs are less important than teachers recs but still important. Alot of the information is just a repeat of your activities list, but it could help alot if she explains your presidency of a club. Also, it discusses alot about your personality, since the counselor will visit the administration (your teachers) to get some other info. It's really what you make of it. IMO, a guidance rec can be very helpful, but it'll almost never be a negative rec.</p>