I’m applying to Harvard EA, but I just found out that if I switched high schools, I need my counselor from both schools to send a counselor report. My problem is, my counselor for the school I went to for 9th and 10th grade has retired! The November 1 deadline is approaching fast. Could you guys help me? What should I do?
I would contact the current counselor at the school and ask if the previous GC is still doing recommendations. Explain that you left and that that counselor is the only one who knows you.
Alternatively, I would ask Harvard what they would suggest. Just call admissions.
You can do both of these things, and you can call Harvard before calling the school if you prefer.
The counselor report will also include stats about the school that any counselor could provide. So call a current counselor and ask them to send a report.
I hope you’re approaching this with the best understanding. What H says is, “If you have attended more than one high school in the past two years, we request that your previous guidance counselor(s) or school official(s) submit a statement on your behalf about your time at that school.” My bold.
Thanks for your helpful responses!
I have another question though. What type of “statement” about my time at my old school does Harvard want? It’s not exactly a recommendation, is it?
What they probably want is (1) background information about the school and its curriculum, so that they can interpret your grades and test scores relative to other students there, (2) a characterization of the courses you took as the most challenging available curriculum or not, and (3) to know about any disciplinary issues. Anyone with access to your records there could provide that; they don’t need to know you.