<p>I really want an excellent letter of recommendation from my counselor, but I don't know what to talk/ ask her about. I don't want my counselor to write me a recommendation based on my grades either. In one year I will be asking my counselor for a letter or rec. How do you look good to your counselor and show him/her what kind of student you are? What should I ask her?</p>
<p>Just talk to her about colleges somewhat frequently (not every day but once every few weeks or so starting junior year). Be friendly and outgoing. You don't need to think of questions, you just need to utilize him/her.</p>
<p>What if your councilor is a ***** and might sabotage you (because you complained about her misconduct and uselessness to the superintendent?) XD</p>
<p>Generally, colleges don't care about the counselor rec as much as the teacher recs, because teachers usually know the student better than the counselors do. At my high school it was definitely the case. I only met with my counselor for a few minutes each year to make sure I was in the right courses and keeping up with graduation requirements. There was really no need for me to talk to my counselor until senior year, when he kept telling me to get organized for all the applications, which was a very wise thing to say. When I asked him for a rec, he had me write up a few pages discussing what activities I do, what my test scores were, any awards/honors--basically the common app, and he pretty much spat it back out. The letter didn't say anything new about me, but I guess it was pretty well written. That's what happens in a large public high school. And colleges keep the size of your school in perspective. If you go to a huge high school, colleges know that your counselors will be busy and that you're less likely to maintain much contact with your counselor. At small high schools, colleges might expect more personal counselors.</p>
<p>Zester: Well, that wasn't a very smart decision, was it?</p>
<p>what if your counselor who knew you extroardinarily well and totally loved you is retiring, so you'll have a practically total stranger writing it (the replacement)?</p>
<p>can they put that in their recommendation or should i put it on my app somewhere?</p>
<br>
<p>coolziller2</p>
<br>
<p>Are you a rising senior?</p>
<p>Counselor recs aren't as significant as teacher recs. You don't HAVE to be best buds with the counselor. It mainly describes the school, your circumstances, and then qualities about you she noticed,and your clubs/activities... if he/she doesn't know you, that will be bad.... Many counselors are very lazy and just put a standard and lame generic rec. Try to get to know him/her, and start voicing concerns to your counselor. Perhaps describe some of ur activities, and make sure he/she sees your biggest characteristics.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>Actually, letters of rec are more important than test scores, ECs and class rank when it comes to the selective schools.</p>
<p>I never said such a thing, but i do not agree with that. What is your source?</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>What I meant was, college don't distinguish between teacher/counselor/extra recs because they group them all into "recs." Common App was my source.</p>
<p>I'd say go talk to your counselor and discuss with her about this honestly about your different qualities/aspects etc. In the end, it's up to her...it's a bit late to start a really good relationship. </p>
<p>But I agree with Equilibrium, don't stress counselor recs too much; I know plenty that got in without seeing their counselor once except for the time they asked to write a rec letter. </p>
<p>And while letters of recommendations are important, a person with extremely stellar EC's/stats/essays won't be deterred by recommendations. Such as...RSI, IpHO, etc. Those are extreme, but that and the like.</p>
<p>is my class size of about 670 too big</p>
<p>for me to ask my counselor?</p>
<p>Counsellor recs matter when there is disciplianrian action taken
regarding the applicant. Otherwise generally they have neutral
effect.</p>
<p>If the counsellor who knows you is retiring, have them write you
a letter of recommendation and address it to the incoming counsellor
and have it formally icnluded in your file for the new one to refer to
and use.</p>
<p>When you meet with your counselor, make sure you have a resume to give them. It should list all of your activities both in and out of school. Put any awards on there. Eventually you will need to give them a list of schools you are applying to. Make sure you can explain to your counselor why you are applying to those particular schools. If you have outside issues that have impacted your school career, be prepared to discuss those as well. The more information your counselor has about you the more comprehensive letter they can write.</p>