how important are recommendations, really?

<p>okay, so a lot of schools tell you they look at your application holistically, and consider your essays and recommendations along with scores, classes, and grades.
but how big of deal are your rec's, really?
im concerned because my counselor, no offense to the poor man, is rather dense. im not sure he knows what sorts of things to emphasize in a rec, and he doesn't know me too well, as the way our school's system is so messed up made it so he was only my counselor for two years. is it going to hurt me a ton if his recommendation is generic, albeit positive?
i think my teacher rec's are pretty good, though of course i dont know for sure as they didnt show them to me.</p>

<p>in answer to your question (how important are rec?)… everything is important. Depending on your circumstances, the rec could also include information that’s not appropriate to share elsewhere. So what’s not important? Truth is, it also depends on the college. Some just care about scores and gpa, but for those who look at factors aside from numbers, everything matters.</p>