<p>I've been looking for this information for about half an hour already, and I can't find it! Also, does the university accept additional letters of rec.?</p>
<p>At least one from a teacher or a guidance counselor. As far as I know, they accept as many as you send them - that doesn’t mean it’s good to send them a lot, though.</p>
<p>We require one from a counselor and recommend 1-2 others from a teacher, coach, member of the community, etc… I would not submit more than 4-5, and I recommend choosing individuals that have worked with you recently (in other words, don’t choose a teacher from the 8th or 9th grade). If you have a specific question about an additional rec. don’t hestitate to send me a private message.</p>
<p>I never understood why a letter of recommendation was required by the guidance counselor of a school (this seems to be the norm). The reality is, these people know the least about us students and the transcript they send speaks for itself. We don’t have the same relationship with a counselor by showing up once/year to sign up for classes, as we do with teachers we converse with every day. For the most part, they don’t even know our names. One counselor told me that they end up spitting out a form letter from the the collection they have on file, with a few changes. How valuable is that or it may even be misleading? The teacher/coach letter speaks more about the student, simply because they know us. Just thought I would ask.</p>
<p>The counselor’s letter (or report) is supposed to contain more than just information about the student. The report provides a snapshot of the school (rigor of coursework, competitiveness of school, student’s class standing, in some cases details about grading scales–i.e. how many student received A’s, B’s, C’s in particular class with a particular teacher, etc. D2’s high school counselor letter contained all that and more.) </p>
<p>And often it’s the counselor who is privy to a student’s special circumstances/hardships and can speak to that topic, not the teachers. </p>
<p>While the counselor may be less able to speak to a particular student’s individual strengths and weaknesses, it’s important to have a fuller picture of where the student stands wrt his fellow students and what kind of school it is. This may offer a better understanding of how well (or poorly) the student is prepared for college level work. It will also offer a picture of how well (or poorly) the student coped with the challenges of his particular high school.</p>
<p>WayOutWestMom is correct. Usually the High School Counselor is providing an Admissions Counselor with information about the school and any special circumstances (disciplinary history, learning disabilities, etc.) that may pertain to a student’s application for admission. High School Counselors that are not familiar with the student will often explicitly state that in the letter of recommendation, and as an Admissions Counselor I am very aware that that is often the case. Most of the anecdotal information in larger schools is provided by teachers, coaches, etc. - the High School Counselor usually provides context.</p>