Want to ace the counselor recommendation? Check these tips from HS counselors: https://www.collegeconfidential.com/articles/acing-the-counselors-recommendation/
Good advises that should apply when approaching the teachers for LORs, too. When my son was applying to colleges, he prepared a packet that contained 1) brief cover letter describing his college and future aspirations, 2) list of colleges that he’s applying with the EA and RD deadlines, and 3) resume. He handed the packet each to two of his teachers and the GC. It helps to be well organized and prepared, one of the best things he did in college application process.
I thought the best thing was that we were required to fill out a Parent Brag Sheet and a Student Brag Sheet. My son and I both write well, and we deliberately used some memorable examples and wordings. We assumed that the guidance counselor, who barely knew him, would just lift our language right off the brag sheets and use it.
I also recommend (if you have the opportunity) to meet one-on-one with your counselor. You could talk to him/her about your career aspirations, ask about tips for certain colleges you are applying to, ask about their college experience, their children’s experiences with application process/colleges, etc. Not only will this help you gain more information about colleges/what to do on your application, but having this conversation with your counselor will also allow them to get to know you and be able to be more specific in their Rec letter for you!!! The more information they have about you the better your Rec letter will be! They will also acknowledge that you took time out of your day to meet with them and that it takes effort and courage to reach out like that: more great traits for them to include in your letter.
Additionally,
My mother best friend is a high school counselor and says that if she doesn’t have a lot of information about a student or does not think they are a good student to recommend (they still have to write rec letters), they will write a very brief and basic letter (this is not good!!!). She does this because she does not want to write anything negative about a student, and instead just gives them a weak/basic recommendation.Colleges notice the basic style of writing the letter and get the message from the high school counselor that way.
– Just thought this was interesting and stresses the importance of getting to know your counselor and providing them with information (resume, career aspirations, etc) about you!