<p>We dont have a Counselor in our school! I live in UAE, and i was wondering how will i submit all the Counselor recs and forms when i dont have a counselor? Should i contact each college and tell them? Or tell one of my teachers to become my counselor? I"M REALLY CONFUSED AND FREAKING OUT!! =(</p>
<p>What do i do?</p>
<p>Your school report / counselor recommendation should be completed by someone who has access to your school records or permanent file. Ideally it would be someone from the administration (e.g. the vice principal) but you can pick any teacher if the teachers have those privileges. The idea behind this is that the person completing the school report should know things about you that you might be tempted to hide on your college applications, e.g. any disciplinary actions you have faced. This person should also know enough about your school so that he/she can evaluate you in the context of your class.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the person completing the school report does not need to know you very well. That's what the teacher recommendations are for.</p>
<p>I agree with that too, and from the Princeton website, Princeton</a> University | Tips for International Students :</p>
<p>"If your school does not have an adviser for students applying to university, please ask a school official, such as a principal, vice-principal or dean, to complete your International Secondary School Report. </p>
<p>If the person you ask to complete a teacher reference form or International Secondary School Report is not comfortable writing in English, they may complete the forms in another language. However, you will need to have the forms officially translated before they are submitted to the Admission Office."</p>
<p>Hope that helps, good luck!</p>
<p>I also have the same question and this is the answer from depauw uni</p>
<p>The Secondary School Report and/or Midyear Report is normally filled out by the counselor; however, if you do not have one then someone in an administrative position (principal, assistant principal, advisor, etc.) would suffice.</p>
<p>I live in Saudi Arabia, and had my principal fill my stuff out. Had to literally beg her, and she did it only grudgingly. I can't wait to ask her about the Mid-Year/Final-Year Reports. <em>rolls eyes</em> </p>
<p>According to her, my education is my responsibility and I should fill out the forms myself. <em>facepalm</em></p>
<p>Okay, rant over. @OP, you should definitely ask your principal. :)</p>
<p>Principal :) thats what i did..</p>
<p>
[quote]
According to her, my education is my responsibility and I should fill out the forms myself. <em>facepalm</em>
[/quote]
That's how my "counselor" reacted. He asked me to write everything short of the recommendation myself so that he only needed to compose two paragraphs about me and then sign everything. Frankly, I didn't mind at all :D</p>
<p>o_O </p>
<p>Our counselors think alike, I swear. Your college didn't find it odd that your writing was on the forms?</p>
<p>It would have been okay if my teachers hadn't told me to write their letter of recommendations too - which I flatout refused to do. I was hoping NOT to have that load on my shoulders.</p>
<p>It could have been a secretary's handwriting for all they know. How handy that online applications don't reveal your handwriting =)</p>
<p>I guess my teachers were a little bit more polite than yours. Mine only asked for suggestions, which I gave them. (I wonder if they just turned my bullet-point list into prose or if they actually wrote their own letters...)</p>
<p>But I can't hold it against them. Here people don't usually write letters of recommendations, neither for college nor job applications. My teachers were very forthcoming, but they didn't even know where or how to start!</p>
<p>Lol....thanks guys for ur help!! my principal agreed to fill the forms herself XD I LOVE U ALL!! i was so tense about this.....!!!</p>
<p>MimbleWimble, ur principal sounds very ruude.....hope u had mine...lol</p>
Hi, I’m from Croatia and I have the same problem. Can anyone help? The secondary school report is just a form my principal has to fill out, right? Can it be sent online? And what does my principal have to do so that I can write her as my councelor for Common Application?
Your school administration should be able to help you out on this and I believe they can.
Your principal needs to present your school. That’s the “school profile”. is your school considered good in your town? in your country? What percentage students get a grade of …? a grade of …? a grade of …? When they get a grade of 6 at your school, do they get a 6 for national exams, or do they get a better grade at national exams because your school has stricter grading? What percentage students are lower income? What percentage students are ethnic/cultural/religious minority? Can students choose their courses or is the curriculum “fixed” and decided (if so, by whom? if there are different “tracks”, how are students selected for the track you’re in?)
Thank you for your reply. So if I understood it right, my principal has to open her own Common Application account and fill in all the data about my school and then she can send my grades, etc. to colleges?
You have to invite her (enter her email in the box for the request on the commonapp, then commonapp will send an invitation and she can start on her school profile.)
Also, you must “waive ferpa rights”.
Sorry if I’m bothering you with questions, I have no one to ask. 
Ok, and just two more questions. After that she can send my recommendation letters, can they be scanned and sent? I also have a paper to prove i got an award from a competition. Can I also scann it and somehow upload it to Common App?
She should write a paragraph about you, give specific examples in ways you stand out, and make it into a .pdf. She will receive an email from commonapp. She’ll click on a link, create her school profile, and she’ll click on grids that are inside the application. She’ll upload the .pdf via a specific link at the end of the application. Then she’ll have to click if she recommends you enthusiastically or not.
If you have a proof you won an award, you don’t need to upload it. Just list it on commonapp, be very clear about what it is, and keep the proof in case they ask for it.
MYOS, you rock. International students on this forum are lucky to have your help.
@katliamom: thank you! I do hope I can help them. It can be very confusing to apply to a US college without support. I’m sure they also appreciate all the help you bring. We’re a good team 