I have a new college counselor this year and it’s also her first year ever being a college counselor, so she’s still pretty new to everything. I’ve met with her a few times over the past couple weeks since school has started to discuss with her where I am in the process, where I’m applying to, etc.
Well, she emailed me today to let me know that she’d submitted my counselor recommendation letter to all my schools on Naviance (that’s what my school uses for recommendation letters)… The thing is, I hadn’t really talked to her about my letter before. And she doesn’t know me that well since she just became my counselor a month ago. There were a few things I wanted her to include in my letter (like a situation I have at home that impacts me).
I talked to her after I saw the email and she said she would take care of it and add the things I told her about to the letter… but is it possible for her to do that if she’s already submitted it? I’m really nervous about this because I don’t really know what she could’ve written in the letter before I talked to her. Thank you
@marvin100 I’ve read online a lot that if you have a situation at home that could influence your grades and things like that, then the best place for that to go is in your counselor letter. That’s all I meant by things I wanted her to include, I didn’t mean a full-blown list of activities or anything!
If she can’t amend the original, she can send an addl note which will get attached to your file. This is much like kids who have some accomplishment after the original package is submitted and want to have it noted.
Lots of schools have students fill out forms asking very specific questions that teachers and counselors use to complete their LORs, so it is completely in line to share info with your counselor that you think may be worth mentioning. Congrats to your counselor for being so on it - she may have been overly efficient because she is new. If she said she can adjust or amend, I am sure she will, counselors are typically kind hearted people there to help, or they wouldn’t be in that job. (At least most of them.) So share what you think you should and she can determine if it adds value to include it. Sometimes, they have to sort through something a student may think would be positive to include when in reality it could come off more as an excuse. Not saying in your case, just in general.
But if she is truly new, kudos to you for staying on top of things. Also, may want to see if your teachers need any additional info if they haven’t asked for any. Often times they ask about the project you were most proud of and what you got out of it, etc.
Our HS has parents fill out a “brag sheet”…that gives the GC info about the child that they can use. This can include extraordinary circumstances as well.