As you all know most college applications ask for recommendation letters, one including your guidance counselor. Problem is mine retired and I cannot contact her. What should one do in this situation? I’m honestly completely stumped.
Someone in the department likely has their contact information–retirement doesn’t mean dropped off the face of the earth. Try emailing the department head or new GC and explaining the situation.
Do you not have a new one? In my very limited experience, our HS counselors take input from current and previous year teachers and compile it into a summary, sending it along with the school profile. Iirc, I think there’s a standard form for it on the Common App.
My D22 has a new GC and I’m not concerned. Her new one almost certainly knows as little about her as the previous one.
Perhaps ask your new counselor how the counselor recommendation will be handled. A retiring counselor probably had hundreds of students now in the same situation.
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I should’ve mentioned that I’m a gap year student so I don’t have a new guidance counselor since I graduated.
Ah. Yes, that’s a problem. Other than continue to hunt her down, there don’t seem to be many options.
Though I would still ask your former school what they can do. At a minimum, maybe they can just send the same document as last year, unless you completely skipped the application cycle.
I never did applications at all so I don’t have an old letter I can use, unfortunately.
Just contact your school. I’m sure they have all your records. In really big high schools it’s not like you have an up close and personal relationship with the guidance counselor. I’m sure your old school, no matter the size, can write a letter for you based on your records.
Contact the head of guidance in your old HS and decide how to proceed. Seems to me the choices are to 1) have your retired GC write the LOR if he/she can be found and is willing to do so OR 2) have a current GC write a letter even if just to explain the situation.