I had a question about recommendation letters for college admissions–if a school accepts at most three letters, would it be better to have 2 solid letters from teachers that can write excellent ones or 2 solid letters and maybe one that maybe isn’t as strong (such as my counselors–he may be able to brag about my ACT but it ends there). How do you even approach a counselor to write a letter if you don’t know them THAT well?
Most colleges require a letter from your counselor. At my school there’s a process set up where we fill out a form and list the colleges we want their recommendation sent to. Ask current seniors at your school about this. If you have 2 solid teacher recommendations, definitely include them as well.
If you have a choice, avoid lukewarm letters that cant comment on your character. A good ACT score will speak for itself. A letter from a counselor who can only comment on a number is worthless. High schools generally send a school report that include school statistics, so they know what kind of background you’re coming from. Adding a third letter of little content will dilute the significance of the stronger letters.
Thanks for the great advice! The college I’m looking to apply to has very holistic admissions and is a Jesuit school so I’d doubt they’d appreciate a counselor’s letter too much when they’ve admitted people with 2.5 GPAs but stellar ECs.
If a college requires a counselor recommendation, you just have to ask. Admissions counselors realize that those won’t be the best letters you have, they often just state the facts. I agree that if they don’t require one from a counselor, skipping it is best.