<p>First post, but have been (as the kids say) lurking for some time. What a wealth of knowledge! So here's where we need advice: GS is in 11th grade with a goal of working on CommonApp this summer. We're at a good school, but the most his GC knows of him is reviewing his proposed schedule each year, telling him it's too much, looking at his transcript, and saying "oh, it's okay for you." Good kid, good grades, most ECs outside of school. The school sends home a packet to "help" the counseling office with the recs. How do I best take advantage of this open-ended request to tell them about the kid they know next to nothing about?</p>
<p>My son's GC was new this year. Son set up appointment and went in and spoke with her, toldher about himself. She asked for names of teachers, etc who knew of him . . . she contacted them to get more information about him.</p>
<p>^^^
I've come not to expect much from our counseling office, unfortunately. We're in a public school in a district w/ huge budget cuts looming. The only effective person in the counseling office got her pink slip last week. Thanks, Arnold!
(But an afterthought... they'll probably write whatever I tell them to write. How can I best take advantage of that situation?)</p>
<p>i'm a high school student at a private high school and we just got a new GC...i e-mailed her, asked to have just an introductory interview. We met for about an hour, discussed my EC's, grades, summer plans and she just got to know me....very beneficial, well worth doing - they see the student is committed.</p>
<p>Many schools understand that the GC knows little about the student. Especially if the student in question attends a public school. Though it is nice to create a good report with the GC. Though my guidance counsellor barely knew me I gave her flowers during National Counsellor Week, would drop by to say hello every now and then, and would just try to be as helpful as possible regarding my qualms/needs.</p>
<p>My daughter high school counselor does not really know her until her senior year. She wrote a brag sheet, I had to write a brag sheet and she also interviewed my daughter. I believe she did help my daughter with her letter of recommendation.</p>
<p>Adcoms know that GCs can be hit or miss as far as familiarity with the student's attributes beyond what's on paper. That's fine. That's what the teacher recs are for. The GC is most useful for describing the context of the student's achievements, the quality and offerings of the HS. If the GC rec includes nice anecdotes, all the better -- but it's not a deal breaker whatsoever if the GC rec isn't very personal.</p>
<p>easily: get a teacher to do the report. If your son knows 3+ teachers who would give a good rec, use them. I used my principal this year (admitted to Harvard, Wharton, Dartmouth, Cornell. Waitlisted Yale, Princeton, Brown), but I emailed all the schools to see if I could use somebody other than the GC. They all replied promptly that it just has to be a "school official" -- and that even a teacher would do.</p>
<p>Same issue here as D is a jr at a public HS with nearly 2000 students. I directly asked the GC about this last fall when I called to discuss a scheduling issue. He said that he typically will meet with the students and asks that they bring in a resume of activities, etc. Fortunately he's an old LA arts teacher and loves crafting recommendations.</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation last year - my counselor honestly did not even know who I was. I scheduled several meetings with her in the beginning of my senior year to discuss my college plans and such...it worked out fine in the end (admitted to MIT and Princeton). My school doesn't have a stellar guidance dept either (each counselor is in charge of 200-300 kids)</p>
<p>I was in the same situation. </p>
<p>I had a meeting a with my counselor and basically told her everything about me. She asked some tough questions and I actually started crying. </p>
<p>It only took like 45 minutes though, and then it felt like she new me really well. Get the teachers to e-mail the counselor with comments on the student.</p>
<p>This thread makes me glad my GC only handles 100 Seniors, and always seems to know everything about me without pulling out a file. So much actually, that the moment I would mention a college I was considering in a meeting, she would offer her opinion on my chances and if my personality would fit. So far, she's been correct 85% of the time, which is very impressive for a GC.</p>
<p>It's sad that at many public schools in the area parents just end up paying for an outside counselor or service, though not usually as elite as CC. It shouldn't have to happen.</p>
<p>It sounds like your guidance department handles GC recs the same way as our school does. The GC meets with the HS juniors and their parents for about 20 minutes in May. The following September, the seniors are given a packet to assist the GC in writing a recommendation. </p>
<p>The student writes up an activity resume that includes EC's, work experience and community service and also writes a letter to guidance saying some things about themselves that they would like the GC to know. </p>
<p>The parents have the option of also writing a letter to the GC describing their child. When I went to college night the counselors explained that the parents should include information about their child that goes beyond academics and EC's, and suggested that personal anecdotes provide them with more insight into who the child is. </p>
<p>When I first sat down to write the letter I felt like I had nothing to say. I felt like he was a typical high-school kid and what could I possibly share. However, over time ideas began to come to me. I talked about the time my younger son (4 at the time) was lost at an amusement park for over 8 hours and how it impacted my older son. I also told him how my husband had lost his job when my son was 13. My husband worked as a golf caddy while unemployed and my son asked if he could join him and then tried to offer us the money he had earned, and when we didn't accept it he would buy "extras" for his younger brother. My son has worked continually since that time even though my husband eventually returned to work. I was able to tell the GC that my son had participated in a particular charity run for the past 7 years, and last year he insisted on doing it even though he had strepp. He was not one of the first to cross the finish line that year, instead, he walked and was one of the last to finish along with the women with baby carriages. The letter took me about two weeks to write, and it was truly a reflection of who my son was. I recently was able to see a letter that the GC had written for a scholarship application for my son, and some of the things I mentioned were in his recommendation.</p>
<p>At my HS, we have 3 guidance counselors for 1200 students.
I never really talked to my GC my first two years of high school. By junior year, I realized it was probably beneficial to stop by every once in a while, say hello, talk to her about my classes, etc. Still, this only helped her recognize my face as one of "her kids."</p>
<p>I asked her if I could be her assistant for a period for first semester of my senior year and she agreed to let me. BEST DECISION. I was in close proximity to her for almost an hour every day, during my application process. It was so helpful! We also got to know each other very well, and sometimes I would have extra time to start my work.</p>
<p>However, if something like that isn't plausible, I would give the GC a packet of information. Include answers to questions like:
"Do you feel your transcript is an accurate reflection of your abilities as a student? Why?"
"What would you like admissions offices to know about you?"
"How would you describe yourself?"
"What motivates you?"
etc</p>
<p>Basically, make their job easy. Make it so they can look down on his packet and write something accurate about his character, and the context of his high school experience. Visits with the GC to get to know each other are probably a good idea, too.</p>