<p>Is it possible that the counselor’s recommendation form invites the counselor to make it explicit, if a student faced particular challenges? Maybe that’s a source of information for UCLA.</p>
<p>There was a story here fiveor more years back, about some kid who had overcome an extraordinary set of challenges in his life. He submitted a pretty straightforward application to U-M and didn’t get admitted. His local paper had a field day with that one, how this local boy hero who had done so much got slammed by the flagship public. </p>
<p>Well, the admissions office pulled his file to review it and figure out how they missed admitting this kid, and it turned out that his admissions counselor had not said ONE WORD about this kid’s life or why they might want to place his fine-but-not-stellar application in context. Neither had his teachers. Which was frustrating. When the teachers & counselors bring that thing up, it adds credibility to whatever the student may tell you on his or her app.</p>
<p>Now the counselor’s rec asks this explicitly. Teachers are also invited to share such information.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what UCLA’s procedure is, of course.</p>