<p>Recently, I just got done with college applications and am now on my way to apply for scholarships. Because most of the students here are in-state apply-ers with less complicated application processes, my counselor already did me a huge favor filling out three or four different forms and writing me a letter of rec. for my out-of-state applications.</p>
<p>With scholarships, the same counselor form (reporting GPA, class ranks) are also require. I’ll apply to many scholarships, each with their own different forms, and I feel bad for asking my counselor to repeatedly fill out different forms with the same infos. so many time. What’s worse is that my counselor is not someone I have known over the years because I’ve had to move during high school, and we had only known each other from the beginning the year. I also know that he has a billion of kids more to tend to.</p>
<p>So, in your opinion, am I asking too much of him? Should I just stay away from scholarships that require counselor forms? Does the counselor actually mind doing this?</p>
<p>Counselors who are worthy of their jobs and who are paid by the taxpayers (you!) would be more than happy to help. It is their job!</p>
<p>It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be considerate. Meaning, give him/her plenty of lead time whenever possible, provide all necessary information, and make the process smooth. Perhaps sit down with him and tell him that you are planning to apply for 12 - 20 (or whatever the number is) of scholarships, of which many will require counselor forms. That way he has an idea of what you are up to and can plan accordingly.</p>
<p>It is probably unreasonable to expect him to deal with 100 scholarship applications – but a dozen or even two dozen seems within a reasonable if aggressive amount of scholarships. If you do intend to do even more than those dozen or so – then you really do need to tell him your overall goal and why you need so much money for school. Perhaps he can help you narrow down your scholarship search for ones that you are most likely to get some money from. Scholarships are really hit or miss, and can be a lot of work for very little pay off. You should check to find out if your colleges decrease your aid when getting outside scholarships – if so, then the scholarships are a wash (the institutional aid goes down a dollar for every dollar of scholarship earned.)</p>
<p>You may be able to make the process easier by suggesting that your counselor complete one form containing all the conceivable information about you. He can then attach a copy of it to each individual form, which he can then just sign and mark “See attachment”. I think this would be acceptable to any organization. Alternatively, you can complete the forms yourself and just have him sign them. This is no big deal, really. It would be burdensome if he had to write separate recommendation letters specific to the nature of each scholarship (e.g., “What horticultural activities make Susie a perfect candidate for the Snerd County Gladiola Society Award?” ), but that’s not the case here.</p>
<p>As for your college applications, your counselor did not do you any “huge favor” by filling out paperwork and writing one letter. It’s his job, for heaven’s sake. I hope he didn’t act as if it were some huge ordeal.</p>
<p>Even though it’s your counselor’s job, I would definitely write a heartfelt thank you note to him once the process is complete. It’s just the right thing to do.</p>
<p>I agree with the above posters. The only thing I would add is that guidance counselors often know ahead of time that students may be asking for lots of the same information over and over again (as do teachers who are frequently asked to do letters of rec). Therefore, the smart, experienced ones save everything they do for a student so they can basically just “copy and paste.”</p>
<p>My son is in the same boat, btw. As were my other kids before him.</p>
<p>May I suggest a sweet, handwritten thank-you note and a SMALL gift at the end of the whole process?</p>