<p>So… my counselor let me see her recommendation and this is what she wrote in the second to last paragraph…</p>
<p>“Please also note that ____'s mother is a high school graduate and her father attended only community college. Her family is middle income and she will need to apply for scholarships to attend your university. She is currently working to pay for plane tickets to conferences she attends.”</p>
<p>Will this reflect badly? I know that colleges admissions are supposed to be need-blind, but I also understand that admissions is a business and colleges like students that will be able to pay the full tuition price (and not rely on scholarships, etc.)</p>
<p>My teacher said it seems like my counselor is setting me up to show that my family is not that well-off and that I’m taking initiative to pursue my own education.</p>
<p>What do you think? Will that paragraph hurt me or not?</p>
<p>If you’re applying to a need blind admissions school than theoretically, it will have no impact. However, your parent’s financial situation is none of the guidance counsellor’s business and you should ask him or her to remove that statement.</p>
<p>An adult reading that paragraph is most likely to conclude that you are a deserving student who is rising above economic disadvantage. I think that the paragraph helps you tremendously for a need-blind school: It presents you as mature and industrious. (Think: “worker,” rather than “whiner.”)</p>
<p>I think it doesn’t matter either way, but on principle it seems a bit too much information coming from a teacher rec. Your teacher could do a better job showing that you are hardworking (when it comes to money) by elaborating about how you pay for your own stuff, not that you <em>WILL</em> need scholarship money. At the very least your teacher could soften it by using qualifiers like “probably,” or “possibly,” or not use such definitive terms as “middle income.” Something like, “Although this student does not come from the most financially secure/wealthy background, she insists on furthering her education by going to these conferences and pays for them by …” so on.</p>
<p>I actually think that it might help you a little bit. Colleges need students with all economic backgrounds, not just kids who are wealthy and whose parents will pay for everything. But, thats just a thought</p>
<p>The counselor’s remarks may not have been the most carefully worded, but they wind up casting you in a really positive light, particularly the part about you working to pay for air fare.</p>
<p>If the school is need-blind (VERY few are), the information about your parent’s income won’t matter; if they’re not . . . they’ll have much more detailed information on your parent’s financial status anyway from the FA forms, so either way, it’s a wash. Relax about the rec. and good luck!</p>
<p>I think it should help. colleges like first-generation students, and showing that you are working to further your education should help too.
I only wonder why your counselor knows that much about your family’s financial situation…</p>
<p>No, it won’t hurt if they are truly need blind. It shows that your counselor actually cares, more than I can say about many. It might actually help you get money.</p>
<p>You didn’t mention whether whateve the counselor wrote was true. Will you be able to attend college without the financial aid? If yes, then you can politely request the counselor to take out the paragraph. Otherwise leave it there.<br>
BTW, the counselor can write whatever she feels is appropriate. You really can’t demand how the wording should be. In fact, she shouldn’t have shown the rec to you as she it was supposed to be confidential.</p>
<p>That’s not true–waiving your right to see it means that you can’t demand that the school show you what the recs say. After you waive the right, the writer can still, at his or her discretion, choose to show it to you.</p>
<p>Agree with everyone that the wording makes you look industrious- colleges love to find students who can face reality and roll up their sleeves. It signals more than you can imagine about how you will approach the rigors of academic life.</p>
<p>Yes, there are many truly needs-blind colleges- a huge burden to them, by the way. They label themselves as such and have a pact (I don’t remem enough details to name it, but it involves many of the ivies.)
Lastly, the poor way the recc was written reflects terribly on the education of the writer.</p>
<p>Wow, working to pay for plane tickets to attend conferences? I’m impressed, and I think that others will be too. Not only does it show that you’re hard-working and industrious, but that you’re highly motivated.</p>
<p>I agree. I would see you as a very motivated student. As far as the scholarships go, if it’s true they will find out eventually anyway. I agree with a previous poster that if you don’t need a scholarship you could ask GC to amend that paragraph.</p>