Guidance counselor left-help!

N_s_Mom
Thu, 20 Aug 2015 06:12:55 +0000

The purpose of the GC letter is usually different from the purpose of a letter of rec from the student’s teachers. GCS often do not know the kids they are writing for and don’t need to. The letters focus on the school’s profile and how your S or D’s transcript compares relative to 1) the rigor of the coursework available at the school and 2) the rigor compared to other students at the school. It will give a class rank, mention any disciplinary issues, and similar. At some schools, the guidance staff ask for the student to submit a statement about their goals and objectives, greatest challenge overcome, etc…but others don’t. If there is important personal information that needs to be conveyed - a health issue, recent divorce, or other extenuating circumstances that might impact admission - your son should set up an appointment to talk to the GC about it. As for the former GC, if she was close to your S and he wants a letter of rec from her because she can say things about him that no one else knows, then it’s fine to ask for an additional letter of rec from her. But he’ll still need probably 2 teacher recs in academic subjects and the school’s gc rec with the context data.