Yes, I said “interesting” because we haven’t run into a single college that requested an LOR from the GC among 16 colleges that my son applied to.
That’s gotta be “hell” of a job to have. I don’t know how any GC can last more than year in that job with that many LOR’s! In fact, if I were an applicant, I’d be very worried about the quality of the LOR…
@TiggerDad It is a big job, but there are 8 GCs and they do get input from home room adviser and parents. Some AOs describe this school’s GC recs as best demonstrated practice and find them incredibly helpful. I have zero concerns regarding the quality of the final product. The GCs are very tenured as well, most have been there 20+ years
A number of schools my daughter applied to require a GC LOR. Her HS had designated college counselors who really knew the kids, met with them individually, and had 12+ page “report” completed by each student. He met with parents too, told us what stood out to him about our child, and what he would center his LOR around.
Trust me, however shaky your GC’s English is, the International Admissions office will have seen worse. Don’t worry at all about the GC’s English language skills.
You also can find out if your GC would feel better this first time around composing any letters in his/her first language, and then allowing a trusted colleague (such as the other GC) to translate the letters into English.
That does not mean that the GC did not write a letter. In most cases, GCs do write letters for students as part of the SSR.
Yes, they can check the box stating that they are not providing a written evaluation.
They can also request a telephone conversation to talk about the student.
As a person who has written many letters, I checked the box stating that I was not writing a letter was when I knew that writing a recommendation would be challenging or I would be submitting it with reservation.
I’m aware of that. What I was referring to in my previous post was that I haven’t come across any such mention of it in the college website (16 colleges) that prompted us to bring it to the GC’s attention. Yes, a school itself could have made such demand on my kids’ GC for an LOR, but we’re not aware of it.
Colleges know that sometimes students end up with brand new guidance counselors. They also know that counselors at international schools may not be particularly familiar with the application process of US schools. I would speak to the head of guidance, or the head of your school about your concerns, but not worry too much. International students for the most part compete against other international students. Your application is not going to be dinged because of this person’s recommendation. Yes, if the previous person knew you well, they might have written something that made you shine, but most kids don’t have that opportunity. Follow up and make sure your transcript is sent, along with a profile of your school (and a translation if it’s not in English) - that’s the most important part of this person’s report. Pick 1 or 2 teachers who know you well to send recommendations. You’re an international student, so they will care more about YOUR ability to communicate in English.
I would not write a letter for the counselor to use, but would instead see if another counselor can write something, or the head of school. If you write it, and the voice is different from everything else the counselor sends, that will be a red flag.
I didn’t mean to suggest the student write their own recommendation, but to get an idea of what a counselor recommendation looks like and then show the counselor. It sounds like a learning curve. But, after reading other posts, it sounds as if the guidance answers check box type questions, like, did this student take most rigorous curriculum and stuff like that.
Best of luck with your applications! It’s a stressful time! Things will all work out for you.
Those “new” guidance counselors are still qualified… far more than most 17 year olds. He or she has applied to, been accepted to, and actually attended college, and has taken the necessary coursework. The he or she very likely beat out a host of other applicants for the job.
So I would be a whole lot more hesitant to condemn this person who has a world of experience you’re still hoping for.
In my school the College Placement Guidance counselor writes a letter for each one of his/her kids. Figure ballpark 120 or so.
Are you in the USA? If yes, then talk to the head of the guidance department.
If not, then check out educationusa.state.gov
Per the original post and her other threads, OP attends school in Korea.
@bjkmom I don’t think you can assume that given that the OP is international— at least their GC probably didn’t apply to US colleges. That said, colleges understand about new and foreign GCs. Keep an eye on your portals after applying; you can see what is missing that way.