Is it taken into account that a student can’t decide whether or not his/her GC writes one? Mine doesn’t particularly like me, but I have great LoRs from 3 other teachers.
It is not optional…
@intparent That is precisely what I said.
Generally, they are very important.
- GCs are the formal link between university admissions/regional AOs and potential/actual applicants.
- GCs are presumptively more savvy re admissions policies, procedures, and issues.
- GCs are more-authoritative and are THE responsible secondary school official.
- For many universities, the GC recommendation is mandatory.
Assuming that is true, I will further assume that the GC is professional enough to leave his personal feelings aside.
@TopTier Most of what you said isn’t particularly true in my case. I live in an obscure part of Europe and my GC really is not savvy when it comes to admissions, in fact, she’s always asking me what to do.
My D’s GC is responsible for hundreds of kids, and this is her first year. There is no way that her recommendation was going to be much more than perfunctory. There’s really not anything you can do about it.
Last I checked, your country is not obscure. The instruction on the CA are self-explanatory, so give your GC some credit.
@Esat936 (re #5): That may be true, but you cannot expect universities, which necessarily deal with thousands of foreign and domestic secondary schools, to understand such nuances. Therefore, admissions offices will (in general) continue to believe that GC recommendations are quite significant (for the reasons delineated in #3).
But Top Tier, admissions offices are QUITE aware that the students at a small, private high school, especially one that routinely sends kids to elite schools, are going to have the benefit of a GC who knows them intimately - and they also know that the students at Average Public High have GC’s who have hundreds of kids on their courseload, are also playing the role of social worker, and are writing their recommendations based off a form letter and wouldn’t know that Johnny likes history and Susie likes chemistry because they wouldn’t know Johnny or Susie if they tripped over them.
Adcoms KNOW this - they aren’t stupid. If you think outside the box of affluent suburbia, who do you think the “guidance counselor” is in a rural high school in Montana – someone who is plugged in, or some administrator who gets the title “GC” hung onto his shingle because someone needs to have that title?
It can be very important or not an issue. If the GC writes some damaging things, it can be an issue at some school and even squelch admissions chances. A glowing one with the right key words from a known school to college who knows that school can be a huge plus A blase, form letter kind will likely not detract or help as student if that is the usual fare from that school or counselor (could even help some kids–it’s not like all info will help a student).
I agree with Pizzagirl.
@cptofthehouse and @Pizzagirl: With lots of respect for you both, I wonder if you read the entire thread before you posted #9 and #10? I agree with your points IN GENERAL; however, in post #5 the OP said, “I live in an obscure part of Europe and and my GC really is not savvy when it comes to admissions.” That’s the precise context that applied to my post (#8). I am VERY well aware that regional AOs know a good deal about “their” secondary schools (especially AOs from most-selective institutions). But does the foregoing quote from the OP sound to you like Yale’s European AO (a university in which the OP has expressed specific interest) would likly be aware of the nuances his colleagues for suburban Denver or Boston high schools might be? I don’t believe so . . . and that’s exactly why I commented as I did in post #8.
I came to the US from Europe, was accepted to a number of top universities, and know a number of folks who have done the same. I think that the AOs are aware of the issues at hand when dealing with internationals and admissions. That a given AO wiil get it every time, or for a specific case? Ummm, not necessarily, but that also happens in the US. IT’s not a completely fair process. But the AOs are most accustomed to dealing with these situations that occur each year. Every year kids from obscure school, both internationally and in the US with GCs unfamiliar with the process apply to any number of colleges, including Yale and other selective schools. Every single app is not going to necessarily be fairly treated; there will be mistakes, but I can tell you that this is not an unusual situation. I know it was the scene when I applied from a school that rarely sent kids to selective colleges in the US and that was over 40 years ago.
@TopTier Despite claims to the contrary, OP does not go to school in “an obscure part of Europe.” While I said earlier that OP should give GC some credit, credit also needs to be given to AO’s who can discern the difference between a well-crafted GC rec and a boilerplate one, as well as the reasons behind it. All things considered, the GC rec is the among the last things that OP should be focused on.
@skieurope
Y What are you talking about? How would you know? I haven’t specifically said where I live. It’s in an obscure part of the country, I never said the country itself was obscure. It’s an area that very few few applicants come from, so an Admissions Officer will not know my school or the region.
I’m not obsessing over anything, I was simply curious. For all I know, my GC could have written a splendid recommendation, but I have no access to such information, so you’re right, there is no point in worrying. But I wasn’t worried in the first place, only curious because I did not know that my GC would have to write one. Enough with the presumptions.
@Esat936 you mention in another thread (http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1668779-i-may-not-have-my-freshman-year-grades-available.html#latest) you posted that you went to high school in Spain, which is not an obscure part of Europe. Whether or not your area is obscure i don’t know, but im sure its not as obscure as you think it is.
@guineagirl96 That is somewhat creepy. And yes, I do, it’s not as if everyone is in Madrid or Barcelona. No admissions officer would know my region or my school, that I can guarantee. Stop telling me where I live.