School counselors are some of the nicest people I’ve met, even when they’re busy juggling a caseload of hundreds of students.
Building rapport with your school counselor is important when it comes to college admissions. Your counselor will be writing your counselor letter of recommendation, which can have a big impact on how admissions officers read your file, so it’s a big plus when they actually know who you are.
In this post, we’ll go over what school counselors do and why, what to do when they don’t know you, and what questions you can ask them to kick off a meeting with them.
What Do School Counselors Do?
School counselors are a really important part of your high school’s staff. They wear a lot of hats: helping you schedule classes, monitoring your progression toward graduation, guiding you through the college application process, and a whole lot more.
Some schools only have guidance counselors who do everything, while others have designated college counselors. There are even some schools that partner with Community-Based Organizations like College Possible to help with college preparation.
Whatever your school’s setup is, your counselor is familiar with the college search and application process, financial aid and scholarships, and the academic pathways that will help you the most.
Your counselor will also be writing your counselor letter of recommendation, which gives admissions officers important context about where your achievements fall in relation to your school and your peers.
One important thing to be aware of is which counselor will be writing your letter of recommendation. If your school has multiple counselors, figure out which one you’re assigned to (usually you’re assigned to a counselor based on your last name). If your school has guidance counselors and a college counselor, clarify which one will be writing your recommendations.
“Help—My Counselor Doesn’t Know Me!”
As an admissions officer, I always heard students say, "But my counselor doesn't even know my name!"
Admissions officers know that it’s not always possible for counselors to get to know every single student, especially at larger schools where each counselor has a caseload of hundreds of students. Because it can be an issue of equity, admissions officers tend to be relatively forgiving when counselors submit generic letters of recommendation.
But at the same time, getting to know your counselor in spite of the odds can really help your application. You’ll benefit from their admissions knowledge, and the admissions officers reading your application will be even more impressed by the fact that your counselor knows you so well, even with thousands of other students at your school. It may even boost your admissions chances.
Starting a conversation can feel tough, especially if it's your first meeting. To break the ice, come prepared with a few questions about the college search and admissions process. Your counselor will appreciate your initiative, and it'll pave the way for more in-depth discussions.
