How Important Are the Counselor's LOR? And the Parents Brag Sheet?

[Anonymous]

some schools DC is considering ask for counselor's LOR in addition to teacher LOR. so we need to fill the parent brag sheet. just wondering if it has a real purpose or just a formality to most schools. i don't think the counselor really knows or interacts much with DC who's low stats, so the eventual LOR might just be a compilation of what DC and us put on our respective brag sheets?

[Anonymous]

I always suspected that the brag sheet was a way of channeling parental anxiety: "Here, write everything down, and then don't call us, OK? We've got this."

But I filled it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always suspected that the brag sheet was a way of channeling parental anxiety: "Here, write everything down, and then don't call us, OK? We've got this."

But I filled it out.

[Anonymous]

OMG colleges ask for a parent statement? I had no idea. Is that true of many of them or just a few?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG colleges ask for a parent statement? I had no idea. Is that true of many of them or just a few?

Not the college, the high school guidance department

[Anonymous]

I thought the counselor letter was just about the school and the rigor of the kid’s schedule, but also I don’t remember filling out a brag sheet.

[Anonymous]

My kid’s counselor is useless and doesn’t know my kid at all. I wish they’d get rid of those letters. It favors rich kids at private schools.

[Anonymous]

I am not sure the Counselor has read it or uses it at all.

[Anonymous]

That's exactly why you need the brag sheet - if your counselor doesn't interact much with your kid (and with 200+ kids per counselor who would), your writing will help the counselor to write a better LOR. Plus you can put things there that the counselor wouldn't know otherwise, e.g. the kid is the oldest of five and lots of his time goes to help raise his younger siblings.

[Anonymous]

From my experience as a faculty member reading admissions files with admissions officers at an Ivy, the counselor's LOR was an important source when the student had had some bumps along the road or the record was less than stellar. The counselor was the one who could mention family issues, health or mental health issues, etc., and help contextualize the student's courses in relation to the school's norms. Those were files from public schools. Not infrequently I saw the counselor's LOR bump a student into a maybe pile when they might have been weeded out earlier based on stats.

[Anonymous]

I’m fairly sure my kid’s counselor relied heavily on our “brag sheet” to write her rec. She didn’t know my kid very well.

[Anonymous]

This is an opportunity to reinforce the rest of the app. Say the same things, using different words, as the kid's brag sheet to the teachers. If there are relevant specific anecdotes, include them.

Be aware that some counselors/teachers might lift language directly from the brag sheet.

[Anonymous]

If the college asks, it's customary to do it. And I'd say you better do it. If a high school or high school counselor says, "this is the way it's done", you could go your own way, make your own decision, accepting the risk.

I'm guessing for in-state Virginia college, the counseling staff may be signaling to Va colleges who would fit in where. Which, in our kids' case, I wouldn't agree with them.

We waited for a counselor LOR because the HS said it was how's it done. Impatient, DS decided to take his chances without. It was an out of state school no others where applying to, so no other competition for HS classmates to get in (unlike the in-state Va collages, top ones, all are trying to prove why they should get in over their classmates)

DS emphasized in the college application, leadership roles he had in HS, and what recommendations he had needed to get those roles.

[Anonymous]

Our FCPS high school counselor sheet literally had one question that said "WRITE THE FIRST PARAGRAPH" in caps just like that....the kids were supposed to do it but that was literally in last place on the long essay list for my kid, so I did the whole thing. The counselor barely knows him, but his recommendation should be stellar!! (barely any schools require it anyways so i didn't feel too bad).

[Anonymous]

It helps them see your child through your (albeit biased) eyes.

It allows them to personalize the letter (like perhaps you say the kids has had this interest since elementay school--insights they would not have).

You might also provide information about the family/homelife that could help them make sense of what is happening in school.

I appreciated the opportunity. It is probably most important when the counsellor does not know your child.