mirabillis Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Oh my! We are 3 weeks away from early decision applications due.... and still up to our eyeballs in everything! Not a single door has been shut. I think I'm starting to panic... Re; Counselor letter How long was yours? Mine is about 1-1/2 pages, and many homeschool ones I see are just that. But all the sample non-homeschool counselor letters I see are 1 page long. (see here: https://blog.prepscholar.com/3-excellent-letter-of-recommendation-examples) Will adcoms not appreciate a longer letter? Also I had a non-homeschool person look over the letter and was struck by how personal it was, rather like a family member talking familiarly about the student. Should I try to make it more in line with the objectivity of what those non-homeschool letter samples above look like? Or are adcoms expecting this from the parent/counselor? Please weigh in - tell me how yours was patterned, how long it was, etc. Help! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 I really tried to make mine one page but could not do it. I think as long as it isn't a tightly packed front & back that you are fine. It should be personal! Counselors know you are The Mom. Be the mom, but do so in a way that gives insight the rest of the package & letters won't. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Mine was also about a page and a half. I suspect mine was less personal than many homeschool counselor letters, but I think approaching it how you are most comfortable is fine! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 Mine are about 1 1/2 pages, too. And personal. I had other homeschoolers tell me mine are too personal. I thought about changing my approach, but haven't. They know I am mom. Seriously, how much more personal can a relationship get between teacher and student? My college jr's was incredibly personal and her outcomes were stellar. So, it obviously didn't hurt her apps. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted October 7, 2019 Author Share Posted October 7, 2019 Thanks for the vote of confidence. 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 No advice, but BIG HUGS, mirabillis. I don't know about you, but I am finding this to be an incredibly stressful experience. I am 50 years old, but sometimes I feel like I'm acting like an insecure 12-year-old. ((mirabillis)) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 We stuck to one page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 If you PM me I will see if I can find it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted October 7, 2019 Author Share Posted October 7, 2019 thanks jojosmom - appreciate it. we need a Common App support thread going on... this is tough! we had someone look over all his essay drafts and transcript, etc and just found out he comes across differently than his intention. and looking at their objective opinion, we now see that too. ack! so he's having to blow up everything. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Mine was two full pages and fairly personal. It definitely was the hardest part of the counselor package for me, and I did lots of edits and rewriting. I know that at least it didn’t hurt, as he got in everywhere with great merit aid at schools that offer it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alewife Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 All three of mine were around 1.5 pages and extremely personal. Good luck to everyone going through the application process this year - it is the only thing about homeschooling that I don't miss... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counselinggirl Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Hang in there, Mirabillis! Mine is a tight two pages and it is personal. It highlights traits and topics that are not covered anywhere else in her application. I also considered what her LORs would say and tried to address other areas. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted October 8, 2019 Author Share Posted October 8, 2019 Thank you counselinggirl - how goes college apps? What deadline are you working toward? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easypeasy Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Ours is around 1.25 pages long. Personal for sure, but not what I would call overly so. Like 8Fill says, they know I am her mom. I felt it would be weird if I talked about dd as if she was an almost-stranger to me. So - personal, but not mushy. And I also tried to emphasize traits that I expected her LOR-writers would not linger on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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