Necessary, but Insufficient: School Counselors’ Informal Learning Experiences with Writing Letters of Recommendations

Submission of recommendation letters from high school counselors is a requirement for undergraduate admission at many selective colleges. However, there has been limited research to-date examining these critical application components and the front-line professionals who generate them. This study examines how high school counselors, who are key actors in holistic admission practices, learn how to craft recommendation letters. Given previous research has found that counselors have limited training in college admission counseling, understanding the learning processes that shape their letter writing is a critical first step for improving the quality of letters and their utility for student success in the admission process. We draw on qualitative data from 45 semi-structured interviews with high school counselors across the country and found that counselors predominantly learn about this critical facet of their role through informal, on-the-job learning processes rather than via formal pre- or in-service learning opportunities. We argue that informal learning is necessary but insufficient in providing equitable, reliable access to understanding this facet of the college admission process and can exacerbate disparities in the quality and content of counselor recommendation letters.