So many essays !!! Wtf?

[Anonymous]

I do not remember so many essays when I applied to college.

So we have the common app essay- great, but every college my kid is looking at requires from 2-4 different additional essays and none of them overlap that much.

Kids have AP courses, sports, work, etc. when the hell are they doing all of this?

Let’s face it, rich kids just pay to have their essays written for them or spoon-fed anyways. It should just be common app essay, GPA, test scores and 2 teacher recs.

I can see why there are so fewer males to females in college.

[Anonymous]

This is normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not remember so many essays when I applied to college.

So we have the common app essay- great, but every college my kid is looking at requires from 2-4 different additional essays and none of them overlap that much.

Kids have AP courses, sports, work, etc. when the hell are they doing all of this?

Let’s face it, rich kids just pay to have their essays written for them or spoon-fed anyways. It should just be common app essay, GPA, test scores and 2 teacher recs.

I can see why there are so fewer males to females in college.

Apply to fewer colleges if that’s an issue. Or better yet, only apply where the kid will actually go if accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not remember so many essays when I applied to college.

So we have the common app essay- great, but every college my kid is looking at requires from 2-4 different additional essays and none of them overlap that much.

Kids have AP courses, sports, work, etc. when the hell are they doing all of this?

Let’s face it, rich kids just pay to have their essays written for them or spoon-fed anyways. It should just be common app essay, GPA, test scores and 2 teacher recs.

I can see why there are so fewer males to females in college.

Why exactly? Boys can write essays.

[Anonymous]

We found safeties/targets to have fewer essays than the lottery schools. But yes, there are a lot of essays for some of those selective schools. That's why people recommend getting the common app essay done the summer before senior year, allowing time for supplementals once they're all official in August.

[Anonymous]

I think everyone knows to reserve a chunk of summer before senior year for this. Colleges near applicants to put in some effort, with so many applying now. It weeds out the disinterested and weaker students.

[Anonymous]

What does gender have to do with it? Do girls have more free time than boys?

[Anonymous]

We had fewer essays per school before the common app because college knew you had to put in the work to just do one application so you got fewer kids sending in an app on a whim. Colleges know that if they put in a couple additional writing requirements it will knock out some potential applicants who never really wanted to go there. It cuts down on the junk they need to wade through. Alternatively, if a school wants to raise their applicants/lower acceptance rate they can eliminate supplements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not remember so many essays when I applied to college.

So we have the common app essay- great, but every college my kid is looking at requires from 2-4 different additional essays and none of them overlap that much.

Kids have AP courses, sports, work, etc. when the hell are they doing all of this?

Let’s face it, rich kids just pay to have their essays written for them or spoon-fed anyways. It should just be common app essay, GPA, test scores and 2 teacher recs.

I can see why there are so fewer males to females in college.

Sounds like your kid is over scheduled. Mine wrote his main essay last summer as well as the few supplemental ones once the Common App opened up. He worked FT but there are plenty of hours outside of that to write essays. I'd suggest applying to different schools where you don't have that many essays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not remember so many essays when I applied to college.

So we have the common app essay- great, but every college my kid is looking at requires from 2-4 different additional essays and none of them overlap that much.

Kids have AP courses, sports, work, etc. when the hell are they doing all of this?

Let’s face it, rich kids just pay to have their essays written for them or spoon-fed anyways. It should just be common app essay, GPA, test scores and 2 teacher recs.

I can see why there are so fewer males to females in college.

Apply to fewer colleges if that’s an issue. Or better yet, only apply where the kid will actually go if accepted.

This was our strategy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not remember so many essays when I applied to college.

So we have the common app essay- great, but every college my kid is looking at requires from 2-4 different additional essays and none of them overlap that much.

Kids have AP courses, sports, work, etc. when the hell are they doing all of this?

Let’s face it, rich kids just pay to have their essays written for them or spoon-fed anyways. It should just be common app essay, GPA, test scores and 2 teacher recs.

I can see why there are so fewer males to females in college.

Sounds like your kid is over scheduled. Mine wrote his main essay last summer as well as the few supplemental ones once the Common App opened up. He worked FT but there are plenty of hours outside of that to write essays. I'd suggest applying to different schools where you don't have that many essays.

Summer of junior year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not remember so many essays when I applied to college.

So we have the common app essay- great, but every college my kid is looking at requires from 2-4 different additional essays and none of them overlap that much.

Kids have AP courses, sports, work, etc. when the hell are they doing all of this?

Let’s face it, rich kids just pay to have their essays written for them or spoon-fed anyways. It should just be common app essay, GPA, test scores and 2 teacher recs.

I can see why there are so fewer males to females in college.

Sounds like your kid is over scheduled. Mine wrote his main essay last summer as well as the few supplemental ones once the Common App opened up. He worked FT but there are plenty of hours outside of that to write essays. I'd suggest applying to different schools where you don't have that many essays.

Summer of junior year?

No. He just graduated this year. None of this process was nearly as difficult as this forum suggests if your kid applies to schools they can get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not remember so many essays when I applied to college.

So we have the common app essay- great, but every college my kid is looking at requires from 2-4 different additional essays and none of them overlap that much.

Kids have AP courses, sports, work, etc. when the hell are they doing all of this?

Let’s face it, rich kids just pay to have their essays written for them or spoon-fed anyways. It should just be common app essay, GPA, test scores and 2 teacher recs.

I can see why there are so fewer males to females in college.

Sounds like your kid is over scheduled. Mine wrote his main essay last summer as well as the few supplemental ones once the Common App opened up. He worked FT but there are plenty of hours outside of that to write essays. I'd suggest applying to different schools where you don't have that many essays.

Summer of junior year?

No. He just graduated this year. None of this process was nearly as difficult as this forum suggests if your kid applies to schools they can get into.

Meant did he write it summer of junior year?

[Anonymous]

Its only the top kids that are competing for lottery spots having to do all this. My kids are perfectly happy at average colleges where they only had to write 1-2 essays for all their college applications. Give up the lottery school dream and its doable but don't expect to get into T-20 without extra application effort.

[Anonymous]

What good does complaining about this do? It's been a part of college apps for a long time. You don't have to do them. Pick fewer schools and shut up.