Essays in private school applications -- how much time do you spend on them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And people complain about Sidwell's former policy of on the spot questions? Taking anything more than 15-20 minutes is defeating the purpose.

What a dumb approach. Written responses help schools evaluate the parents and their suitability for the school. The school has no idea how much time you out into the essays, but an articulate, polished response is obviously going to make a better impression than something written off the cuff.

I spent maybe 1/2 an hour drafting responses to each question. Over a period of several weeks, I spent probably another 10 hours carefully editing each essay, reviewing for brevity, word choice, clarity of ideas, etc. I used to write professionally, and I applied every erg of talent and training to the essay writing process.

DC was accepted by all the schools where we applied, including Big 3 schools. DC had great test scores and made very positive impressions during play dates, so I can't say definitively that the essays made a difference. But, since private school admissions are extremely competitive, why would you disadvantage your child by submitting slap-dash essays?

Because being neurotic and passing on that trait to your kids is kind of terrible.

So submitting half-ass work product is the better approach? If you think so, then maybe a subpar public school is a better environment for you.

No. It doesn't take us 10 hours to put together great answers. I can't believe it takes anyone that long. Maybe look at a different school that fits your family better?

You may think the answers are great. Your readers may not.

Any good writer will tell you that writing well takes time. Superb writing is not a simple stringing together of words, but requires thinking, reading, re-reading, consideration of a wide variety of possible sentences and words, anticipation of possible misreadings, carefully controlling tone, etc.

Of course, the less you know about writing, the simpler a task it seems.

Right. Everyone works at the speed of a turtle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And people complain about Sidwell's former policy of on the spot questions? Taking anything more than 15-20 minutes is defeating the purpose.

What a dumb approach. Written responses help schools evaluate the parents and their suitability for the school. The school has no idea how much time you out into the essays, but an articulate, polished response is obviously going to make a better impression than something written off the cuff.

I spent maybe 1/2 an hour drafting responses to each question. Over a period of several weeks, I spent probably another 10 hours carefully editing each essay, reviewing for brevity, word choice, clarity of ideas, etc. I used to write professionally, and I applied every erg of talent and training to the essay writing process.

DC was accepted by all the schools where we applied, including Big 3 schools. DC had great test scores and made very positive impressions during play dates, so I can't say definitively that the essays made a difference. But, since private school admissions are extremely competitive, why would you disadvantage your child by submitting slap-dash essays?

Because being neurotic and passing on that trait to your kids is kind of terrible.

So submitting half-ass work product is the better approach? If you think so, then maybe a subpar public school is a better environment for you.

No. It doesn't take us 10 hours to put together great answers. I can't believe it takes anyone that long. Maybe look at a different school that fits your family better?

You may think the answers are great. Your readers may not.

Any good writer will tell you that writing well takes time. Superb writing is not a simple stringing together of words, but requires thinking, reading, re-reading, consideration of a wide variety of possible sentences and words, anticipation of possible misreadings, carefully controlling tone, etc.

Of course, the less you know about writing, the simpler a task it seems.

10:09 here. I agree that writing is a lost art and that it takes time. However 10 hours is extreme, and the sooner you recognize this the better. Perfectionism and slow processing speed are not appealing traits in most workplaces apart from academia. They are also symptoms of inattentive ADHD (previously ADD). Ask me how I know all these things

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And people complain about Sidwell's former policy of on the spot questions? Taking anything more than 15-20 minutes is defeating the purpose.

What a dumb approach. Written responses help schools evaluate the parents and their suitability for the school. The school has no idea how much time you out into the essays, but an articulate, polished response is obviously going to make a better impression than something written off the cuff.

I spent maybe 1/2 an hour drafting responses to each question. Over a period of several weeks, I spent probably another 10 hours carefully editing each essay, reviewing for brevity, word choice, clarity of ideas, etc. I used to write professionally, and I applied every erg of talent and training to the essay writing process.

DC was accepted by all the schools where we applied, including Big 3 schools. DC had great test scores and made very positive impressions during play dates, so I can't say definitively that the essays made a difference. But, since private school admissions are extremely competitive, why would you disadvantage your child by submitting slap-dash essays?

Because being neurotic and passing on that trait to your kids is kind of terrible.

So submitting half-ass work product is the better approach? If you think so, then maybe a subpar public school is a better environment for you.

No. It doesn't take us 10 hours to put together great answers. I can't believe it takes anyone that long. Maybe look at a different school that fits your family better?

You may think the answers are great. Your readers may not.

Any good writer will tell you that writing well takes time. Superb writing is not a simple stringing together of words, but requires thinking, reading, re-reading, consideration of a wide variety of possible sentences and words, anticipation of possible misreadings, carefully controlling tone, etc.

Of course, the less you know about writing, the simpler a task it seems.

10:09 here. I agree that writing is a lost art and that it takes time. However 10 hours is extreme, and the sooner you recognize this the better. Perfectionism and slow processing speed are not appealing traits in most workplaces apart from academia. They are also symptoms of inattentive ADHD (previously ADD). Ask me how I know all these things

Totally not curious at all how you know these things. You sound like an idiot. Taking the time to write and perfect an essay has nothing to do with slow processing speed. In fact, some of the best writers I know have incredibly fast processing speeds, myself included.

10 hours is not extreme when you're considering that the essays are the tiny thing that gives your application the edge. You sound like someone who has never gone through an admissions cycle. Many people pay educational consultants to review and refine essays. I had the skills to do it myself, and the results certainly convinced me the time was worth it.

Do go ahead and write yours in 15 minutes. Then console yourself that your child didn't get in because you didn't have connections or it's just a random lottery. It's not.

[Anonymous]

22:09 I'm in your camp also having spent a lot of time too and mine also got in everywhere. Like you I also will never know if it really made a difference but it made me feel better that I did my best at what little I could personally do. It was really hard to convey great impact with conciseness. And after all, the target audience is a part of academia.

[Anonymous]

The point isn't how long it takes, it's the thoughtfulness you give the process. No, it won't take everyone 10 hours, but if you aren't willing to put in whatever amount time it takes you to get the best work product then I would say IS isn't for you or your child. I think the point of the original post was whether she should be some real effort into it... and I think the answer to that is YES!

[Anonymous]

I really don't get why any school would give a flying flip about how well a child's parent can write an essay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don't get why any school would give a flying flip about how well a child's parent can write an essay.

Um, then you obviously know nothing about private school admissions,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't get why any school would give a flying flip about how well a child's parent can write an essay.

Um, then you obviously know nothing about private school admissions,

My kid was admitted to a competitive private school based on HIS abilities and personality, not because I spent hours slaving over the application essays. The essays provide the schools with some insight into whether they will be a good fit for the child, not an opportunity to grade the parents' writing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't get why any school would give a flying flip about how well a child's parent can write an essay.

Um, then you obviously know nothing about private school admissions,

My kid was admitted to a competitive private school based on HIS abilities and personality, not because I spent hours slaving over the application essays. The essays provide the schools with some insight into whether they will be a good fit for the child, not an opportunity to grade the parents' writing.

"Competitive," but clearly not the Big 3-5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't get why any school would give a flying flip about how well a child's parent can write an essay.

Um, then you obviously know nothing about private school admissions,

My kid was admitted to a competitive private school based on HIS abilities and personality, not because I spent hours slaving over the application essays. The essays provide the schools with some insight into whether they will be a good fit for the child, not an opportunity to grade the parents' writing.

"Competitive," but clearly not the Big 3-5.

Likewise, why do some privates ask where the parents went to school/grad school? If you don't think the the most "competitive" privates in the area are limiting their assessment to solely the child, you're being a bit naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't get why any school would give a flying flip about how well a child's parent can write an essay.

Um, then you obviously know nothing about private school admissions,

My kid was admitted to a competitive private school based on HIS abilities and personality, not because I spent hours slaving over the application essays. The essays provide the schools with some insight into whether they will be a good fit for the child, not an opportunity to grade the parents' writing.

Nope. As other posters have observed, schools are also keenly interested in what parents bring to the community, which includes their level of education. At the most competitive schools, the applicant pool is filled with very bright kids who have great personalities.

A well-written essay can charm, amuse, and communicate critical pieces of information that make your child and family stand out.

[Anonymous]

It's not as much about you as you think. More at the younger grades, pretty much not at all for HS admissions. It's hard NOT to feel the pre-K admissions process is a referendum on your family, but that will diminish as the child gets older. Most people are happy about that; some hold on to the illusion of parental control over the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't get why any school would give a flying flip about how well a child's parent can write an essay.

Um, then you obviously know nothing about private school admissions,

Sounds more like some people don't get that applying to Sidwell is the parent applying a family moreso than just a kid. I'd love to read some of this rehearsed drivel from parents. What are kids going to do when mummy and daddy can't go job interview for them?

No wait, commercial real estate sales and lobby firm concierge positions do work that way. Never mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The point isn't how long it takes, it's the thoughtfulness you give the process. No, it won't take everyone 10 hours, but if you aren't willing to put in whatever amount time it takes you to get the best work product then I would say IS isn't for you or your child. I think the point of the original post was whether she should be some real effort into it... and I think the answer to that is YES!

Of course she should put some effort in to it. Duh. 10 hours is ridiculous and indicative of some issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point isn't how long it takes, it's the thoughtfulness you give the process. No, it won't take everyone 10 hours, but if you aren't willing to put in whatever amount time it takes you to get the best work product then I would say IS isn't for you or your child. I think the point of the original post was whether she should be some real effort into it... and I think the answer to that is YES!

Of course she should put some effort in to it. Duh. 10 hours is ridiculous and indicative of some issues.

Suggesting that someone has issues because they spent 10 hours on private school admissions is ridiculous. The issues are clearly yours, PP.