does common app ask for hours spent in each activity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just make it up. My kids all did. It means nothing. Nobody is adding up the hours.

Don't cheat

It’s not cheating.

Making up activities that you did not do is absolutely cheating. Are you totally devoid of ethics? Why would you defend lying to cheat the application as "not cheating. " Of course it's cheating.

It’s shocking what lengths some people will go to to justify lying. I’ve talked to people who will twist themselves into pretzels to explain why an obvious lie is “not really a lie.”

It’s not the way I was brought up so that’s why it’s so surprising to me. But if you were brought up in a household where people avoid talking about truths and think it’s okay to “omit” communicating uncomfortable information, it becomes very easy to lie and tell yourself you’re not really lying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s depressing.
All my kids friends have coaches doing their essays and apps for them right now while DS is hard at work writing his “why Michigan” essay. He’s complaining bc many are using the same private counselor who does the entire app/essays for the all of his kids…

Given that reality, I’d say, hell yay.
Make shit up.

I’d be interested to hear a report back after admissions decisions are in. I suspect AOs are on to some of this, especially if it’s one counselor for many kids from the same school.

And yet, there are several posts/articles about how AOs don't have more than a few minutes to read through each application package! Which is it? Are these AOs some super geniuses that work 24 hours a day to thoroughly read through 75,000+ applications or are they average/below average grunts whose job it is to identify just a few gems by quickly parsing through thousands of applications? More than likely it's the latter and more than likely they are paid $20 bucks an hour to do it and most couldn't care less about your child's 'poignant' and 'rivetting' essay, knowing fully well that someone else wrote it or had inputs into it.

You underestimate people. I was paid $20 an hour and did care about the quality of the applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s depressing.
All my kids friends have coaches doing their essays and apps for them right now while DS is hard at work writing his “why Michigan” essay. He’s complaining bc many are using the same private counselor who does the entire app/essays for the all of his kids…

Given that reality, I’d say, hell yay.
Make shit up.

I’d be interested to hear a report back after admissions decisions are in. I suspect AOs are on to some of this, especially if it’s one counselor for many kids from the same school.

And yet, there are several posts/articles about how AOs don't have more than a few minutes to read through each application package! Which is it? Are these AOs some super geniuses that work 24 hours a day to thoroughly read through 75,000+ applications or are they average/below average grunts whose job it is to identify just a few gems by quickly parsing through thousands of applications? More than likely it's the latter and more than likely they are paid $20 bucks an hour to do it and most couldn't care less about your child's 'poignant' and 'rivetting' essay, knowing fully well that someone else wrote it or had inputs into it.

Both can be true—AOs can quickly scan each application AND see them in such volume that they can detect patterns/indicators that seem off.

But I also think the “AOs only spend a few minutes on each application” is wrong, at least at highly selective schools. My understanding is that there are multiple rounds of review, then candidates for admission are brought to committee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s depressing.
All my kids friends have coaches doing their essays and apps for them right now while DS is hard at work writing his “why Michigan” essay. He’s complaining bc many are using the same private counselor who does the entire app/essays for the all of his kids…

Given that reality, I’d say, hell yay.
Make shit up.

I’d be interested to hear a report back after admissions decisions are in. I suspect AOs are on to some of this, especially if it’s one counselor for many kids from the same school.

And yet, there are several posts/articles about how AOs don't have more than a few minutes to read through each application package! Which is it? Are these AOs some super geniuses that work 24 hours a day to thoroughly read through 75,000+ applications or are they average/below average grunts whose job it is to identify just a few gems by quickly parsing through thousands of applications? More than likely it's the latter and more than likely they are paid $20 bucks an hour to do it and most couldn't care less about your child's 'poignant' and 'rivetting' essay, knowing fully well that someone else wrote it or had inputs into it.

Both can be true—AOs can quickly scan each application AND see them in such volume that they can detect patterns/indicators that seem off.

But I also think the “AOs only spend a few minutes on each application” is wrong, at least at highly selective schools. My understanding is that there are multiple rounds of review, then candidates for admission are brought to committee.

Sure, but they are not comparing essays across candidates and going "wow! these seem similar. Must have been written by the same coach. Let's not admit these kids", like the origial pp suggested. That would be a sort of 'guilty until prove innocent' approach with no opportunity for the kids to prove their innocence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just make it up. My kids all did. It means nothing. Nobody is adding up the hours.

Don't cheat

It’s not cheating.

Making up activities that you did not do is absolutely cheating. Are you totally devoid of ethics? Why would you defend lying to cheat the application as "not cheating. " Of course it's cheating.

It’s shocking what lengths some people will go to to justify lying. I’ve talked to people who will twist themselves into pretzels to explain why an obvious lie is “not really a lie.”

It’s not the way I was brought up so that’s why it’s so surprising to me. But if you were brought up in a household where people avoid talking about truths and think it’s okay to “omit” communicating uncomfortable information, it becomes very easy to lie and tell yourself you’re not really lying.

DP. We get it. You were brought up to be obedient and compliant. Like sheep. Elevate your thinking a bit here. Let's say you are not religious and the college cartel for some reason wants people who are. There's a question on the app that goes "Do you pray every day". What would you have your kid do? Say yes so they have a chance of getting in to essentially an institution that you have been subsidizing with your tax dollars or run the risk of not being admitted. The question and answer have zero relevance (in your opinion) to the quality of education that your child will receive at the school and what they want to do with the education after. (Don't waste my time with 'freedom of religion/separation of church and state, etc. This is a thought experiment).

Same shit, different question. That's all! And remember this. Brock Turner and thousands of other BT wannabes that populate frathouses at 'top schools' have resumes loaded with service activities and charity work that would make Mother Teresa wet. Now tell me, what's the point of all this BS?

All I can say is, I hope that you get all that you deserve in life!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just make it up. My kids all did. It means nothing. Nobody is adding up the hours.

Don't cheat

It’s not cheating.

Making up activities that you did not do is absolutely cheating. Are you totally devoid of ethics? Why would you defend lying to cheat the application as "not cheating. " Of course it's cheating.

It’s shocking what lengths some people will go to to justify lying. I’ve talked to people who will twist themselves into pretzels to explain why an obvious lie is “not really a lie.”

It’s not the way I was brought up so that’s why it’s so surprising to me. But if you were brought up in a household where people avoid talking about truths and think it’s okay to “omit” communicating uncomfortable information, it becomes very easy to lie and tell yourself you’re not really lying.

DP. We get it. You were brought up to be obedient and compliant. Like sheep. Elevate your thinking a bit here. Let's say you are not religious and the college cartel for some reason wants people who are. There's a question on the app that goes "Do you pray every day". What would you have your kid do? Say yes so they have a chance of getting in to essentially an institution that you have been subsidizing with your tax dollars or run the risk of not being admitted. The question and answer have zero relevance (in your opinion) to the quality of education that your child will receive at the school and what they want to do with the education after. (Don't waste my time with 'freedom of religion/separation of church and state, etc. This is a thought experiment).

Same shit, different question. That's all! And remember this. Brock Turner and thousands of other BT wannabes that populate frathouses at 'top schools' have resumes loaded with service activities and charity work that would make Mother Teresa wet. Now tell me, what's the point of all this BS?

All I can say is, I hope that you get all that you deserve in life!

Thank you for your good wishes!

[Anonymous]

You can make a parent account on the common app site if you want to see what is on the application specifically.