Parents of 11th Grade Students - High School

[Anonymous]

I started during that time period (junior year) for my current college student and it was late….

My 2 cents below:

It takes 6+ months to get up to speed with the books; podcasts; FB groups; this board; examining your school’s data.

Your kid should start their “inventory” (20+ idea paragraphs with interesting hooks and topic sentences) of essays this May or June at latest and continue to refine after that.

Work on personal essay with essay coach or through a workshop (how much guidance does kid need)?

Personal essay and activities for common app finalized in August - continue to apply for scholarships or awards to list in the meanwhile.

Supp essays will take the most time from Sept- forward. Good essay coach is key and most important if you’ve already gotten a balanced list.

Finding “good” supp essay examples has been harder than you might think?

FB groups:
I belong to a bunch- Application Nation (imo worth it); college Admissions Experts by Ingenius Prep; college admissions experts by great college advice; and college planning for parents of high school students (run by a former MI AO).

Older kid at an Ivy and got in RD. That app was the last app that kid submitted and the essays were the strongest.

Current senior: we did not hire a private college counselor this time, but used various essay editing services and found them to be generally very helpful. After being deferred ED, kid applied to more schools RD. 20 total. Apps going in today have quite possibly the strongest supplements I’ve ever read anywhere. Actually have an emotional hook…one made me sit back.

It takes a LOT of time to learn to write this way. And for the people say that a lot of it is copy and repeat that will not work for selective top 20 schools. For one of my kids essays everything written that will be submitted today was brand new. It needs to go sooo deep. Hard to copy and repeat and make it more than ehhh.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

^ ever read anywhere are you an AO? Reading 1,000s+ essays every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of 11th-grade students preparing "in advance" for college, do you know any private admissions counselor/consultant who supports talented kids from middle-income homes? How much are their services? Do you have any recommendations for private consultants who cost no more than $3,000?

I am sorry to tell you this but starting midway through jr year is not preparing in advance.

We did- started mid-Jr year, even later. No hired help. Kid is at an Ivy RD and accepted to multiple T10/20 RD. Did not plan out ECs, just did what he liked, summer job, etc

Granted he had all As and was always very strong (no prep) test taker.

But so sick of the fear-mongering. He also submitted/finished 90% of applications in the week between Cmas and New Years.

[Anonymous]

Two books that give the lay of the land

The Price you Pay for College, Ron Lieber

Who Gets in and Why, Jeff Selingo. He also has a website.

I have a sophomore in college and a high school junior.

Lesson learned, if you have a strong kid and are shooting high, still be very realistic. The hardest lesson in our house was that really bright kids (straight A unweighted, strong but not stellar test scores, meaning 1490-1510 without multiple tests) that does not have unique/pointy/whatever ECs is not getting into top 10 at all and not getting into top 25 without ED.

My second student took this lesson to heart. Equally strong grades, stronger test scores (harder studying for it), more unique ECs. Will likely get accepted a level up.

Child number one got into top 30 universities, waitlisted at top 25s. Chose to go to a sLAC with merit.

[Anonymous]

We've found the free advice on this counselor's blog to be very helpful:

https://www.koppelmangroup.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of 11th-grade students preparing "in advance" for college, do you know any private admissions counselor/consultant who supports talented kids from middle-income homes? How much are their services? Do you have any recommendations for private consultants who cost no more than $3,000?

I am sorry to tell you this but starting midway through jr year is not preparing in advance.

We did- started mid-Jr year, even later. No hired help. Kid is at an Ivy RD and accepted to multiple T10/20 RD. Did not plan out ECs, just did what he liked, summer job, etc

Granted he had all As and was always very strong (no prep) test taker.

But so sick of the fear-mongering. He also submitted/finished 90% of applications in the week between Cmas and New Years.

When people write posts like this, I assume they are either (1) talking about a hooked kid, or (2) exaggerating. The beauty of an anonymous forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Use the $ for private test prep. Period.

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of 11th-grade students preparing "in advance" for college, do you know any private admissions counselor/consultant who supports talented kids from middle-income homes? How much are their services? Do you have any recommendations for private consultants who cost no more than $3,000?

I am sorry to tell you this but starting midway through jr year is not preparing in advance.

We did- started mid-Jr year, even later. No hired help. Kid is at an Ivy RD and accepted to multiple T10/20 RD. Did not plan out ECs, just did what he liked, summer job, etc

Granted he had all As and was always very strong (no prep) test taker.

But so sick of the fear-mongering. He also submitted/finished 90% of applications in the week between Cmas and New Years.

When people write posts like this, I assume they are either (1) talking about a hooked kid, or (2) exaggerating. The beauty of an anonymous forum.

I disagree. I think what PP reports is more common than people think and that there is a lot of motivated reasoning to explain why really strong candidates don't get admitted. Usually it's simply down to numbers and school priorities, not hooks. Occasionally, it's that the seemingly strong candidate has a weakness that's not evident (or if evident, not acknowledged by the candidate or parents). It's a lot more comforting to say, essentially, the fix was in and my kid was never going to be admitted thanks to admit that there was another kid who better meet the school's priorities (or was simply a stronger candidate).

I know a bunch of "average excellent" kids admitted to top schools; they met whatever the school was looking for, nothing more or less. Sure, hooked kids benefit. But the idea that only hooked kids and exceptional national award winner types are getting into schools is pure cope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I started during that time period (junior year) for my current college student and it was late….

My 2 cents below:

It takes 6+ months to get up to speed with the books; podcasts; FB groups; this board; examining your school’s data.

Your kid should start their “inventory” (20+ idea paragraphs with interesting hooks and topic sentences) of essays this May or June at latest and continue to refine after that.

Work on personal essay with essay coach or through a workshop (how much guidance does kid need)?

Personal essay and activities for common app finalized in August - continue to apply for scholarships or awards to list in the meanwhile.

Supp essays will take the most time from Sept- forward. Good essay coach is key and most important if you’ve already gotten a balanced list.

Finding “good” supp essay examples has been harder than you might think?

FB groups:
I belong to a bunch- Application Nation (imo worth it); college Admissions Experts by Ingenius Prep; college admissions experts by great college advice; and college planning for parents of high school students (run by a former MI AO).

Older kid at an Ivy and got in RD. That app was the last app that kid submitted and the essays were the strongest.

Current senior: we did not hire a private college counselor this time, but used various essay editing services and found them to be generally very helpful. After being deferred ED, kid applied to more schools RD. 20 total. Apps going in today have quite possibly the strongest supplements I’ve ever read anywhere. Actually have an emotional hook…one made me sit back.

It takes a LOT of time to learn to write this way. And for the people say that a lot of it is copy and repeat that will not work for selective top 20 schools. For one of my kids essays everything written that will be submitted today was brand new. It needs to go sooo deep. Hard to copy and repeat and make it more than ehhh.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

I sincerely appreciate people like you. Thank you for all the info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of 11th-grade students preparing "in advance" for college, do you know any private admissions counselor/consultant who supports talented kids from middle-income homes? How much are their services? Do you have any recommendations for private consultants who cost no more than $3,000?

I am sorry to tell you this but starting midway through jr year is not preparing in advance.

We did- started mid-Jr year, even later. No hired help. Kid is at an Ivy RD and accepted to multiple T10/20 RD. Did not plan out ECs, just did what he liked, summer job, etc

Granted he had all As and was always very strong (no prep) test taker.

But so sick of the fear-mongering. He also submitted/finished 90% of applications in the week between Cmas and New Years.

When people write posts like this, I assume they are either (1) talking about a hooked kid, or (2) exaggerating. The beauty of an anonymous forum.

Zero hooks. White male.

[Anonymous]

We have a shared document where we keep track of interesting/essay worthy experiences to possibly use for essays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of 11th-grade students preparing "in advance" for college, do you know any private admissions counselor/consultant who supports talented kids from middle-income homes? How much are their services? Do you have any recommendations for private consultants who cost no more than $3,000?

I am sorry to tell you this but starting midway through jr year is not preparing in advance.

We did- started mid-Jr year, even later. No hired help. Kid is at an Ivy RD and accepted to multiple T10/20 RD. Did not plan out ECs, just did what he liked, summer job, etc

Granted he had all As and was always very strong (no prep) test taker.

But so sick of the fear-mongering. He also submitted/finished 90% of applications in the week between Cmas and New Years.

When people write posts like this, I assume they are either (1) talking about a hooked kid, or (2) exaggerating. The beauty of an anonymous forum.

I disagree. I think what PP reports is more common than people think and that there is a lot of motivated reasoning to explain why really strong candidates don't get admitted. Usually it's simply down to numbers and school priorities, not hooks. Occasionally, it's that the seemingly strong candidate has a weakness that's not evident (or if evident, not acknowledged by the candidate or parents). It's a lot more comforting to say, essentially, the fix was in and my kid was never going to be admitted thanks to admit that there was another kid who better meet the school's priorities (or was simply a stronger candidate).

I know a bunch of "average excellent" kids admitted to top schools; they met whatever the school was looking for, nothing more or less. Sure, hooked kids benefit. But the idea that only hooked kids and exceptional national award winner types are getting into schools is pure cope.

Huh, I was talking about the humble brag that the kid did all applications between Xmas and new years, and they basically did no other prep.

You also,sound naive, I’ve seen a lot of kids humbled in by the process despite having high stats and excellent ecs. I guess it makes people feel better about the process to think kids didn’t deserve to do well, rather than acknowledge that luck plays some role in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of 11th-grade students preparing "in advance" for college, do you know any private admissions counselor/consultant who supports talented kids from middle-income homes? How much are their services? Do you have any recommendations for private consultants who cost no more than $3,000?

I am sorry to tell you this but starting midway through jr year is not preparing in advance.

We did- started mid-Jr year, even later. No hired help. Kid is at an Ivy RD and accepted to multiple T10/20 RD. Did not plan out ECs, just did what he liked, summer job, etc

Granted he had all As and was always very strong (no prep) test taker.

But so sick of the fear-mongering. He also submitted/finished 90% of applications in the week between Cmas and New Years.

When people write posts like this, I assume they are either (1) talking about a hooked kid, or (2) exaggerating. The beauty of an anonymous forum.

Zero hooks. White male.

If it is not engineering, being a male is a hook. There just aren’t as many males applying to college and schools want something close to gender balanced cohorts if possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For school lists, i did a lot of research myself but it takes a lot of time. Went deep into college websites looking at programs, curriculum, etc. Joined Facebook groups to get tips. Listened to podcasts. Shared info with my kid and they Coordinated with school counselor to create a balanced list. We did pay for ACT test prep and essay support and felt those 2 areas were worth the investment. Plenty of free essay tips available online, but having someone to help guide them was worth it for us. The test prep helped our kid reach their target score.

I hired someone to support my kid making her own list. In our house, Too much tension if parents suggest anything. Also -why am I researching and making the list? My kid needs to do that, and I wanted a better balance on getting her to do it herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of 11th-grade students preparing "in advance" for college, do you know any private admissions counselor/consultant who supports talented kids from middle-income homes? How much are their services? Do you have any recommendations for private consultants who cost no more than $3,000?

I am sorry to tell you this but starting midway through jr year is not preparing in advance.

We did- started mid-Jr year, even later. No hired help. Kid is at an Ivy RD and accepted to multiple T10/20 RD. Did not plan out ECs, just did what he liked, summer job, etc

Granted he had all As and was always very strong (no prep) test taker.

But so sick of the fear-mongering. He also submitted/finished 90% of applications in the week between Cmas and New Years.

When people write posts like this, I assume they are either (1) talking about a hooked kid, or (2) exaggerating. The beauty of an anonymous forum.

Zero hooks. White male.

If it is not engineering, being a male is a hook. There just aren’t as many males applying to college and schools want something close to gender balanced cohorts if possible.

Depends on the school. More males apply to Princeton, just as one example.