Purposefully & strategically leaving blanks in the Common App

[Anonymous]

Is this not putting SSN real?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The truth in our family is that both parents are retired. Seems to signal rich, no?

Same here and DC is asking what to put in common app 🤔

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent employment helps determine low income for financial aid status, on the one end, full pay on the high end, and possible donors for the advancement office on the very high end.

What I don't understand is why some podcast would advocate not including parent employment for the same student who isn't including SSN in order to signal full pay. Parent employment can signal full pay; why leave it out if the parent's employment is obviously full pay?

The host was theorizing that it could be a bad look if an applicant who wanted to major in CS had a parent who was a tech executive or if a student who wanted to do a pre-med path had a parent who was a doctor. In a very whiny poorly flushed out argument, he felt AO’s could possibly look down upon those applicants for perceived nepotism.

[Anonymous]

I don't see how this works. I get that it's possible that a college might look at an application from a candidate whose work at Walmart and who wants to be a radiologist and admire that independence, and select them over the kid with two radiologist parents. But I have a lot of trouble believing that the same college will look at an application from a single family house in an HCOL zip code, with a blank for parent occupation, and think "I bet they work at Walmart, let's give them a hand up", instead "Wow, look at these people trying to work the system" or "Let's google them and see what they do". Which at best will have a neutral impact on the application, and at worst will hurt the candidate.

[Anonymous]

This is a bad take. Seeing your parents work in CS and exposing you to hackathons in 5th grade is totally great

It’s not so great to say you have an internship at Stars Hallow Realty when mom or dad works there. That’s true. But it’s totally fine to say you work there for pay. Especially if you can describe a for pay job that makes sense for your age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a bad take. Seeing your parents work in CS and exposing you to hackathons in 5th grade is totally great

It’s not so great to say you have an internship at Stars Hallow Realty when mom or dad works there. That’s true. But it’s totally fine to say you work there for pay. Especially if you can describe a for pay job that makes sense for your age.

I would definitely not do this if you have a high household income. It reeks of privilege.

The issues with the major isn’t that it’s not noble or fine to follow in your parents footsteps. It is.

I think the argument is that compared to other candidates, it may not be as creative , interesting, unique what have you.

And again his entire argument if it’s even true is only relevant for T-20 schools

[Anonymous]

It’s true that if you are doing the exact same thing your parents do it could be considered a little one-dimensional and boring. it might require deeper insight into your personality, a lot of introspection and really poignant, thought-provoking essays.

But I don’t think it matters that much unless you are shooting for the tippy top schools.

[Anonymous]

I think colleges have a lot of data on applicants whether they provide it or not.

[Anonymous]

This whole thread is made up BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is made up BS.

Haha. Yeah

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you don't apply for financial aid when applying, most t50 will NEVER allow you to apply for financial aid. Not when you lose your job or when a sibling goes off to college. Don't be foolish.

Need blind colleges are need blind. Need aware are need aware.

if you're mom or dad has been in CS for an entire career, believe me .. all schools are totally okay with that. even if you do want to go into CS. It may show "lack of creativity" but it also shows a depth of understanding. Colleges can also wonder if you come from a artsy family or finance family and want to go into engineering, do you really know what an engineer day to day life looks like? And where pay tops out?

Don't over think this stuff.

Is this really true? I went to a T20 full need (and I think need blind, they are now, I don't remember) university without financial aid. By the beginning of my junior year, my Dad had cancer, my younger sibling was in college, and my sibling had been in a psychiatric hospital for over a year. My university stepped up and I got significant aid.

Did you submit FAFSA/SSN?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see how this works. I get that it's possible that a college might look at an application from a candidate whose work at Walmart and who wants to be a radiologist and admire that independence, and select them over the kid with two radiologist parents. But I have a lot of trouble believing that the same college will look at an application from a single family house in an HCOL zip code, with a blank for parent occupation, and think "I bet they work at Walmart, let's give them a hand up", instead "Wow, look at these people trying to work the system" or "Let's google them and see what they do". Which at best will have a neutral impact on the application, and at worst will hurt the candidate.

Exactly! lol.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I listened to that podcast bc it was recommended here. It was a waste of an hour. I laughed out loud when he said 2 spaces after a period will give away that a parent edited the essay.

[Anonymous]

My husband works at a controversial non profit so we are leaving it blank. Not going to let a 24 year old application reader take out his/her resentment of my husband’s job over my son who has nothing to do with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you don't apply for financial aid when applying, most t50 will NEVER allow you to apply for financial aid. Not when you lose your job or when a sibling goes off to college. Don't be foolish.

Need blind colleges are need blind. Need aware are need aware.

if you're mom or dad has been in CS for an entire career, believe me .. all schools are totally okay with that. even if you do want to go into CS. It may show "lack of creativity" but it also shows a depth of understanding. Colleges can also wonder if you come from a artsy family or finance family and want to go into engineering, do you really know what an engineer day to day life looks like? And where pay tops out?

Don't over think this stuff.

Is this really true? I went to a T20 full need (and I think need blind, they are now, I don't remember) university without financial aid. By the beginning of my junior year, my Dad had cancer, my younger sibling was in college, and my sibling had been in a psychiatric hospital for over a year. My university stepped up and I got significant aid.

Did you submit FAFSA/SSN?

I didn’t submit FAFSA until I had need. This was back in the Stone Age when people were much more free with their SSN’s, so while I can’t remember typing it I am sure I didn’t leave it blank.