Editing Your College Child's Essay

[Anonymous]

Am I the only parent who does not do this?

[Anonymous]

The application essay or their actual papers once they are admitted?

I worked with someone who was writing his daughter's college papers for her. That was excessive.

[Anonymous]

The application essays. I read DD's and my fingers are twitching to edit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only parent who does not do this?

Why wouldn't you edit (not write, but edit) the application essay? Even published writers have editors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only parent who does not do this?

Why wouldn't you edit (not write, but edit) the application essay? Even published writers have editors.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Nothing wrong with editing for grammar, etc. Re-writing is a bit different.

[Anonymous]

We are in process of helping DS with editing. Editing includes removing unnecessary words, suggestions on info to include, grammar, punctuation, etc. Nothing wrong with this, and any parent who does not engage only hurts their kid. I know one who was at top of class that should have been admitted to an ivy. Neither counselor or parents saw essay. Because he was valedictorian, he felt no need to put effort into essay. He was rejected from all top schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only parent who does not do this?

Why wouldn't you edit (not write, but edit) the application essay? Even published writers have editors.

Agreed..my child wrote it but mom dad and grandma gave comments, added a few commas. This seemed standard amongst other families we know.

[Anonymous]

My daughter went to schools Pre-K to 12 that encouraged parents not to review homework, not even for editing. The philosophy was teachers could help them better if they knew the work was solely the work of the student. I was thankful for that philosophy. Following in that same mode, DD submitted both college essays without letting me see them even though I offered to review. I was very nervous; however, she is a good and confident writer. Admitted to Harvard and Yale this year.

[Anonymous]

I will probably help my rising senior brainstorm ideas. I'm hoping his English teacher assigns the essay early in the school year and I would prefer that he get feedback that way. (He is not applying to top schools).

[Anonymous]

I edited.

Editing is fine as long as it doesn’t include rewriting.

My friend writes all of her son’s essays and has for years. What’s ironic is that she’s a teacher (science) and finds essays to be “lazy teaching.” He’s going into his second year of college and she still writes them for him.

[Anonymous]

My parents didn't even read my college application essays, much less edit them. I had a great college counselor, and she and I worked together on the process.

I plan to do the same with DD, unless I think she's seriously screwing them up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only parent who does not do this?

Probably one of very few.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter went to schools Pre-K to 12 that encouraged parents not to review homework, not even for editing. The philosophy was teachers could help them better if they knew the work was solely the work of the student. I was thankful for that philosophy. Following in that same mode, DD submitted both college essays without letting me see them even though I offered to review. I was very nervous; however, she is a good and confident writer. Admitted to Harvard and Yale this year.

That is different. It is part of the learning process to get comments back from the teacher on a students own work. There is no benefit to not having a second set of eyes on a final draft before it goes out. Sounds like she was successful but wouldn't it have been a shame if there was 1 overlooked mistyped word that changed the outcome.

[Anonymous]

To 9:26 . College guidance reviewed the essays. I was just making the point that we as parents were not involved in the review.