Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 18:08     Subject: Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:I have seen some of my kid's writing for school and it is pretty decent--but they have all been expository. The one college essay I was allowed to see was pretty bad. I think it's REALLY hard for some kids to write about themselves...


I think it can be especially challenging for boys, since they tend to focus more on the mechanisms of problem solving vs how they feel about the problem solving. What the school's want is the later. It doesn't help that boys trend towards technical degrees.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 18:03     Subject: Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Except for a few, my kid’s essays were pretty bad. And he is consistently a outstanding writer in school (and nailed his AP exam). But I think he hasn’t had any experience bragging about himself and it was full of cliches. I know it was hard enough for him to write, and with Honors applications too, there were so many. I told him maybe he could be a little more specific and write as he would talk. I never looked at revisions (if he even did). In the end he did not ED UVA but he just could not give up the remote chance he would get into UCLA. So it will be a long 3 months finding out from the main schools. He did already get acceptances to his safeties with great merit but they were real safeties and he hopes to get into one of the 6. Fingers crossed and hoping it doesn’t come down to essays.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 17:07     Subject: Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:DC is an awesome, incredibly smart and funny, kid, who has an average/lowish GPA from a private in D.C., really strong scores (ACT composite 34), and some really niche interests for extra-curriculars. He's not really come into his own. And definitely a humanities kid, not STEM, who is only looking at LACs.

He spent some time working on his essays, I gave some high-level thoughts, older sibling did too. At the end, the essay was interesting and pretty well-written but I felt like it tried to do some ambitious things but didn't really quite pull together about him. But it was definitely written by him, no question, and to my mind showcased both his very catchy writing style and the fact he hasn't quite integrated all those skills yet.

Please give me some assurance that this is not a bad thing? Just now sure what the average looks like.


Your description fits my kid’s essay - great writing voice, obviously written by a kid, didn’t really 100% accomplish everything it tried to do. My kid got into first choice reach, and a hand written note from admissions cited his essay as giving them good insight into who he is.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 16:43     Subject: Re:Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:He sounds great, and it sounds like he went about his essay the right way. Try to relax. Everything will work out.


OP, I'm with this PP. I have 2 DCSs, close in age. The first one churned out an amazing essay by shaping and shaving over and over - really had a sense of DC at the end of it.

My second DC sounds similar to the DC you referred to in your post. Second DC started out strong, had really great ideas, worked through them a bit, then basically abandoned essay when paralyzed with fear about start of senior year, college process, etc. (Goal was to complete essay before start of school as it was going to be a packed fall.) In the end, DC made some more changes to the essay, though nowhere near as refined as a lot of DC's papers. A reader did have a sense of DC, but not necessarily a complete one.

In the end, both DCs got into their EDs. GL to your DC - it will work out even if a bit nervewracking along the way.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 13:31     Subject: Re:Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think the essays and extra-curricular activities are pretty important. We enlisted reviews on essays and ec list to perfect. It paid off in the end.


How do you enlist a genuine review of EC's? I mean, your kid either did the EC or didn't, unless you're open to making crap up.


NP here - some apps (UCs?) require some writing about EC’s, so can be helpful to have someone review that.

My kid didn’t let us read anything she wrote, although she had someone else read it over once and make comments. Fingers crossed!! At least it’s her own work, so I feel good about that.




Same. I've seen none of DS's essays and there were so many! But did have someone outside review and work with him on edits/revisions.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 13:30     Subject: Re:Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think the essays and extra-curricular activities are pretty important. We enlisted reviews on essays and ec list to perfect. It paid off in the end.


How do you enlist a genuine review of EC's? I mean, your kid either did the EC or didn't, unless you're open to making crap up.


you can have someone review the activity list for use of strong words, to ensure clarity, for typos, etc....
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 13:25     Subject: Re:Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think the essays and extra-curricular activities are pretty important. We enlisted reviews on essays and ec list to perfect. It paid off in the end.


How do you enlist a genuine review of EC's? I mean, your kid either did the EC or didn't, unless you're open to making crap up.


NP here - some apps (UCs?) require some writing about EC’s, so can be helpful to have someone review that.

My kid didn’t let us read anything she wrote, although she had someone else read it over once and make comments. Fingers crossed!! At least it’s her own work, so I feel good about that.

Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 12:20     Subject: Re:Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:I think the essays and extra-curricular activities are pretty important. We enlisted reviews on essays and ec list to perfect. It paid off in the end.


How do you enlist a genuine review of EC's? I mean, your kid either did the EC or didn't, unless you're open to making crap up.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 12:15     Subject: Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:DC is an awesome, incredibly smart and funny, kid, who has an average/lowish GPA from a private in D.C., really strong scores (ACT composite 34), and some really niche interests for extra-curriculars. He's not really come into his own. And definitely a humanities kid, not STEM, who is only looking at LACs.

He spent some time working on his essays, I gave some high-level thoughts, older sibling did too. At the end, the essay was interesting and pretty well-written but I felt like it tried to do some ambitious things but didn't really quite pull together about him. But it was definitely written by him, no question, and to my mind showcased both his very catchy writing style and the fact he hasn't quite integrated all those skills yet.

Please give me some assurance that this is not a bad thing? Just now sure what the average looks like.


My kid is a late bloomer. Essays just so-so, IMHO. But I let it go. My kid is going to do fine wherever she goes to college. It doesn't matter that her essays don't show how smart, how clever, how interesting, how funny, how really brilliant she is. They just don't matter, nor does it matter that she won't go to HYPS or the equivalent. She's going to college, and she's going to do fine. That's what her so-so essays tell me. If she's going to bloom later, it's going to happen, but there's nothing I can do to make that happen sooner or ever. It's all up to her.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 11:59     Subject: Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I asked to see the essay after applications were done.

Why?


You aren’t interested in seeing how your kid describes themself for college admissions? The essay was cute and sweet and interesting (to me at least).

Actually now that I think about it I think I read it for typos right before it was submitted.


Right? Some of these posters floor me. They have so little interest in their children as individuals. I wonder if they had them just to check a box.

“Why” poster, are you a dad?
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 11:27     Subject: Thoughts about your kid's essay?
I have seen some of my kid's writing for school and it is pretty decent--but they have all been expository. The one college essay I was allowed to see was pretty bad. I think it's REALLY hard for some kids to write about themselves...
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 11:17     Subject: Re:Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:I think the essays and extra-curricular activities are pretty important. We enlisted reviews on essays and ec list to perfect. It paid off in the end.


You have absolutely no way of knowing if what you did “paid off in the end.” All you know is that your kid got into college.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 11:03     Subject: Re:Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Not a bad thing! Your child sounds perfectly interesting and the admissions officers will probably appreciate a solid essay that hasn't been perfected into adult-quality gloss.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 10:23     Subject: Thoughts about your kid's essay?
I was pleasantly surprised by my kid's essay. She used to be a weaker writer but has really improved in the past year. She came up with the topic completely on her own and wrote a good first draft. Then she asked for my input since I am an editor, and I pointed out some redundant language and suggested a few commas here or there, but it's definitely still her work. It is not a stunning piece of writing, but it is interesting and it sounds like her voice, and so far she has received only acceptances.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2022 10:13     Subject: Thoughts about your kid's essay?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I asked to see the essay after applications were done.

Why?


You aren’t interested in seeing how your kid describes themself for college admissions? The essay was cute and sweet and interesting (to me at least).

Actually now that I think about it I think I read it for typos right before it was submitted.