Wall Street Journal: How Involved Should Parents Be in College Admissions?

1down, 1 to go · 03-13-2008, 02:49 PM

Today's Wall Street Journal has a column Work & Family entitled:
College Admissions: How Involved Should Parents Get?

The column begins by discussing someone who quit her job as a human resources manager to "be home fulltime with her daughter as she applied".

I know the admissions process has grown a life of its own during the last few years, but has anyone quit their job to help their child through the college admission process?

Muffy333 · 03-13-2008, 02:52 PM

My friend kept her $200,000/yr job and hired a college consultant for $20,000 to take care of all the admissions stuff. That sounds like a more pleasant way to do it.

Where did the daughter get in? I think it costs to get into the WSJ site.

BunsenBurner · 03-13-2008, 03:08 PM

That's all I can say. Try this, apparently WSJ Online is "free" today.

The Wall Street Journal

If I'd quit my job to help my kids in the college app process, they would have kicked me out of the house. College tours were mini-vacations, and the only "assistance" my LAC-crazy D had from me was some proofreading of the names/SSN/addresses on her forms, envelope stuffing/mailing and some minor nudging when I felt the deadlines were too close. H was totally out of this. He can't even tell which colleges she applied to, except the 2-3 he liked.

Lafalum84 · 03-13-2008, 03:18 PM

No. If I quit my job to get the kids into college, I wouldn't be able to afford to pay for the college they got into! Not to mention the obvious "get your own life, don't live through your kids" factor.

elma · 03-13-2008, 03:23 PM

I don't work and only did what BunsenBurner stated -- proof reading, minor nudging, a listener if they wanted to talk.

I admit I am shocked when I hear/read about some parent's level of involvement.

garland · 03-13-2008, 03:28 PM

I too would not have been able to afford to send them. I think I was actually fairly involved, but I don't know what I could've done that would have sopped up that much more time!

SlitheyTove · 03-13-2008, 03:49 PM

There's also some discussion at the WSJ's "juggle" blog

The Juggle - WSJ.com

fauve · 03-13-2008, 04:37 PM

If your child is a 3 sport varsity athlete (or musician, dancer, science researcher etc.), with a multiple-AP class schedule, he/she will not have time to deal with the clerical details of ten applications and scholarship forms and recruiting calls. Most top student/athletes have had overloaded schedules since 9th grade.

(Practice til 6pm, dinner & shower, homework begins at 7:30 ends at 1 or 2 a.m., up at 6:30 am. Weekend meets last from early morning til 7pm with travel. Sunday is sleep until noon to survive the week's deprivation, then homework all day and evening.) Rarely any relief until a holiday, then there is still practice for the season's sport.

For this type of student, help is essential so he/she can maintain GPA, health, sports performance and sanity. As colleges pile on more and more essays, the student's schedule is severely stressed with these demands. After working at such an intense pitch, some clerical help from parents can go a long way in aiding a positive outcome. Just keeping tabs on the school's tasks is a part time job (complete transcripts, recs sent, mid-year& final reports) for those of us with less-than-thorough GCs.

garland · 03-13-2008, 04:38 PM

I don't disagree, and I did help out clerically with my kids to some extent, but I still don't see that as being impossible while maintaining a full time job (I sure managed both, and I am not a superwoman!

)

menloparkmom · 03-13-2008, 04:45 PM

Good Grief! I heped out with the clerical stuff for my very busy S[ he applied to 15 colleges, many that didn't use the common app], but there is no way this would have needed to be a full time job! Sounds like a little too much "help", IMO.

mammall · 03-13-2008, 04:50 PM

I helped. I work. I spend too much time here. I don't think any regular posters on CC are workaholics in their day jobs. I'm a bit annoyed by the testimonials by some about how they did nothing but lick envelopes for their kids. Come on, guys. It's a really tough gnarly competitive jungle out there. You did more than that or your kid is not a kid - they are already a multitasking beast.

yayverily · 03-13-2008, 04:51 PM

Jeez. Can't imagine any kid needing, wanting or surviving a full-time college admissions "helper"--in our house that would have driven S nuts. That's more than helicoptering--it's HELLicoptering!

citymom · 03-13-2008, 04:55 PM

Fauve:
Looks like you have never lived in a big city. To be up at 6:30 and back from school by 6 PM? This does not allow any time for sports. Unless you consider using public transportation a sport (which it is to some extent).

ColoradoMomof2 · 03-13-2008, 05:00 PM

^^^ What yayverily said. By the way, I love your term - HELLicoptering.

My kids would have pitched a fit if I tried to involve myself to that degree, and they are very EC involved and academically driven.

BunsenBurner · 03-13-2008, 05:06 PM

Quote:

You did more than that or your kid is not a kid - they are already a multitasking beast.

LOL, DD is. You should see her doing her homework, "talking" on the Facebook, scanning her artwork and eating all at the same time! I'm not sure it is all 100% efficient, but... DD was very organized when it came to college apps. She scheduled all of her interviews, returned calls from college reps, promptly wrote thank you notes, prepared art portfolios, handed forms to her GC and teachers and pestered them until they sent the recommendations (her recommendation letters were sent in September!). However, she was not going to kill herself over this process. "Stanford need how many additional essays? Ha, it is off my list! Oh, this school needs SATIIs? No way, I've taken the ACT, and thank you very much, I'm not taking those just to apply there".