To edit or not to edit D's college essay?

bplusmom · 08-24-2009, 01:34 PM

My husband and I are having a discussion on how much to edit our D's college essay. I believe that we should read over the essay and give general comments. I do not believe that we should do a word for word edit but a general "this does not make sense or awkward" comment and let her rewrite.

My husband said we should do nothing at all.

Does anyone have any suggestions. What do college consultants do? How much do they edit?

Any comments would be helpful.

zoosermom · 08-24-2009, 01:54 PM

I don't agree with "do nothing." I consider myself one of my daughter's proofreaders and wouldn't have it any other way. I don't get into the details, but if I see a typo or something similar, I do point it out. I did the same with my older daughter because someone has to. She will eventually have her English teacher proofread it, as well, and might get more substantive comments.

Our path has gone like this: D handed me her first go-round of the personal statement and I said "I don't think this leaves the impression you think it does, so I think you should re-read it in a couple of days with fresh eyes." She did and agreed. Did another draft, totally different subject, and gave it to me. I read it, pointed out a couple of little dingies for her to correct and pointed out that it was very long. She left it again for a few days and went back at it and cut it down to a manageable length and has now been tweaking it a teensy bit every few days. She plans to email to her English teacher next week. I think it's a very good essay and I plan to proofread it one more time before she hits send on her applications.

blossom · 08-24-2009, 01:56 PM

b- what does your D say? I think that if she is willing to share it with you and listen to comments like, "this is redundant and you said it better earlier" or "you need a punchier finish" than that's your answer. If she won't share it with you no problem- it will be hers alone. I think you start down a slippery slope when you do an aggressive line edit... but that's my opinion.

Some consultants virtually rewrite the essay entirely from what I am told. Others make general comments only; others have kids write two or three on different topics and then choose the strongest of the pile; still others will do grammatical edits only but nothing involving the substance or tone.

But take your lead from your D who may not want your help or suggestions-- it varied with my own kids and I tried to work within their constraints. But none of them would have allowed me to edit... it was more getting another pair of eyes.

HonestDescendent · 08-24-2009, 01:57 PM

Dear BplusMom, I felt your pain last fall. My wife and I both met stiff resistance from our son last fall regarding edits of his essays. Our solution was to ask his older sister, already in college, to help out. She was willing and he was much more receptive. Was it worth it? Absolutely. It could be almost anyone you know and feel would do a good job as long as it is not you (and your husband). As to not helping...ouch...highly principled but having sent two to college now I know there are a lot of parents doing much of the heavy lifting on the apps including the essays, or just hiring people. Good luck.

pugmadkate · 08-24-2009, 02:01 PM

Adults should never submit/send out something unedited, so your husband's idea of doing nothing strikes me as very odd.

In our case, S does not like for us to edit his work, so he finds other adults. He's already lined up my sister and her husband to edit his college application/essays.

zoosermom · 08-24-2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Adults should never submit/send out something unedited, so your husband's idea of doing nothing strikes me as very odd.

I agree. Nothing important should be sent without a second pair of eyes.

Quote:

In our case, S does not like for us to edit his work, so he finds other adults. He's already lined up my sister and her husband to edit his college application/essays.

I'm very impressed with that level of planning. Very few things make me happier than a plan. Unless it's a list.

OperaDad · 08-24-2009, 02:36 PM

Editing is one thing (correct spelling, grammar, puncuation, etc.), and rewriting is another.

Edit to your hearts content, but remember, it is their essay. After that, mention:

Does the essay respond to the question?
What is the overall impression?
Point out things that don't make sense.
What are you trying to say?
etc.

bplusmom · 08-24-2009, 03:29 PM

Thanks to all who responded to my question. I agree that parents should not edit line by line for content.

My D is willing for us to read her essays. She is also open to some suggestions. A heavy edit, however, would make her upset and lower her self esteem. I am going to try to read and make only general comments except for spelling and grammatical errors.

Does everyone agree that once the essay(s) are completed then filling out applications is relatively smooth?

AllThisIsNewToMe · 08-24-2009, 03:32 PM

"Adults should never submit/send out something unedited, so your husband's idea of doing nothing strikes me as very odd."

It strikes me as very HONEST! He's trying to make it the child's responsibility. What a novel idea. I think having an English teacher look it over for grammar & punctuation is fine (maybe even a few helpful suggestions), but most parents would be unable to resist meddling. I don't plan to read my son's essays until after they are sent to avoid the temptation.

2boysima · 08-24-2009, 03:44 PM

Maybe it will help sway your husband's point of view to know that some schools encourage students to seek feedback on their essays. The following is from the Stanford University admissions website:

....feel free to ask your parents, teachers, and friends to provide constructive feedback. When you ask for feedback on an essay draft, ask if the essay's tone sounds like your voice—it should. If your parents, teachers, and friends do not believe your essay captures who you are or what you believe, surely we will be unable to recognize what is most distinctive about you. While securing feedback is suggested, you should not enlist hired assistance in the writing of your essays.
Essays : Stanford University

As for how smooth filling out the application is....depends on what additional information the school requires. Filling out may not be difficult, but it can be time consuming depending on the format etc.

Also...if your child is applying for financial aid...those forms can be really awful! I'd write an essay any day vs filling out the FAFSA & CSS!

gnusasaurus · 08-24-2009, 03:56 PM

This thread reminds me of 3rd grade projects where the PARENTS had obviously done some, if not most, of the project. After a couple of those projects, I stepped in and made sure my kid's projects were the equal of his classmates parental creations. Did my kid or any of the others learn anything from this experience? Probably not very much.

The husband is right. Back off and let the student handle it unless they come to you asking for help. And even then, you and the student might both be better off if you suggest they have a teacher review the essay.

I also had the urge to rewrite, edit, make suggestions with my son's essays. He handled it just fine with zero input from me. Your kid can, too. Parents generally give tons of guidance and input in the entire college selection process. Parental involvement in the nitty gritty details of essay writing is the equivalent of helping with the 3rd grade project. When are they going to learn to do things on their own if parents don't let them?

editor · 08-24-2009, 03:58 PM

I believe the essays should be proofed and edited. As an editor by trade, my D relied on my editing skills to "clean up" her essays. I did so while still retaining her voice. I did not rewrite her essays.

I also recommend proofing the applications for typos, etc.

missypie · 08-24-2009, 04:03 PM

Quote:

feel free to ask your parents, teachers, and friends to provide constructive feedback. When you ask for feedback on an essay draft, ask if the essay's tone sounds like your voice—it should. If your parents, teachers, and friends do not believe your essay captures who you are or what you believe, surely we will be unable to recognize what is most distinctive about you.

I agree with this. It also depends on how good your D is at putting her feelings into writing. Lots of guys are really bad at this. The first draft of Son's essay was so surface. Folks on CC advised me to sit down with Son and ask him questions about the essay and take notes. His thoughts underlying the essay were pretty deep...I told him to add the thoughts he had expressed orally (about which I had taken notes.) It became a very good essay.

garland · 08-24-2009, 04:09 PM

I disagree, gnu. Most good writers profit from another pair of eyes. No one here has said anything about re-writing, so you are debunking a straw man. General comments on what's working, what's not; clarity, focus, etc will lead a writer to his/her own best writing; not replace it with someone else's. All my professional and personal writing is read by someone else. My H and I are each others' first editors, but only one name is going on the documents, because only one of us is the writer.

when students get to college, they are going to be encouraged, sometimes required, to go to the writing center for assistance. You may find that to be the equivalent of pushy third grade parenting, but colleges don't.

CountingDown · 08-24-2009, 04:14 PM

missypie, both of my kids felt it was really helpful to talk through what they wanted to say and then to put it on paper. It's a method that has worked at our house for many, many years. DH is the same way. He talks it all out first, then writes it.

I don't read until I am asked. With S1, that was very late in the essay process; he brought me pretty much finished products. With S2, I have to be concerned about not piling on the comments. He is not a big fan of polishing -- likes his writing to come out neat and complete.

I am reading essays for a couple of other applicants this year. No way would I do it without knowing the person well -- I need to hear his/her voice and know where he/she is are coming from.