<p>@CockNotTrojan (clever!) - Thank you for your thoughtful response. I will talk to her again but I think her mind is pretty made up at this point. She hasn’t said it but I think her real concern isn’t about the essays (but using it as a way out). I know she is a bit uncomfortable about the possibility of attending a school with somewhat homogenous student body or, at least, compare to where we are in Washington DC area - we are Asians by BTW. I checked out the current McNair winners from the USC website and that didn’t help. So, I think she is concerned about how she will fit in which, as a parent, is a real concern. </p>