Yeah, I think some combination of burnout and pushback and maybe a little bit of fear is in this kind of thing. And I agree about deadline effects. Remember that junior year is tough on kids, and then they’re expected to spend summer working on college apps… when all they want is some time to breathe and relax. Went through this with D19 too. No essay forthcoming throughout summer and first month (aug/sept) of school…for a kid that was planninh on an ED app. I was worried, college counselor was worried… , finally, she started working properly on it about mid-October. Application went in one day before the Nov 1 deadline, with two great essays, done in her own time and unmistakably her own voice.