<p>MotherofTwo, other than through her yet to be verified psychic abilities, she could have no rational basis for not liking Kenyon. It is a very fine school and the equal of any on her admittedly haphazard looking list. I’m not pushing anything. My wife has had such great luck with Rice-nyet, Smith-nope, and Barnard-uh-uh I have learned not to get too invested in a particular school. I just want to see an app leave here going somewhere. Anywhere. In the next week. Instead? We are driving a couple hundred miles for an off-campus meeting with a Scripps adcom. Sooner or later, she has GOT to start writing essays and filling out apps.</p>
<p>curm - if your D were an S, I’d be a little worried about the whole thing. Mudgerella is not going to miss those deadlines! I’ll bet the squirrel on it!</p>
<p>Curmudgeon, I will ask you what my daughter asked me when she had gotten totally fed up with the nagging - “How many school deadlines have I missed before?” Answer: “One…, maybe, probably none” DD:“Then why do you think I would miss this one that is so very important?”. Mom has no good answer to that one, because DD is right.</p>
<p>She had a hard time with the essay - it is just not like any other essay she had ever written. Since she went ED to Dart, and they don’t require any supplementals (and she refused to prepare any extra piece of paper for any school, beyond the requirements), the Common App essay was even more important. I was a copy editor for a college publication, and although my skills are rusty, I categorically refused to read her essay because I felt I couldn’t keep from ruining it. I did finally read it and critique it because another adult who had been helping her had made many suggestions that she was quite reluctant to follow. Her first draft was truly awful. I agreed with the problems the other reviewer identified, but I also agreed with DD that the suggestions for improvement were even worse than the original essay. Her English teacher would only do one pass on college essays, so he had not yet read it. After several rewrites, I would have rated her essay as serviceable, not great, but I had taught her a lot about editing. Her short answer first draft was much better than her long essay, and the supplemental essays she wrote for her other schools each got progressively better.</p>
<p>My point of this long story is that they will do it when they are ready, but they may not have much real experience with producing this sort of written work, so be ready to guide. Suggest they start with the least important essay or maybe the topic that seems easiest. Be prepared for some rough weekends. If they are pretty good writers, and have strong senses of honesty and strong personalities, don’t be afraid of editing - they won’t be reluctant to say, “Mom, that’s a stupid sentence or a dumb idea” - but they still may see your point when you show that this particular phrase is weak, and you could substitute one of several words.
This, too, shall pass.</p>
<p>Cur, for bonus points – what’s unusual about Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds name?</p>
<p>ON the deadlines- if your kidddo has not missed deadlines before, that does not mean they know much about the college app process. Rather than nag, it could be effective to tackle making a list/chart of all the dealines- with special attention to those scary scholarship deadline before app deadline schools- post it for all to see, then drop the subject.</p>
<p>M freshman D called last night because her cell service was shut down- confusion over online billing vs forwarding the paper bill, not paid on time. Kinda their fault, kinda my fault, kinda her fault, but no cell service & probably a late fee. Yet, she never misses dealines- new & different things can be confusing…all cell phone bills can be confusing! It does not hurt to make sure all the deadlines are clear when something is so new & unique, like the college application-tribulation.</p>
<p>Mudge- you are such a clever writer, you truly should write a guidebook. Think of all the tax-deductible trips! The profits may get you out of the dog house, too!</p>
<p>On the college encouragement, my D was not very interested in heading east, but agreed to do visits & back up apps to to schools where her sport is good and the coaches are good- unusual sport so hard to come by that- she got in and got money at both schools, the coaches were both great people, but when her #1 choice came through, she dropped them like a lead balloon, “I never wanted to go there anyway, I just did that for you!” Argh! Of course, had #1 turned her down, those would have been necessary options!</p>
<p>Great reviews, Curmudgeon. I always enjoy reading your posts as I know I can depend on them for good information as well as great entertainment. :)</p>
<p>I always thought H,JF&R was a quartet–H,J,F&R (extra comma). Also hadn’t known that they were the T-Bones at one time and had the one hit “No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach is in)”. I loved that song!</p>
<p>Sorry, no opinion about the colleges under scrutiny. . .</p>
<p>Curmudgeon, I take great comfort in the fact that you are also worried about the slow application progress. My D hasn’t started her essays yet and has the standard common app essay as well as an essay on “her musical plans for 10 years down the road” for the conservatory app. Toss in the recording of the CD for audition screening, and it’s quite a delightful list of craziness. </p>
<p>I’ve made an extensive list of deadlines (regular apps, scholarship apps, music school apps) and have given the table to her. I have no confidence that she’s read it. And this is a kid who is generally responsible but not perfect when it comes to deadlines. I have had some success with scheduling specific times for her to work on these tasks. There were some items on one app that she needed info about (dates of parents’ degrees, etc) and she did ask for input on a few other items as we sat and she completed the info online.</p>
<p>I’m quickly learning that it will not be on my terms that this work is completed. She does need reminders (despite her irritation when they are delivered) but I can only do so much. One thing I’m doing more of is asking questions. I’m a fairly “directive” type and am working hard on modifying my orientation to allow more of her and less of me in the process. Approaching with, “Have you decided whether you want to attend the open house and audition at X on Y date?” and following up with, “Well, maybe you should send that card back today so that you can get another thing off your list” have been fairly successful. </p>
<p>Alas, it will be resolved on May 1, 2006 and I’m sure she will matriculate at a perfectly good institution of higher education. Then I can turn my worries to something else like how to survive the certain avian flu pandemic… ;-)</p>
<p>How about getting that rolling admit, admissions safety with merit money, therefore financial safety, school app in ASAP, then the rest is up to the kids- if they don’t apply anywhere else, you’ve got the safety covered ;)</p>
<p>iderochi, I give. I really don’t know what is unusual about their name. </p>
<p>ellemenope, I didn’t know THAT either.LOL.</p>
<p>Okay Cur – in the middle of their short lived career Reynolds left and was replaced. And they didn’t change the name of the band! I mean, it’s bad enough if a crucial member leaves a band and the band continues to carry on under the same name – which is what most of the “classic” bands touring today have done. But jeez – when your band is actually named after a member, and you keep going under the same name without him . . . You don’t see Crosby Still and Nash touring without David Crosby (although as often as he ends up in jail it might be something to consider).</p>
<p>CURMUDGEON - loved reading about your adventures on the school chase trail. Did you at one time consider Washington & Lee?? for some reason I recall chatting with you about that - just curious.</p>
<p>JeepMom, Wash and Lee was early on not only on the list but very high up on the list. It fell into disfavor, or more accurately less favor and its slot was taken by Hamilton. The Southern slots have been adequately covered by Centre and Rhodes, and Barksdale Honors at Ole Miss. She wanted some potential choices outside the south, hence Hamilton, Scripps, Bowdoin. There are more great schools out there than she can apply to and the choices on where to apply are not always rational but in this case they are at least “thoughtful”.</p>
<p>Curm:</p>
<p>Extra bonus points for the excellent musical accompaniment. I recognised the name of the group and the song, but was too young to catch on without the help of others :D</p>
<p>Cur,
We are going through very much the same thing here. D. seems to be at the point of hyper-critical-ness about every school on her list. I am beginning to suspect that it is more a matter of putting off actually sending in applications than anything. </p>
<p>We visited the U of Redlands yesterday - great school, pretty campus, D. had lunch with LAmom’s son who is a student there. BUT while she liked the university overall, she LOVED the Johnston Center program, which is a learning-living program where students construct their own course of study and even contract with professors about what they will study within the context of regular classes. </p>
<p>When we visited the main dorm for the Johnston Center, my daughter was ready to move right in but I felt like I was having a flashback of Berkeley circa 1969. The odd thing is that is not how I see my daughter at all, but that seems to be what she thinks she is looking for. After visiting the Johnston Center, she asked if we could add Evergreen to our trip north next month. I feel like college visits are never going to end, that we are stuck in an endless loop of visiting but never actually applying anywhere.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon, Loved your review. However, was the broccoli to crispy to result in a residual taste?LOL</p>
<p>carolyn, I think there is some truth in your speculation. BTW That program at Redlands caught my eye ,also.</p>
<p>Taxguy, in my experience the broccoli has to be raw to leave a floret tucked neatly between your teeth. I don’t believe steamed broccoli would have the staying power necessary to create the level of embarrassment that can be achieved with raw broccoli over time.</p>
<p>
Sounds like carolyn-heaven to me :p</p>
<p>I used to be quite excited to tour colleges, but now I’m just ready to get on with the process. Research phase is over! Time to get into application mode!</p>
<p>I don’t know about y’all, but I really hope I have a front row seat when D goes through this as a parent with her kids.</p>
<p>I am with you fireflyscout. Let’s meet in Huntsvlle and give them both a tour of SHSU then lock them in at the Motel 6 until they get at least one app a piece done. Heck, their schools overlap some. They can just pick one that does and work on it as a team.</p>