<p>^^The greatest fallacy of the CA IMO.</p>
<p>^^ Well, it saves your kids from entering your address 15 times. :)</p>
<p>I think having the supplements serves a couple of important functions. First, the CA essays are so generic that determining fit would be almost impossible without some additional “Why State U?” questions. Second, if the supplemental essays did not serve to weed out some frivolous applications, we would see students applying to 15 or 20 or 30 schools simply because it was just one more text box (and about $100 of Mummy and Daddy’s money). That would make the late spring musical chairs/waiting list problem even worse than it has become.</p>
<p>The common app process really saves the high schools a lot of time and makes management of all of their recommendations and counselor letters much more streamlined.</p>
<p>I wasn’t trying to say that the CA doesn’t save time or that it’s not worthwhile, but rather that since most schools have detailed supplements, kids that think that it’s reasonable to apply to 15-20 schools because they use the CA are not seeing the whole picture.</p>
<p>UT, my kid’s GC has to do it all by hand–it’s not online. So no time savings there, sadly.</p>
<p>I find the multiple supplements incredibly time-consuming and daunting for my D. Even those that just have short, list-type answers are time-consuming because D wants to make sure the list is “well-written”.</p>
<p>“Mommy, do you really think a bulleted list is what they want? Shouldn’t I make it into a real paragraph?.. But, what if we’re wrong?” Aargh!</p>
<p>I think the thing with CA is $…someone makes some nice money being the clearinghouse for all of this…</p>
<p>Frankly what is the dif if my kiddo does 7-8 apps that are all different…??
Kiddo has several longish essays, and half a doz other short takes, statements, Other etc etc…
all which can be manipulated/cut/paste into an app…
other than the address and parental stuff…hardly anything really crosses over from supplement to supplement…</p>
<p>That said, kiddo has no prob writing another essay–it actually hasn’t ocurred to kiddo to recycle anything–so I am not saying a word until as kiddo works through the list and we see what is in the supplements, and how EA does, one school doesn’t use the CA at all… </p>
<p>Anyone with big plans this weekend?
Our kiddo is away this weekend visiting a school. Looking forward to hearing the details …we wont be emailing/calling/texting and told kiddo to only reach out to us if there is a need/emergancy that can’t be handled onsite. Will be interesting since kiddo will have gone to class etc and spent a Fri night with other students…will get an eyeful I am sure…
So no apps work this weekend. I expect come Sunday it will be hw and sleep. ;o)</p>
<p>as for my '14…its just about the right time for kiddo2 -like others are the hs–to be getting a cold. Heard some coughing this am…must be that the kids have been around eachother long enough to share summer germs… yet why is it they start feeling badly when the weekend rolls around!?</p>
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<p>Well, tonight our HS football team plays the team ranked #1 in the country. If we score at all it will be a big deal. Glad I’m not the parent of a player - I’d be worried sick. The guys on the other team are really (really!) big.</p>
<p>Weekend plans - For me it’s ‘Stay calm!’</p>
<p>S has a fundraiser car wash (for NHS?) and the Homecoming Dance. Hopefully, he will find some time for his scholarship application. And maybe for the EA app as well. Its almost done; I think that he could finish it in about 20 mins. It would make me feel better, if he has at least one app done.</p>
<p>Big plans? Not for me, well except for a neices wedding reception. She lives in Seattle and got married there last week. Hometown reception this weekend. Should be fun. 10yo D is attending a bday party this weekend for one of her friends turning 10yo. We live in Boston, they are traveling to someplace in CT where The Cake Man has his bakery, picking up the bday cake, then traveling to NYC to have fun for the weekend. How did bday parties get so out of hand?</p>
<p>S had his current english teacher review his essay. He got some tips and feels it will be ready for final review next Wed. At that time he will have his AP english teacher review and hopefully he can start submitting some apps soon. I plan to have him start submitting first to the rolling app schools then work his way down to the EA ones. I want it all complete by Nov 1.</p>
<p>For those of you worried about throwing the mountains of college materials away because your child might have second thoughts and need more choices…everything that’s in the printed materials is available on line – or in print from the admissions offices. You might be throwing out a priority/free fee mailing…but…if your child is having second thoughts as they are finishing up applications …paying the fee may be the least of your worries.</p>
<p>While the glossy literature and nice letters can peak an interest in schools that weren’t on the radar — so can one of the free online “match” services. Maybe even CC has one…</p>
<p>missypie- good luck with the football game! </p>
<p>keylime - Hope school makes a lot of money for homecoming dance. I am with you on apps, I would feel so much better once he starts hitting submit. Of course, once that starts it means money out of my pocket for apps, SAT and ACT submittal. H thinks the money is small change, but when it is all added up it is not trivial.</p>
<p>fogfog-may have missed it, but is your S going with a group to visit a school?</p>
<p>I think the suppliments are time consuming also. S will just knock one off at a time and reuse what he can.</p>
<p>No big plans for the weekend. D has an interview tomorrow for an OOS school. I was hoping she would catch up on some rest/sleep tonight and do some prep for the interview. But apparently, today is Friday and tonight is her night off 
Can’t argue with that - but when is she going to prep? After practice tomorrow morning was the answer. Guess I’ll have to live with that!!</p>
<p>She hasn’t had her essay reviewed by her English teacher as yet. Apparently, he told her that she should bring the essay and just spend a few minutes with him as he read it. And she hasn’t found the time for that yet…</p>
<p>Patience, patience and deep breaths…that’s what I need…</p>
<p>Have a good weekend folks!</p>
<p>What’s driving us nuts is not the printed material entering the house, but the letters and emails offering “priority applications” with no app fee. My D says, hey, why not? and I feel she’ll be setting herself up for disappointment. I know that many offer great scholarships, but we’re really leaning towards the SUNY’s and the deal that they offer. </p>
<p>She’s spent the summer working 60 hours a week, and now that school’s started, she’s taking 4 AP’s and spends every afternoon at cheerleading practice, 2 nights a week dancing, and Fri & Sat nights working, so now it’s come down to crunch time and getting that essay written! Looking forward to an acceptance or two under our belt!</p>
<p>Well I’ve been away from this thread for awhile. However, I did have to celebrate because S got his ELC notification letter today in the mail. Even though we expected it, it was still pretty nice to receive. ELC status basically guarantees him admittance at the mid-level UCs, which eliminates the need for any other safeties. Now if I could only get him excited about attending one of these schools! Like Aniger’s student, my S hasn’t exactly embraced the Love Thy Safety concept.</p>
<p>bella-we had the same quandry regarding free/priority apps. S has 12-13 schools on his list now. I am not sure I want to add any more, but “free” and “priority” are tempting. Finally, I just decided we are done, unless the school with the free app offers something S can’t get elsewhere it is not going on the list.</p>
<p>Hopefully those of you whose kids have a long list of apps will have those trimmed down as your child starts getting tired of spending all of his/her time working on them. When my S reached seven, he stopped. There were a few more schools I wanted him to look at. He said he was happy with all seven, would go to any of them and there was no point looking for more. Three s/b ‘safeties’ but who knows.</p>
<p>Hoping he gets second school submitted this weekend. If so, then he’ll only have the common app school to tidy up. I think I see the light in the tunnel. Speaking of tunnel, hubby and I watched The Taking of Pelham 123 tonite. Definitely recommend.</p>
<p>I remember last year there were many CC families who received 8, 9, 10 acceptances and the high number just added more stress and more road trips.</p>
<p>This is when I start to think that a highly specific major, and a limited budget, comes in handy. Three schools. One ‘love thy safety’, one match, and one that he looks good on paper but we know is a reach. Even with three, the tug between the top two are very tight. If admissions doesn’t make the choice for him, I have no idea what he’ll decide. Would it be wrong for me to wear t’shirts from the school that’s my top choice from now til April? Would that be obvious? :)</p>
<p>NOTE: For the NYT that likes to stalk us, if you’re out there watching…I’M KIDDING!!</p>
<p>Common App and supplement for first choice school are in the hopper!!!</p>
<p>D had a half-day today, and finished the final (4th) draft of her essay. I cried. Again. She said, “You cry every time you read it?” I said, “For now, yes. Maybe not after a few more readings, but right now, it still gets me.” I’m weepy these days.</p>
<p>She finished the Common App soon after…asked me to look it over and when we both could find nothing else to add or correct…SHE CLICKED SUBMIT! We just looked at each other. I can’t believe this thing we’ve been reading about/learning about/fearing since last year is done! She’ll have a couple other supplements, but thinks she’ll finish those all up tomorrow.</p>
<p>Can that be right? That by tomorrow night we’ll be done with everything except auditions? OMG!..</p>