<p>olderwisermom-loved your description of your son’s day. He sounds like a great young man.</p>
<p>fogfog-yes, what you learned about outside scholarships is exactly what happened for our '09 daughter. The outside scholarships eliminated her work-study and student contribution. For a student who doesn’t have time to work, this is a big positive. My daughter still wanted to work, so she got a job outside the work-study program. The family EFC is whatever it is, and the scholarships reduce your need.</p>
<p>As far as reducing incentive for applying for scholarships-we didn’t know if she would get any of the scholarships she was applying for, so it was well worth it. We didn’t know if she would end up at a full-need but very pricey school or a less expensive option. She wanted to apply for these scholarships, so she did. One is renewable every year, so her student contribution is covered each year.</p>
<p>If you felt a slight tilt of the earth’s axis this afternoon it was caused by my huge sigh of relief as my D hit her first submit button. After being 99% done with it last week she froze up at the last minute but somehow today her mood must have been just right because she went ahead and did it. I am hoping that first one gets things rolling. Of course it was a very simple, no essay app but its something! Its actually one of her top choices but because it requires an audition it will be long while before we hear anything. But my D has applied to college! I’m all verklempt! Oreo milkshakes on the house! (that’s how she’s celebrating).</p>
<p>LeftofPisa - YEAHHHHH!!! I know that happy dance, it was great! I think my ds thought long about having to revise that essay, to redo the activities…at some point, you just have to pull the trigger. Congrats!!</p>
<p>Tonight is senior night at football where the seniors of the band, colorguard, cheerleaders and football team are recognized along with their parents. I hate this sort of thing you know, but I will be happy once it is done. Terrible that I have a “photo-op” phobia but there it is. My ds is the opposite so he holds me up. </p>
<p>Oh, and got to see the Pitt letter, no honors college letter inside, boohoo. I think without superscore he has a 1420 (m+cr), with superscore it’s 1450 but that ain’t high enough I guess. I’d love to know when merit offers would be released, that would be nice.</p>
<p>Love this group too, it’s like our little internet coffee shop or Cheers, depending on whether we are drinking that day!</p>
<p>I am new to this group but thought I would jump in for advice. My son thinks he needs “help” (read an essay coach $$) to help him start and complete his essay for the common app. He is really not lazy, just very stressed and busy with school and by the time the homework and clarinet practice is completed at night, he has nothing left. I have nagged, set a deadline for him (his request…didn’t work), sent him to a “how to write a college essay” night, nothing seems to get him moving. He does NOT want advice from mom or dad and seems to snap when we try to help. Everything he does start, he hates and it is back to a blank sheet of paper.</p>
<p>Have any of you used a neutral, coach-type person to help guide your son or daughter to the finish line! We can’t really figure out if this is avoidant behavior, nerves about going away to college, or what but the clock is ticking here.</p>
<p>Welcome Shell. A few random thoughts. There are many articles, books and websites with samples of good and not so good essays. Maybe reading one of those will help. Will he let you or your husband be the transcriber? He could dictate the essay in raw form for one of you to write or type. He then could edit. My son had trouble getting started so we just brainstormed, writing down lots of ideas until a few stuck. Is there a teacher, aunt, cousin, friend he can pitch ideas with?</p>
<p>Where in MA are you? What type of schools is your S interested in?</p>
<p>Does he have a topic idea? I got a few books from the library (“50 Successful College Essays” or something like that) to give him examples. That made it seem less daunting because they were ok essays, sure but it wasn’t like shakespere or Tolstoy. “College essay” sounds so ominous. Other books I have around kept stressing to “show” not “tell.” In the end, the nice english teacher assigned it, and it miraculously got done sometime between 11 pm and 5 am the next day. The thing I love about his essay is that I feel his passion when I read it, I know noone but he could have written this, it is so him spread on paper…it breathes life into his statistics, like he was there with the adcomm for an interview.</p>
<p>Paying for help will likely not change things much. At very least I would make him pay part of the cost, maybe on a 2-1 or 3-1 ratio, so that he has something at stake. Otherwise, if you just pay for a coach, it is essentially free to him.</p>
<p>Brainstorm a set of topics, and then work with him to come up with good first sentences. Say “just give me one paragraph before dinner.” Break it down in to very manageable chunks that aren’t so intimidating.</p>
<p>Good to see so many acceptances rolling in.</p>
<p>We should have had the rolling admission safety acceptance by now, but they say they don’t have S’s transcript. School sent a direct fax # to have guidance fax it, which S sent on to the guidance counselor. She said they would take care of it, then said the transcript was sent and they received confirmation that it was received. My S interpreted this to mean they had re-sent it this week, but I think it means they checked their records and decided it was sent 2 months ago, so they won’t bother to re-send it. I’m afraid I’m going to have to step in and go to the school to insist they re-send the darn thing. It’s driving me totally bonkers!</p>
<p>Hire a private counselor for essay help. This seems perfect for your situation. He or she will set deadlines, edit, etc and give mom a huge break. Obviously if you can’t afford it, there is nothing to discuss but if you can this seems an odd thing to try to save money on! Fwiw, most kids in our neck of the woods work with private counselors to some extent.</p>
<p>Concise Advise is a great essay book by a CC poster, digmedia (Robert Cronk) It is on amazon and kindle and maybe other places…idk, but that is where I saw it and downloaded it via kindle. It has a quick, great approach to the essay process and your son will be writing away in no time. My D is a good writer, but this made her essays even better. JMO</p>
<p>Shell, for what its worth, my S is with a counselor right now having her look at his first draft of an essay. This counselor was reasonably priced for our budget ($50 an hour), and its been worth every penny to avoid having to nag S to work on his college applications. Our house has been very peaceful in that regard this fall. He doesn’t meet with her often (I think we’ve paid less than $200 total so far), but she keeps him on track with the timing for the essays. She’s helped him figure out a game plan for when do to what applications, and its kept him organized and less stressed. Could my H or I have done this with him? Absolutely, but having a third party involved, rather than a parent, has kept the procrastination down, and lets us focus on other aspects of the college search with him. That to me has probably been more valuable than the feedback she has given him on his essays.</p>
<p>It really depends on your student and your budget.</p>
<p>Wow, I’ve been busy (see below) and missing in action. I returned here and look at all the progress! I’m so happy to read about good news arriving. Congrats to those whose kids have received an acceptance already.</p>
<p>I felt relief when S2 pushed the button on his 3 EAs because 2 were common app schools and it seemed at the time like he would be all set for his remaining RD schools. However… in reality, we see he has an awful lot of apps which are due on Dec 1 (and the UCs on Nov 30). Because most of these require horrific (hee!) supplements with extra essays and sometimes even creative writing samples and project resumes and art portfolios and special LORs and even in-person portfolio/interviews to be scheduled, I have recently begun re-freaking. If your student has not, within the past few weeks, changed his/her major focus to a BFA-type program that requires a lot of extra essays–please thank your lucky stars. The good news part is my S2 seems happier than ever with his direction. But he has an unexpectedly huge amount of work still ahead–and I feel I have a new amount of wrangling ahead, too.</p>
<p>In light of the above, please let me pass out some leftover Halloween candy–all chocolate and all still quite fresh. Slithytove has already shared some. How about the rest of you?</p>
<p>Lost a safety today - spent the day at a music competition at a local U that D thought she liked enough to go to, but today realized it’s too close and too familiar (even though it has other characteristics that do suit her). It’s OK - she has others. Good to know, anyway.</p>
<p>But she is more solid about the safety idea in general - after talking to a girl there who does not have any (also in performing arts, because of the low acceptance rates at audition schools). My D said to me later that she would never do that. She wants to be in college next year.</p>
<p>I think this brings her list to 9 now, with one absolute safety (which she’ll have to visit in the spring, eek) and one shocking-if-she’s-not-accepted-but-won’t-count-our-chickens-yet school that she has visited and likes plenty.</p>
<p>I think raw score for 10/23 ACT should be online Monday, no? It usually takes them about 2 weeks. She’s about ready to hit submit for her light-supplement CAs, so that will happen in the next few days … might let her wait until we see that score … but if it isn’t done by Weds, I’ll make cyber cookies for the gang!</p>