<p>I’m a happy camper. She wrote the essay for UC application. Not perfect but there is something there. She needs to type it up before we can go clothes shopping for school. I won’t let her sister critique this essay yet, D1 can be brutal and D2 might not type it up. I want an electronic version.:D</p>
<p>Happy Labor Day, all.</p>
<p>Ds finally has finished his homework and is moving on to college stuff. First thing we did was weigh the offers of diversity fly-ins. Unfortunately, he doesn’t want to go to the colleges offering, even though they’re fine schools. He also doesn’t want to miss school or a football game or a cross-country meet or … You get the idea.</p>
<p>I’ve been keeping a to-do list for him on the computer, and that’s working well. Sometimes, I put questions. He likes crossing things off the list. And it’s there all the time so he can look and work on it as time allows and he’s moved to do so. Funny how sometimes college stuff is good procrastinating on homework and vice versa.</p>
<p>My kids really like the Harry Bauld book on writing essays. Lots of tips, info and good examples. Paperback and not to long. It’s been passed down from brother 1 to brother 2 and now to brother 3 without me saying a word…</p>
<p>Afternoon, all Ive been reading with interest and appreciation, even though I havent had that much to add, as our family appears to be a little behind the schedules noted here, and the things that do need to be done on time, as well as much of the nagging, are being handled (god bless them!) by the College Counseling office at the boarding school. </p>
<p>That being said, we are organizing now! </p>
<p>I think I may have mentioned this a couple of months ago, but just in case for background ,we are tending toward the type of school that appears in 40 Colleges that Change Lives maybe not the exact list, but that kind of school. My brother went to one of those 40 colleges, around 20 years ago, and I went to a big brand name college 30 years ago I feel that my brother got the better education. My kids will I hope benefit from that experience. </p>
<p>I put up a googledocs spreadsheet for D13 and me, so we can keep notes and keep our thinking organized. There are a bunch of items on the check list size of school, size of town, music and sports offerings, majors, etc. Then at the top there are what I think are the make-or-break questions - what is the schools Secret Sauce what sets them apart from all other good schools. Why is this school a good fit. What might the downside be what is the thing that might make you think you had made the wrong choice, and can we offset with something good about the school. </p>
<p>So heres my question The secret sauce question is tying me up in knots. So many of the quick answers commitment to academics, rigor, diverse student body, even professors know their students are all good things, but you can say them about many of the smaller colleges. I have been trying to answer this by what is the student body interested in are they serious? Party animals? In-between? Label-conscious? Anti-material? Builders=up or breakers-down? Outward or inward focused? But I may be missing the mark there as well, and perhaps the real answer may be there isnt that much new under the sun, and there are a number of places that will bring good things out of your kid. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any thoughts on this? From the parent point of view rather than the kids, for a moment (heck, were paying the bill!), of the schools you have seen so far, what stood out to you?</p>
<p>Welcome, ss!</p>
<p>I’m with you on the “secret sauce” question. Ds1’s list looked all over the map, literally, but it made perfect sense to us. Each school met the base criteria, but each also had that certain something. The question was: Which certain something was he going to want come May of senior year?</p>
<p>When I think of ds2’s list the “special” things are as varied as the schools. For one school it’s flat-out prestige. For another, every person I know who graduated from there I like and respect; it must be doing something right. For another, it’s where I think there’s the greatest concentration of his “people.” For several, it’s location, but there are levels of selectivity at those schools, and each is quite different.</p>
<p>But the bottom line is, yes, I think he could be happy and challenged at any of the schools. We are all about “bloom where planted.”</p>
<p>D made some progress this weekend but not without some major drama and hair pulling. Yesterday morning she was freaking out about what all still needs to be done for apps, and her classes, and how she isn’t going to have ANY free time between now and November 1st. After about 1/2 hour of that, she returned to earth and got some things done. Submitted her last public U app and the Alabama scholarship app. Now all she really has left is the CA for two schools (neither of which requires a supplemental essay) and 3 honors college essays. She still needs to get her info sheets to the GC and 2 teachers for LOR’s, but hopefully she will be all done with her portion of the applications in a couple of weeks. (fingers crossed)</p>
<p>Summer homework is finally done!</p>
<p>Dreading the start of school tomorrow.</p>
<p>I put all the essay/ short answers for apps in a word doc. 17 of them so far. Ugh!</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using CC</p>
<p>I don’t know whether I’m grateful that colleges consider students holistically instead of just looking at the numbers, or whether I’d just rather they look at the numbers. All this busy work seems ridiculous.</p>
<p>Ezilyamused ~ most days I think I would prefer just going by the numbers instead of the completely subjective…I mean holistic…approach. ;)</p>
<p>It would be great if ALL colleges accepted the CA. A lot less stress on the kids. Or even better, a checklist of each kid’s attributes that computers could read, instead of essays. College wants a math major who also plays the stand-up bass AND volunteered for a political campaign? Blonde hair and 5" 11" ?</p>
<p>My son made a video that relates to the EC he wrote his short essay on. He wants to include a link to the video but we can’t decide where the link should go. Should he put it where he lists the EC in the activities section, at the end of his essay about the ec, or include it as additional information?</p>
<p>I’d put it in add’l info.</p>
<p>Ds and I had a great talk. Seems that he’s missing out on some fun stuff because he’s busy with homework and college stuff (to be frank, he’s the most academically minded of his friends). I told him that he’ll be thrilled to have been done early when they’re all freaking out in December. He pointed out that when he’s ready to go out then THEY couldn’t go out. Hmmmm, I see his point. Oh well. :)</p>
<p>BTW, I just checked Naviance, and 98 colleges already have scheduled visits this fall. That’s nuts!</p>
<p>‘Secret Sauce’…to me there has to be something distinctive and unique about the school. Many LACs are indistinguishable from each other, same for state flagships. Really, is there that much difference between, say Indiana and Iowa? What about Denison and Gettysburg?</p>
<p>What makes each distinctive? For LACs and us…Rhodes is in an urban area and has a distinctive emphasis on community service. Centre College has a 4 week winter term with all kinds of really neat classes and study abroad opportunities. Wooster has their senior ‘thesis’. Nothing stood out for us at Dension so it was never on the list. Find something unique that really attracts you to the school.</p>
<p>Less than 5 hours till DS can fill out and submit the app for his #1 school…He has checked at least 10 times today to see if it’s up yet! To bad that he won’t find out till 01/07/13 if he’s in…</p>
<p>After working for seven hours today my friends and I went to the mall then had a Labor Day cookout with ourselves. About twenty of us crammed into a backyard. It was a great way to end the summer.</p>
<p>I finally start senior year tomorrow! I’m a freshmen orientation leader, which means that while the rest of my senior class gets to go to homeroom at 10 (and have a three hour school day since they all get early dismissal the first day) I get to come in at 7 and be there until 3. Yay!</p>
<p>I have shrunk my Common App essay down to 535 words… UGH whyyyy does there have to be a stupid limit. 35 words. That’s like, two sentences for me. But two sentences are also really crucial in my essay. Honestly, every word that is in my essay thus far means something, or contributes to what I’m trying to say. I don’t have any frivolous words like “very” or anything like that. It’s so frustrating!</p>
<p>swizzle, an admissions rep recently told us that the common app this year doesn’t actually limit it to 500 words, so if you need it a little longer, I think it can fit.</p>
<p>anniezz:</p>
<p>“Please write an essay <a href=“250-500%20words”>B</a>** on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below. This personal essay helps us to become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself.”</p>
<p>anniezz I heard that too, even though it says 250-500 words it isn’t a hard limit. So you’re probably good swizzle! Have fun at your first day of school.</p>
<p>Yes, there’s a stated limit. But the application does not prevent you from writing longer than the stated limit unlike other prompts where your words will be cut off once the character limit is reached.</p>
<p>^^perhaps to see if the student can follow directions.</p>