<p>We are back home from visiting DS-2011 at his study abroad program in Edinburgh. We had a great time and DD-2014 could finally relax for a couple of days. She is now awaiting the EA decisions from 2 of her top choice schools and one backup with rolling admisssion. She still has three RD apps to finish before the end of the month. Then we wait some more!</p>
<p>Congrats to all of the new acceptances and scholarships!</p>
<p>Study abroad in Edinburgh… WOW!! My DS14 would be jealous… he spent a few weeks there over the summer putting on a play at the Fringe Festival and fell in love. He can hardly wait to go back there.</p>
<p>Winter break is indeed going to be interesting <em>cough</em> stressful, @incadinca. Our remaining important applications aren’t due until 1/15 or 2/1, but there a couple due 1/1 that need essays and I’m wondering if they are going to get done…</p>
<p>Hi all! </p>
<p>This thread is becoming a bit hard to keep up with! 
I try to read-back every chance I get, but I’m always so far behind. </p>
<p>Congrats to everyone who has gotten great news since the last time I posted!! ;)</p>
<p>Does anyone NOT like their child’s essays? I think I’ve posted about this before - but I really don’t. And she is much too strong willed for me to bring up even possibly changing anything - it just ticks her off and makes her even more determined to not show me essays and not change a word. </p>
<p>Sigh.</p>
<p>They’re just so … analytical. Which makes sense in a way - she’s a debate/mock trial kid who’s very used to writing arguments. So her essays ARE really her personality. But I don’t know … I hate reading the topics of other kid’s essays … “Seasame Street”, “Change in the bottom of my mother’s purse”, “Lady Gaga vs Mozart” … yowza. So NOT my kid’s essays. </p>
<p>About 10 more days to go to find out the ED outcome of her dream school. Whatever will be will be! No false illusions about her chances either … she’s in the sweet spot for the history of accepted students BUT so are 3,432,404 of the other applicants.</p>
<p>And I still need to put the Christmas decorations up.</p>
<p>My S is leaving his application to the one high reach school on his list for the period between Christmas and New Year’s. Since it is a high reach, he figures he might as well take chances and be fanciful with the essays and that is the right time of year for it.</p>
<p>Congrats to 4beardolls on the Coca-Cola advancement! Good luck in the next round!!</p>
<p>Welcome SoWest (and others that I may have missed!)</p>
<p>Congrats to all the Tulane acceptances!!</p>
<p>DS received an e-mail from an admissions rep yesterday. He said he was very impressed and the essay was vivid - he felt like he was there with him. I liked the essay, but I knew the story behind it so I was hoping others could grasp his personality through it. He chose to write about a place where he is perfectly content - he described one of his treks at Philmont with the Boy Scouts. Anyway, the rep said to be watching the mail for his admission decision and scholarship info! One more down, 4 to go!</p>
<p>I am right there with you, KaMaMom! Creative and writing just don’t go together for my DS. He is almost always defeated before he even gets started! He gave it his best shot, but he thinks he is just not cut out to write the way he sees in all the essay examples out there. I think he may have a career in technical writing. LOL.</p>
<p>incadinca …</p>
<p>I think though, or I would like to think, that what we read as “typical” essays here on CC are very skewed.</p>
<p>Kind of like when someone posts that their bummed out & clinically depressed by their 2200 SAT score.</p>
<p><insert major="" eyeroll="" here=""></insert></p>
<p>Because truely, in what world is that score something to NOT be celebrated? Only on CC.</p>
<p>I’d like to think it’s the same w/ essays. Or I hope, rather. That the really unique subject titles we read about here are very much in the minority.</p>
<p>At least this is what I’m going to attempt to brainwash myself to believe.</p>
<p>@austinareadad Cracks me up!</p>
<p>@KaMaMom My S suffered so much over the main CommonApp and ED supplemental essays it killed any desire to apply to more schools that require new essays. I have suggested he add a couple of sentences to the main essay to suit a couple schools that don’t have supplements but even that may not happen. Kinda analytical and kinda dreamy, sort of captures my kid. In the end I’m reasonably happy but we’ll just have to see what the adcoms think.</p>
<p>A little tense in our house as we wait for ED decisions - could be any day or early next week! My S knows I am checking for when “the word” is out. He told me “As soon as you hear anything - send me a text!” Waiting is very hard! This school is one of the earliest to send out their decisions which I actually appreciate!</p>
<p>Congratulations to Beadymom’s son! I am so hoping that my 8th grader’s trip to Philmont this summer makes a great impression on him! I’m not hoping for a college application essay, just a life-changing experience. ;D</p>
<p>My son is class of 2016 and going to Philmont this summer…in addition to a great experience, I hadn’t even thought of it as possible essay fodder!</p>
<p>My daughter’s essay was exactly 650 words, so no room for additions!</p>
<p>KaMamom, I am SO there with you on the essays. DS absolutely hates to write. Detests it. Despises it. </p>
<p>We settled for very vanilla essays that at least weren’t horrible. I’m just hoping his grades and SAT scores will be good enough that the readers skim the essays really REALLY fast!</p>
<p>KaMaMom - You are so right about CC. I get myself so worked up being here and get stuck in comparisons that sometimes I have to take a break from it all for a while. The chance me threads are ridiculous. It really bothers me when kids list all their ECs, which are at least TWICE the amount my son has, and then call themselves losers and expect not to get into their dream school because of their incredible dearth of ECs! And then there is always a know-it-all adult frequent CC poster who comes on and tells them that it’s all a crapshoot anyway and that you shouldn’t even hope… especially with that crummy 690 SAT. True example.</p>
<p>KaMaMom, I haven’t been allowed to see my kid’s essays at all…so at least that solves the problem of deciding whether or not I like them!</p>
<p>We got to see our guy’s essay - right after he told us he had hit the submit button. Fortunately, I thought it was pretty good…</p>
<p>With you all regarding essay writing. Son '14 just does not like to write, so getting him to do the essays for honors programs or some schools has been a challenge. He still needs to complete one for a big scholarship and rework another for a school. This was not an issue for his older brother, who is an outstanding writer. He’ll put that trait to good use as he’s decided to apply for law school during the holidays.</p>
<p>S doesn’t love writing, but he did manage to knock out a rough draft and that was the starting point we needed.</p>
<p>KaMaMom and my3gr8boyz – in the same boat here with the “woe is me with my 33 ACT” posts. It’s like complaining that your Porsche is in the shop.</p>
<p>Lots of stuff going on here. I have to say, I am continually appreciative of the kind, supportive tone we have on this thread. I made the mistake of starting another thread in the Cafe (haven’t learned my lesson) and am just stunned by some of the comments people make. It’s like they’re on one of those reality shows where the actors just lash out for no reason (except to draw an audience and drive ratings). I mean, aren’t we all parents? Don’t we try to be better people because of that? </p>
<p>Back to our thread. S’s first decision won’t come out til Dec 20. I thought it was a “notify by” date (meaning it might come sooner) but I checked – it says “on” Dec 20.</p>
<p>Really could use one acceptance around here.</p>
<p>Popping in for a quick look at how everyone is doing. The conversation here reminds me of how far behind we are in this application process so I try to not read too often. 
But a hearty congratulations to all of the kids with new acceptances and scholarships/advancements in competitions! </p>
<p>Our latest issue is a drop in fall trimester grades and how to handle it with the schools on DCs’ list. The list has always been reach heavy due to the desire to apply to schools with excellent foreign language departments(no minor only programs) in a critical need language that is not available at many schools. We have been OK with this as our flagship university has an adequate program and DC has been admitted there already. But now we are now wondering if the rest of the applications should be scrapped due to the grade drops. The issue with scrapping the list is if we created a new one, there would be two options…fill it with different reach schools or give up on the dream to continue studying the language. This is DC’s primary academic interest. To keep things in perspective, the grades are still solid but what has always been a report card of mostly As with a few A-/B+ thrown in is now solidy A-/B+. </p>
<p>Any thoughts from parents who have been through something similar?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>