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<p>@Shoboemom, by all means discuss senior year and college with your child. I was just attempting to convey to everyone to not make the topics the focus of all or a majority of your conversations. What worked for me, and that I mentioned a while back, is to set aside time each week where senior year and college is the focal point. Hoosier96 and I both like Sundays for these discussions, and I always converse with BHG when she brings up school in any shape or form, but let her lead the discussion as I listen and give opinions, advise, or answers. </p>
<p>Yes, BHG looked at Wellesley, and has been on campus to visit my BF’s daughter several times over the past 3 years, but my D will not apply to Wellesley due to a lack of merit aid. </p>
<p>@dustypig – mine is also leaning towards smaller schools (and we are in CA too)</p>
<p>I was reading the essay forum and somebody posted CollegeEssayOrganizer.com. This website is free and keeps you posted as to when your particular school’s essay prompts are posted for 2014-2015. It already has a few schools listed- UVA, UNC, etc. While it sounds nice, is there a big difference in this website versus looking on the individual school’s website for the essay prompts? I guess this consolidates things for you. </p>
<p>I made a binder. Almost all of D’s due dates are November 1 or later with the exception of two schools that want the common app in by October 15 and the rest of the application ( transcripts etc) within 2-3 weeks after that. I am not sure how long it takes for the tests to be submitted. When we did this 3 years ago all of the tests were sent in very fast ( within 2 weeks) but some on CC say it can take 6 weeks, leading me to think we will send them in August (?) or the very beginning of September just in case. </p>
<p>She has one rolling admissions school that does not have a date ( Pitt). </p>
<p>@Twogirls, I am all for consolidation, efficiency, and time saving tools. A minute saved is a minute earned. Now to go check out CollegeEssayOrganizer.com. </p>
<p>@MamaBear16, which schools are you looking at?</p>
<p>Oh, and welcome to ClubAcres!</p>
<p>Thanks BHM!! After you check it out can you tell us what you think? It goes without saying that we all value your opinion. </p>
<p>@dustypig – still don’t know for sure. We visited a bunch in CA, and are thinking about the ones in the PNW. She also likes smaller universities, so it’s been tough. I would feel much better about this process if there was a real “list” at this point.</p>
<p>I think the idea of setting aside a time to focus on the college stuff is smart. It gives you a time to set goals for the week, and then to follow-up. I think D might like that idea. @Bunheadmom, I do get what you mean, that that is your plan, and that the idea is to have some times that are college talk free. I think that is also smart, and I keep telling myself to do it, but then…D will often catch me catching myself, i will almost start to say something, then stop myself, but she can tell by the expression on my face that I want to talk college, and she will ask what it is. </p>
<p>D had Wellesley on her list long ago. It was her first favorite (We haven’t visited.) but then crossed it off because she did get the impression that the work might be too intense, but their brochures and website have put it back at the top of the list. It would be a reach for her, and not an easy place to visit for us, so it may have to be an ‘apply and visit if you get accepted’ school. It is an interesting place. The vibe of their publications is quirky and fun, but it does seem to have the reputation of being very intense in its coursework.</p>
<p>College board has an organizer too, it tracks and gives you reminders of due dates for your selected schools. I haven’t done much with it yet, but wondered if anyone else has?</p>
<p>Thanks for the list BHM. I too love the no college, no senior year time. S hasn’t mentioned anything, but I feel like I throw senior/college things out at him too often. Reminder to leave it alone sometimes is always good.</p>
<p>After reading your list I’m especially grateful S decided to stay home this summer so he can focus on admissions, ACT test prep and essay drafts.</p>
<p>@twogirls – I love the idea of being able to find the essay prompts all in one place. Did you try out that website?</p>
<p>Okay, the College Essay Organizer is pretty neat, but to use the most useful feature of “Write only X essays for your X required questions” requires an ‘upgrade’ with a fee of $49.00. For example, BHG needs to write 17 essays for 12 schools, but could reduce this number 8 essays total with the assistance of CEO for the low price of $49.00. I added 2 additional schools from BHG’s might apply list, went back to remove these two schools from the CEO list, and can not figure out how to get them off. A student can select up to 25 schools; however, that is an insane amount of schools to have to write essays for by deadlines. </p>
<p>The free account features are as follows:</p>
<p>Your free account includes:
All your required essay questions, including many not found on the applications or Common App (accuracy is guaranteed)
The number of each college’s optional, program-specific, special applicant, and scholarship essay questions
Each essay’s exact length listed by word limit or character count
Deadlines for regular decision, early decision (I and II), early action, rolling admission, and special programs
Each college’s key stats (including SAT, ACT, and GPA)</p>
<p>The $49.00 Essay Roadmap Features are as follows:
Your Essay RoadMap® includes:
All your essay questions, including required and optional, program-specific, and scholarship questions not found on the Common App
A personalized writing plan that shows how your questions overlap, so you write the fewest essays possible
Instant notifications when your colleges’ new essay questions are posted for 2014-2015
Ability to upload, edit, and track the status of your essay drafts so you can work wherever and whenever
Ability to add or drop colleges from your list at anytime
<a href=“http://www.collegeessayorganizer.com/”>http://www.collegeessayorganizer.com/</a></p>
<p>I am game, and will pay the $49.00 to keep my hair as grey free as possible over the next 6-10 months. </p>
<p>@BunHeadMom – we are seeing the same thing. But I am trying to see if (for no $$$) it’s a good place to just see all the upcoming essay prompts. So far it seems ok, but my cub added in a college she doesn’t want to apply to and now she can’t get it off her account.</p>
<p>@MamaBear16, the only way to remove the unwanted schools is to upgrade to the Essay RoadMap level at $49.00. I am waiting for BHG to return from her father’s to see if she thinks the program would help. I think it would, and will have BHG subscribe under her college app Gmail account. </p>
<p>Now to go visit the essay writing forum–did not know it existed until @Twogirls mentioned the thread. </p>
<p>Thx for the info - I just signed up on the site @twogirls mentioned. I like their twitter - they tweet “Alerts” when the schools update.
Looks as though W&M does not have a supplemental essay anymore. “Common App is accepted but no supplemental essays are required”, is what it says on the College Essay Organizer site.
I checked W&M’s site and they seem to have swapped it out for “Member Questions”? Will be interested to see what those are.</p>
<p>Sounds interesting BHM. I may take a look at it and see what the free stuff is all about. Thank you for giving your feedback!! </p>
<p>We have visited about 20+ schools for D15. So far she crossed off SUNY Geneseo ( too small and quiet), Boston U ( too urban), Northeastern ( she did not like the campus, she thought it was too " business- like" for her), Lafayette ( too small and quiet), U of Richmond ( too small- this school is gorgeous and feels like a country club), Cornell ( loved the school but we won’t get a dime and the school costs over $60,000 so it came off of my list), Duke ( she did not " feel it"), U of Delaware ( was on the list as a safety but was recently removed because although it’s a great school, she is not sure of the fit and feels she fits in much better at Bing), UConn ( we visited to satisfy my curiosity. She was not even interested in getting out of the car. It’s a nice school but not good for her), and Muhlenberg ( too small). Our last visit before we send in the apps is Vanderbilt, which is a reach for everybody and not a school that I thought we should visit, but we are… The final list consists of 12. </p>
<p>I think a common theme here is that she does not want a small, quiet ( for her), school- she nixed 4 of them. I kind of feel like we are running all over looking for schools when we have perfectly good ones in our state. </p>
<p>We are down to 4 instate; 3-4 outstate and 2 maybe 3 in Canada.
The list has not change since April ACT scores and no real change with June except makes her number 1 choice a real Financial safety if we went up 2 points.</p>
<p>Sunday college talk: concerned emailing CG to review first app for approval. That’s it this week . She has completed the out line for the common app; info; demographics and EC’s. I think this approach is working. 
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