@MichiganGeorgia LOL Just learn all of Java before the class even starts. S17 is taking AP Comp Sci. I would be able to help but S17 probably won’t let him. We are going to fix his computer before the start of school though, and maybe I’ll get him to install Java.
Serious essay doldrums here. With 10 days to go before school starts, D has 10 known essays (3 are overlapping so shouldn’t take much time), 15 short answer questions, and 4 essays TBD. Since the 4 TBD won’t be available until after school starts, ideally she’d finish the 10 essays + 15 short answer questions. This seems very unlikely at this point with homework still left and she starts her new job next week. But I made a nice little chart in red on her to do list for her to see these scary numbers up close.
Her September is going to suck. Besides her 8 classes, she’s going to work more days and hours during the week than she’s done in the past, plus her extracurriculars, and of course she can’t miss football games. Oh and sleep. She is certain she is going to become a super organized efficient machine. We shall see.
@nw2this Sorry to hear about the schedule. That would make me angry. Did you escalate it all the way up the chain?
How is everyone finding the activities section of the Common App? I now understand why it take so much time to complete. 10 lines is very limiting, even for my D that hasn’t done a gazillion things like some CC students. That section may be finalized last.
@itsgettingreal17 and everyone else. Saw this little write up about Activities section. Pretty basic info but it’s helpful…
You only get 150 characters: how do you make the most of them? Some tips:
- State role and organization name in top box, so you don’t waste characters in the lower, 160 character box. Instead of: (top box) School newspaper (description box) I am the editor for the school newspaper (And don’t repeat words!)
Try: (top box) Editor of International Column, School Newspaper
(description box) Responsible for brainstorming, revising, and supervising articles by other writers for my column.
- Emphasize tangible, measurable impact. Whom did your activity help? How many people? How much money did you raise?
Instead of: Raised money for children in Africa.
Try: Raised $3,000 to provide three uniforms and scholarships for students attending the Joseph Waweru Home School in Kenya (http://www.exop.org/home_school.html).
- Use active verbs to explain what you actually did (list your tasks). Instead of: Worked at a clinic doing different things. Try: Organized patient diagnosis notes, sterilized tools for surgeries, assisted with x-ray analysis.
- To fit in more info: use lists, don’t use complete sentences, cut extra words. Instead of: I raised money to donate to a school in Ghana in Africa by selling t-shirts and bracelets. Try: Arranged advertising events, organized fundraisers, and gave presentations at school meetings.
- Use the present tense if it’s something you still do. Instead of: I helped tour visitors around the campus and presented some information on school history and student life. Try: I give campus tours, providing info on school history, student activities, boarding life.
- Aim for variety in your list, making sure your verbs aren’t redundant. Instead of: Instructing, helping, teaching children tennis (how are these three different?) Try: Instructing in proper technique, while imparting lessons in sportsmanship, health and integrity.
- Include any responsibilities you had to demonstrate leadership skills. Instead of: I swim on the swim team. Try: Responsible for leading swim practices, planning fundraising events; assisting in recruiting process.
- What if there isn’t much to say, or it was a one-time event? Explain the significance of the activity: who did the event matter to and why? Rather than: Tutored students. Try: Provided support to fourth graders with particularly difficult math concepts.
- Avoid extreme language. Instead of: to help all those in need (or) to end poverty in the world Try: to help those in need (or) to aid in the fight against global poverty
- Use bigger words. Instead of: “Come up with” (or) “told people about” Try: Develop, brainstorm (or) advertised, marketed
One other question on the counselor section:
List of words you would use to describe this student.
I think those brag sheets that they are asking you as parents to fill out are being used to fill out some of these questions.
I have previewed several times, but I am not quite ready to hit submit.
Hitting Submit is the hardest part of doing an app I think.
@2muchquan I just decided to not hit submit until after the NMSF announcements go out. I will list that on the score area of her transcript once I know for sure.
See how freeing that is? Justified delay! 
@Gator88NE Your not kidding you were on a roll with the GT posts. It’s very high on my D17’s list.
Are you all really filling out the common app for your kids? At first I thought the comments were just homeschool parents who also have the role of teacher/guidance counselor. But the comments about the activities section has me wondering.
Reading those tips are things I know about a job resume, but I would have never thought to advise my kid to fill out the activities section that way. I’m pretty sure she has lots of name/member in her list. I would have thought that would be pretty typical but now I’m worried it will be compared to apps filled out by other kids parents.
@stlarenas I am not filling out anything other than the counselor section. She is on her own for the rest. I feel too involved as it is. Filling out everything for the counselor section puts a lot of pressure on me Bc her entire academic history falls on our decisions. The rest of the application is her responsibility.
Not filling out any applications here. D is doing it at all. At times she has asked me to sit by her as she does it. I am tempted to do it. But I am not.
Oh, the irony. :-?
@New2this wrote
That sucks! I’d be furious too. I have to say when people ask me if their kids should do the IB, I’m really hesitant to recommend it now because of what I’ve seen. D18 had her IB Psychology class cancelled this year because they had 25 kids and they wanted 30. The hoops they have to jump through to get stuff scheduled right is super stressful, things get cancelled (D17’s IB Comp Sci HL was cancelled last year), and this is in a HUGE 3000+ school. And there is one IB counselor who sometimes gets a little scattered.
I have seen it work well; D’s friend who is a year older than her successfully completed the full IB diploma, but that kid is a superhero and amazingly driven (went to an elite school for college). But I kinda think she’s the exception for IB, rather than the rule…
@itsgettingreal17 wrote
I don’t think she’s gotten to it yet. There is a minor bit of confusion on her part between the “honors” section and the activities section. Like if she finished 3rd in state for a robotics competition, is that an honor or an activity? Do honors have to be school-given or is it any competition? Ack. At least she’s not struggling with it under pressure. I just get questions like this that I’m like, let me go crowd source and I’ll get back to you.
@STEM2017 thank you so much for that list. I’m going to print it out and give it to her. You rock! \m/ It’s all common sense and straight up clear communicative writing, but the style of it is probably fairly new to some kids. D17 had to do some interviewing and resume building last year and I remember seeing stuff along these lines, but it’s so important to communicate concisely that it bears repeating.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek wrote
Yep, same here. September 14 is her common app launch date (that’s the day NMSF supposedly is announced). She’s doing a lot of non-linear application filling out. A bit here, a bit there, lots of writing.
@stlarenas I am not filling out the common app (or any applications) for her. Boy, that would make her feel incompetent, I would think. I don’t know her username or password for it, either. She’ll call me up to her room to go over stuff with her, and we’ll sit there together going over things until she’s had enough. It’s mostly that she fills stuff out and calls me up if she has a question, or she’ll fill stuff out and then have me look at it to make sure she didn’t miss something.
I’m her secretary/proofreader/database.
@lemetz hope your daughter is feeling better today!
@stlarenas I fill out the credit card information section. That’s it.
But I will admit I help him a lot with the rest of the sections, mostly feeding him ideas. It’s very tempting to say “move aside and let me do this” but as I said, I reserve that for the credit card section.
Our school demographics
White 76.0%
Hispanic 11.0%
Asian 8.0%
African American 2.0%
Native American 0%
Pacific Islander 0%
Multiracial 0%
@stlarenas not filling out the CA for ds here but we did do some of it together. We sat together, he did it and asked questions as needed
@lemetz – I’ve heard that day three of post wisdom teeth extraction is the peak of bad times and that all gets better from there!! Best of luck to you!! You are almost home!
I’ve filled out the repetitive crap on several apps. Not lying. I have all the logins/passwords. In fact I created most of them. Any creative part (like activities, but she’s already done this for her resume and brag sheet) of the app is on her, and any part I left off (e.g., major, religion, languages). She got to most of the CA before I got in there, but she has several non-CA. I started this in order to put Google Docs list of essays, and the overall schedule together.
I even drafted a few emails for D17 to edit and send out in the past. As I’ve mentioned, I’m on a first name basis with her GC, and I bounce things off her all the time.
Stakes are big here, guys. We’re a team, and she knows what I’m doing.
If my writing was better, I’d do the essays too!
Jk. =))
@stlarenas - If I filled the common app out for DS it would be really awful and probably filled with spelling errors…Although I do admit I always fill out the FASA even though the student is supposed to do that. DH doesn’t want the kids to know exactly how much he makes…