<p>I am new to this forum and finding it very helpful. Thanks everyone.I have some question on what to write or not worth to do. ( don’t want to make the schools laugh as they look at my d’s resume ) My D attends a public school that doesn’t have Honor/ High honor roll. Should I mention that to clarify why she can’t be enrolled in honor roll other applicants usually are?
Secondly, She took the class during summer at Pasadena Art College( very prestigious art college) and got B+. Is it good to include the grade which is not A? Will it be better just mentioning that she took the summer class ?
Lastly, we are living in a place where nothing’s going on, not too much competitions, no interesting awards from schools except the students of the month. Perhaps I shouldn’t mention that. I don’t want to sound I am whining.
Thanks for the comments.</p>
<p>When you say “resume” are you talking about the student profile that’s part of virtually every app? Because I think the jury is out on having a prepared resume if you are thinking about bringing it to an interview. It’s not a bad exercise, and will help you fill out the student profile forms, but IMO, it’s not necessary for an interview.</p>
<p>Regarding honor roll, her transcript would show whether her grades would have qualified her for honor roll at other schools. Feel free to mention that in the parent interview, though.</p>
<p>Finally, I would NOT mention that you feel that you live in an area without opportunities. There are always the online courses, national/regional talent searches, and stuff like the Caroline D. Bradley scholarship program (which I didn’t learn about until it was too late for our older daughter). Also, whining about your current situation is a red flag that you will be prone to whine about their school should your child get in.</p>
<p>I’m confused, first, about what the resume’s for–and why you’re writing it? I’m not in the “the kid has to do it all herself or she won’t succeed” camp, and I did help my son out with this kind of nitty gritty fill-in-the-blank stuff, but I don’t think I’d have written a resume for him. There are places to put all of this on the application, and I think writing the resume will look like you’re the one applying, not your daughter.</p>
<p>However, if we were putting these things on a part 1 application: If your school doesn’t have honor roll, I think I’d just have her list her GPA under the awards portion of the application, maybe with a brief parenthetical comment about no honor roll. She should maybe list the art class under special interests/activities on the app., maybe mention it in an essay if it’s something she’s passionate about–I don’t think the grade matters unless you’re a homeschooler. And I wouldn’t talk about the lack of awards–you’ll just draw attention to what she doesn’t have–just focus on any she has received. It doesn’t have to come from the school. Any community-based or club sports awards? The application is a big complex equation; no child is going to sink or swim based on one piece of it, and so if she doesn’t have any awards, I’d just leave it blank. In your parent essay, you could write something about the lack of academic challenge at your current school-evidenced by the absence of anything one might be rewarded for. :)</p>
<p>Thank you Seven Dad and Classicalmama. Sorry I wasn’t clear about my question. Actually, I am not involved in the process that much. It is my d who is mostly in charge of the process. ( Mostly, I mean. I still need to keep on eye on something. ) Using the totally strange word “resume”, instead of ‘Parent Statement’ clearly shows my ignorance of the process. HaHah.
I may not address about the lacking of academic, ec’s opportunities where we are living.
It may not be helpful. She is good in Soccer and plays flute,though. And she is very outgoing and a cracker.
Thanks again :)</p>
<p>I think you could address the lack of ec’s etc. positively in a parent essay by framing it as a reason why you think bs would be a better fit than the local school (she needs more challenge, peers, etc.)–that’s different from making excuses for your daughter. I she has soccer and flute, she’s got some good ec’s! Best of luck over the next few months.</p>
<p>The parent statement is your opportunity as the person who best knows the applicant, how he/she would benefit that school’s community. Definitely don’t bemoan the lack of ‘local’ opportunities! Geographic location is not a good excuse. Many families do lots of travelling, sometimes a ridiculous amount, for activities be it sports, academics, or arts.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s necessary, given the short spaces given to parent statements, to repeat info already in other parts of the application. Write about something different, like a unique memory or experience with your child. You need to differentiate your application from the many thousands they get.</p>
<p>There’s repeating things–bad idea, I agree–and then there’s explaining something in more detail than the application allows. </p>
<p>On a more general note: we were only willing to send our well-loved child off to bs if it offered something more than he could get at home. To this end, we answered the questions asked honestly and specifically–from truthfully describing our child’s weaknesses to the difficulties he faced living in a small town to what made him a spectacular human being ( 
). BS isn’t easy an easy road to travel, and while it’s easy to get caught up in selling the kid during the application process, in the end, we’re grateful our son is in the right place for him. One of the ways for us to get at that was to be honest about who he was and what he needed.</p>
<p>Schools - BS and Colleges are looking for “depth” not “breadth”. Having a passion for a few things is better than dabbling in lots of things with the goal of resume padding.</p>
<p>My best advice is let your daughter and her accomplishments speak for themselves. The purpose of the parent essay is to help them see your child through your eyes and (quietly) figure out if you’re a helicopter parent). They want to know (without your stating it) that you’re ready to let her go and will support her emotionally when she is away. That you will be as much a part of the community as your child.</p>
<p>So - keep that in the back of your mind. I was “tempted” to try to explain stuff too. But Adcoms are experienced and know what to look for and how to interpret it. </p>
<p>So showing how her “few” EC’s resulted in personal growth, and how it is a precursor to hr contributing to campus life - will mean a lot.</p>
<p>Just remember - “implicit” not “explicit” goes a long way. Don’t “sell” your daughter. If she’s a good candidate - she’ll “sell” herself. And the right school for her personality will see that.</p>
<p>This is great advice, thanks. I’m currently drafting the Parent Statement for highly competitive summer opportunity for my son. I was all set to make a point which loosely consisted of the connection between S attendance and long-term global stability but then I read “implicit" not “explicit”, implicit” not "explicit. My pulse rate has since normalized and once again, I’m breathing regularly.</p>
<p>Bewildered2, on the “honors, awards” section of an application, your daughter could note something along the lines of, “My school does not award prizes, nor does it have an honor roll.” If you live in an isolated, rural area, that’s the sort of thing you should mention in the parent statement. It’s not whining to document the advantages attending a boarding school could offer your daughter. It’s a good answer to the, “why boarding school?” question. Rather than “whining” about a lack of local opportunities, focus on the positive aspects of boarding school life.</p>
<p>I think it might be a good thing if you found someone who knows your daughter well, and has experience writing recommendations for competitive schools. Her flute teacher perhaps? If your school does not have an honor roll, and does not award prizes, it is difficult for admissions officers who don’t “know” the school to be able to judge your daughter’s abilitites, in comparison to the rest of the field. If your daughter has contact information for the teacher at the Pasadena Art College, I would think a recommendation from that instructor could be very helpful. (Of course, there are some very well-known, prominent private schools which do not award prizes. If the school has managed to send graduates to boarding schools in prior years, then the admissions officers will have a better idea of your daughter’s level of preparation.)</p>
<p>thanks. Lot’s of great ideas. I agree with you all. My d wants to be in bs to be exposed to many aspects of life, which will be hard if she would stay at home. And as many tried to assure me, with my d’s hard works, hopefully she will land on a bs just right for her.
Seeing my child competing with millions of perfectly equipped candidates is a biting nail situation. However, portraying my child as honestly as I can in the parent statement will always work </p>
<p>Thanks</p>