My daughter is applying to enter very selective private schools as a 5th grader next year. She is currently in 4th grade. I wonder how much coaching people typically give their student to write the application essay, and what schools expect. My daughter is a very good writer, she writes with correct grammar and a lot of detail, using a sophisticated vocabulary- it’s an area of strength for her. However, she mostly writes fiction and does not have a good sense of how to structure an essay- I guess her current school has yet to focus on expository writing (and I think remote learning has had something to do with that). My solution has been to stand over her shoulder and give her guidance, like make sure you are addressing the prompt, would a person reading this understand what you mean, make sure you have a good transition, etc. But I have stopped short at telling her what to say or any direct editing, and so far she does not have a polished essay- if I don’t intervene more it’s going to continue to have some problems. I think it looks good for a 4th grade effort, but I wonder if other parents will make sure the final product is more polished? Do the schools look for a truly independent effort, or is it expected that some parental editing happens?
In case it helps, we’re in Seattle, applying to Lakeside, Evergreen, Seattle Country Day. And we would be fine staying at her current school for 5th grade and looking at these plus more options for 6th grade in a year (Northwest, U Prep, etc).
In the past there is a writing section on the SSAT and schools have the ability to look at the quality of writing on the SSAT and on the application essay if there seems to be a disconnect. Yes, parents will coach and write their child’s essay and many parents have been tutoring for 1+ years for the SSAT to get 98% and above scores. It is up to you to decide where you draw the line and if your child can do the work once they are admitted to one of these schools.
Talking about the prompt and brainstorming ideas is most likely common, if I remember correctly the questions are more creative based and your child should have the ability to answer with very minimal guidance from you.
I decided to stay out of my daughter’s essay, I didn’t make any direct edits. I got her to expand on it and re-write parts of it a little at a time, sentence by sentence. It was an excruciating process, and the end result was not what I would call polished, but I guess it was fine for a 9 year old!
My daughter was denied admission from Lakeside, wait listed at Evergreen, and accepted by Seattle Country Day. We didn’t stay on the wait list at Evergreen so I don’t know how that would have gone. We actually got a much better impression from Country Day during the admissions process and thought it would be the best fit. Now she is in 6th grade there, and she is thriving. We could not be happier.
Btw the letter from Lakeside said there were over 1,000 applicants for 32 spaces in 5th grade, and they didn’t say what their admissions rate was but I am guessing they have a very high yield and do not need to admit many more than 32 kids.
I believe that over 1000 applications from Lakeside were meant for all grades combined (mostly 5, 6, and 9). Still that is sub 15% admit rate considering they have around 150 openings each year in both middle and high schools. I was told that it’s even harder to get into middle school nowadays as more families are disappointed with public schools and want their children to receive private school education as early as possible.
I need to find the letter - you may be right, but it was a couple of years ago and I am not sure! 5% admission rate does sound awfully low, and I have a hard time believing that 1000 families were applying for private school in 5th grade alone in Seattle.