<p>Compmom, great advice! I am just finishing all of my apps and I’m sure if I had to do supplemental essays, that would have been perfect! As a senior it is hard not to procrastinate because of the bustling schedule. All I hoped for, were days where I would feel “into” doing the application. For example, a rainy day, my laptop, a comfortable bed to relax on, maybe a cup of hot chocolate, and most importantly a relaxed yet encouraging mother! Great job to all you moms out there!</p>
<p>Compmom, very good advice and quite timely here. I especially appreciate your assessment of this being an aberration in your usually organized kid and your compassion for his stress. I have been on the verge of just saying, ok, blow it off, you have a couple of options at this point with good financial aid, you’re the one who will suffer by not getting these things finished if these are schools you are really interested in. However, I am now inspired to take a more supportive tone with my usually hyper-on-top-of-things kid. Thanks for your wise perspective.</p>
<p>In late 2006, my procrastinating daughter dragged her feet … into 2007, as a matter of fact … on her apps. She ended up accepted to some amazing schools, including Vanderbilt (where she is now a senior) and Tufts. She no longer procrastinates (well, not nearly as much :)). </p>
<p>Last fall, my wonderful son applied to several schools before Halloween, as he was instructed to do by his school. He never really “owned” his process, applying because he had to … not really wanting any school in particular. Flash forward a year & he will be transferring for sophomore year. At least I know he will be on top of his transfer apps! ;)</p>
<p>I know it may seem hard to believe, but it will all work out in the end. Have a glass (or cup) of whatever relaxes you & try to let your child do what he/she needs to do.</p>
<p>Xavier2, from the wonderful way you described that scene, I’ll bet you wrote a great essay! Good luck!</p>
<p>DS1’s inability to complete (or even begin) the essays still ranks as my most excruciating parenting experience (worse than 6 months of colic). I remember leaving the house to walk at the beach in a howling nor’easter in the pelting rain because I couldn’t be in the house anymore–the day before the deadline, when NOTHING had been written. He was a deer in the headlights, and I think terrified that whatever he said wouldn’t be good enough. Thank goodness he got in ED and didn’t have to write any more! DS2 has been better, although he has had to write 27 essays for 7 colleges (some short)–and this for a kid who wishes he never had to take another English class. I think a big issue which I haven’t seen mentioned is that many boys are not terribly comfortable talking (writing) about the personal, self-reflective topics that adcoms seem to love. JMHO.</p>
<p>Neither my S OR my D enjoys the personal, reflective style of writing. D got lucky, hitting on a really cool topic for her common app essay … but it took her FOREVER to figure it out. S never hit on anything all that great, and his essays were just so-so. He is an excellent writer, but he has no interest in the type of writing his college essays required.</p>
<p>Probably people in death bed enjoy more this style of writing.
I think young people look for action, not reflection.</p>
<p>I think the problem is more that colleges want explicitly reflective writing, the kind where if it were a short story the audience would be going “stop hitting us over the head with the moral! We get it!”</p>
<p>Which wouldn’t be a problem if so many colleges didn’t encourage us to base it off of a single experience. I always end up writing the experience in a storylike form and tacking on a ~lesson~ at the end. It’s hard because life doesn’t come in little inspirational packages, not even little ‘poignant and messy but still meaningful because I learned something about myself’ inspirational packages. Some college prompts get that, but some seem to really push for a ‘message.’</p>
<p>Why do students have to write something about themselves, anyway? In my creative writing class a common complaint is that 90 percent of main characters seem just like the writers, even when the writers can’t see the resemblance. The writer’s personality will always seep into her writing.</p>
<p>I fit the description in the OP perfectly.</p>
<p>The student, that is.</p>
<p>My parents are also incredibly stressed and frustrated that I haven’t completed my numerous college apps yet, and haven’t even started writing the essays (although I’ve looked at the topics). I can’t seem to motivate myself enough to get it done, constantly thinking “winter break is starting, I’ll have time to do it then”.</p>
<p>Ugh.</p>