<p>I know you stated that none of the schools require an essay, but Purdue requires a personal statement. </p>
<p>Also, Purdue will accept additional tries for standardized testing.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice, everyone! I truly appreciate it!</p>
<p>MizzBee ~ Thanks for pointing this out. I do realize that Purdue needs an essay. I probably wasn’t clear in my original post. I know that Purdue, the University of Illinois, and the University of Wisconsin all require essays/personal statements. Wisconsin is the only that requires LOR though. It is certainly confusing trying to keep all of this straight.</p>
<p>That is what spreadsheets are for. :D</p>
<p>Along these lines… should my S (a Senior) include on the common app. an activity that he joined, however it does not start until second semester? (He joined the Robotics Club, sign-ups were last week, but at his school the Robotics club meets Jan - June).</p>
<p>HockeyMomMa, </p>
<p>We had this issue - we did not include it, I don’t think - but we DID incorporate it somewhere in an essay I think. Maybe in Essay C.</p>
<p>"Wisconsin is the only that requires LOR though. "</p>
<p>At UW - Madison, LOR are optional.</p>
<p>OperaDad ~ No they are not required, but per their website:</p>
<ol>
<li>Letter(s) of Recommendation
Though not required, we would like to see at least one recommendation from someone who can attest to your academic ability. Other recommendations might come from an employer, coach, research mentor, or community leader. Remember that quality is better than quantity, and a total of two is sufficient. Request that your recommenders use our online recommendation form. If they choose to mail them to our office, make sure they include your full name, birth date, and campus ID number (if known). </li>
</ol>
<p>No, they are not required, but highly encouraged. My daughter is planning on asking 2 previous teachers for LOR’s. With each of these teachers, she had them for at least two years and one of them was her soccer coach for a year when she was on the Junior Varsity team, so they know her very well.</p>
<p>Well, my daughter just added another college to her list that does accept the common application, so now I am off to figure out how to do that. It would be so much easier if all the colleges accepted the common application. This whole process is so confusing and there are so many intricate parts to it, but at least I well be an expert at it when my son goes through all of this in three years! :o)</p>
<p>LadyHam–actually it’s the other way around, the Common App doesn’t accept every college, only schools that look at kids holistically can be a member of the common app. :D.</p>
<p>HockeyMomMA–I wouldn’t include the robotics club either. If he had been in the activity all 4 years in high school, or even just last year, I would put it down but not if it is new, it just looks like EC padding then. We put DD’s spring sport down on her apps, but she is also being recruited for that so they would expect to see that.</p>
<p>Steve, if you’re still here I have a question for you. Do you know the difference between a “select” student and a “first year” student on the common application? It is the first thing they have you fill out with the common application (you either hit “select” “first year” or “transfer”. I am pretty sure I need to select “first year” student, but just wanted to make sure what the difference was before starting to fill it out. Thanks in advance for your help!</p>
<p>Steve ~ I see what you’re saying w/the holistic approach. I wish more colleges adapted that sort of admissions process. I hate to say it, but w/some schools it is so obvious that all they care about are GPA, Class Rank, and test scores. These kids are SO much more than just that.</p>
<p>I am a little bit embarrassed here, but I figured out the answer to my question, Steve. There is no “select” student, you either select “first year” student or “transfer” student. Oy, these college applications are starting to get the best of me, lol!</p>
<p>SteveMA - thanks I agree. S considered putting it, as he was in the Robotics Club freshman year, and then his school did not have enough interest to have a team over the past two years. Now they enough students to have a team again. But I know what you mean, it can look like “padding”.</p>
<p>LadyHam–I’m glad you figured it out because I had no idea what the answer was :D.</p>