<p>DS is currently working on his application to VT. It asks for responses to up to three personal statements.</p>
<p>How many did you submit? How big an impact do you think it/they had on your being admitted?</p>
<p>DD only submitted 1, but I would say quality is better than quantity in this case.</p>
<p>She is currently a very happy freshman at Tech, and I hear their pancakes for brunch on Sunday are the size of the plate :D</p>
<p>bulletandpima, I’ll bet my freshman daughter has run into your freshman daughter at brunch at West End on Sunday! I’ve heard alllll about those pancakes - she even sent me a pic of one. LOL</p>
<p>My DD submitted 2 essays, if I recall.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. DS is not exactly a wordy guy. I know he will write one but I think I’d have to twist his arm a bit (maybe more than a bit) to submit any more unless he knows it’ll help his chances.</p>
<p>And I’ve honestly never known a kid at Tech who wasn’t really really happy there (going way back to my day). I know it’s a great place–I just gotta get over the concept of a school this big. (I know, not huge, but my oldest didn’t look anywhere that had more than 2,500 kids.)</p>
<p>And DS does like pancakes!</p>
<p>P.S. Would you be willing to share your kids’ approximate GPAs and SATs?</p>
<p>post 2 did good. Quality is definitely better than quantity. I got into the engineering program while submitting all three essays. Take that however you want. I’d personally reccomend to submit as many essays as you can because it gives you more chances to shine but if he sucks at writing then you should definitely limit them because it will expose writing as a weakness. I’d reccomend one as a minimum regardless though, unless he has killer scores and GPA (ie. 2300 SAT and 4.0 GPA)</p>
<p>And yes, west end has pancakes the size of the plate on weekends. if you get it “to go” they have to fold it over to fit it. Fact is, the food here is amazing all day, every day, any day. I could start a whole thread merely talkin about the food at the various food joints. There is a reason we we’re ranked #1 by princeton review for food in the nation for so long (I still think we’re 1!).</p>
<p>O and does ur son play linebacker?</p>
<p>MyLB, my DD’s SATs were 1310 (only counting reading & math, she had a 1980 if you counted the writing) and her GPA was 3.95, just a tic under the average.</p>
<p>I agree on limiting the essays if writing is not his thing. Just make sure he has an excellent essay to turn in. DD is an English major so she worked long and hard on her essays.</p>
<p>I’m watching this with interest. The essays are listed as ‘optional’, which I told DS meant yes, in fact, he did need to do them. On the ‘Common Data Set’ the essay is designated as ‘Not Considered’. With only three schools he’s applying to he’s got 8 essays if he does two for VT…nuts.</p>
<p>Of the essay topic choices he knows one off the bat he can do without too much stress. Obviously he’ll need to polish it, but the rough draft will come easily (and honestly). He could recycle one for the ‘free response/writing sample’, but he somehow feels that wouldn’t be honest. His application, his essay, his decision. I will say, as a math/science kid, he can write technically perfect, however it’s not his forte’.</p>
<p>He’s in state, 4.1, 1390/2040, so I think he’ll be okay, however every single year we see kids with great stats get turned down from VT and scratch our heads. It is very rarely a safety…not anymore.</p>
<p>On the ‘Common Data Set’ the essay is designated as ‘Not Considered’.</p>
<p>I only submitted one and got into engineering, I have friends here who submitted none and also got into engineering. It truly is optional, but if you’re on the lower end of stats I’d def do it regardless.</p>
<p>Recycling an essay for another school into VT’s free response is wise or at least fine. Why is it dishonest? It’s your work. It’s like saying using Common App to apply to multiple schools is dishonest. His stats are great.</p>
<p>I didn’t say ‘I’ thought it was dishonest. I said my son did. He has a very stern view of what he feels is honest for himself. He doesn’t judge others…he really doesn’t. He simply follows his own sense of integrity and for some odd reason, that just didn’t jive. I don’t argue since it’s his value system and he shows appropriate respect to those that feel differently…even me. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for your kind words re his stats… he’s retesting to see if he can bump one section. Hope your classes are going well E’head and you are loving life in Blacksburg!! I know you’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. :)</p>
<p>Good comments all. DS is not a bad writer, just not something he has fun with. Now that I think about it, I’d probably counsel someone to do at least two unless they’re a lock to get in. I think in general, essays (unless they’re awful) really only come into play for borderline cases. </p>
<p>I’m thinking I’ll probably suggest he submit two (unless he wants to go for the full three). I can’t remember what the prompts are off the top of my head but I bet for one he can use/adapt an essay he’ll have to write for another application. One additional one for VT isn’t over painful.</p>