<p>The essay fairy has come to our house - but she's kind of like the dark fairy or wicked witch. DS has to labor and write and rewrite and be introspective, and he is NOT enjoying the process. But with December 1st around the corner, it has to happen soon, and happen over and over again. All the scholarship apps are due then, as is his reach school's ap. How is it going in your household???</p>
<p>The essay fairy has not visited us yet, although there has been some activity toward that end. D is a very good writer, but she is NOT the introspective type (convinced her life is so ordinary that there is really nothing to share). She has everything done except the comman app essay --- actually, all of her supporting documentation (recs, grades, etc) was submitted to the colleges long ago. She was supposed to have finished everything by this past Wed., due to a deadline at Oxford --- but after visiting Hendrix, she decided that 1100 is as small a school as she wants --- so she decided against completing the application process for Oxford (less than 800) --- thus allowing herself to continue procrastinating a bit longer. </p>
<p>Her essay HAS to be done this weekend, because she needs to have her English teacher review it before she submits it (and it HAS to be submitted by 12/1). She cares enough that I know it will happen --- but my blood pressure is rising exponentially as the end of November draws near!!</p>
<p>The only thing that has worked in our house: I give D a deadline (a reasonable one, usually a few days hence), and if she doesn't have a draft to show me by then, I unplug her Internet connection. She actually went two weeks without it, which shocked me that she could last that long. But the Common App essay got written to her satisfaction (and I liked it too, but that doesn't matter).</p>
<p>kelsmom, I thought all girls were naturally introspective, and liked to write about themselves! It is hard for boys we know to do it - they are just not given to introspection. My DS has his transcripts and SAT scores sent to all, but the GC rec and teacher recs have been requested, but have not materialized yet. His GC is new this year, and doesn't know him from Adam - I don't know if she has any idea the kind of thing schools are looking for in a "personal" recommendation. Certainly she won't be able to offer any juicy anecdotes or comment on my son's personality. Sigh :(
My DD was given one of the common ap essay prompts as an in-class assignment, and ended up with a great little essay, relatively stressfree, that she used on several college applications. Not so for DS. His AP English teacher is great, but is just teaching Shakespeare and essays about great literature!!! I think my son would do better if he only had a 50-minutes period and knew it was graded. :)</p>
<p>Ugghhhh! This has been a painful process! Essays (1 long and 3 short) are finally in and done for son's EA school. This is definitely a different kind of writing than he's used to! Two of these were fine-tuned for use with the common app, so that wasn't too bad, but now comes all of the supplemental essays -- which are very different from each other. Why does this have to be so hard? And it doesn't help that my son is a procrastinator while I'm a planner.</p>
<p>My D's essay was not as painful as she thought it was going to be. After changing her topic a few times, I suggested she take an essay she had written previously for something else and expand upon it. At first she said no, that she had certain topics in mind. But when the topic just wouldn't flow, she went with my idea (mother does know best! :) ) and she had no problems at all.</p>
<p>But then when she was filling out the common app, she needed to write another short essay, and that freaked her out a little.</p>
<p>DS couldn't find a topic he cared enough about to show passion. Finally found a topic, but wrote a rambling essay that couldn't seem to find its focus. Nearly a month went by with nothing being done, then one day he sat down and re-wrote it and viola! there it was! Just a few minor edits needed.</p>
<p>Now he's realized two of his schools require additional essays on the supplements. AARRGGHH.</p>
<p>There's a lot of writing on some of those supplements! And "short answers" sometimes require as much thought and effort as a longer essay.</p>
<p>Applying EA required the essay fairy to come by Nov 1. My son was able to use the same main essay for both, but the short answer questions required almost as much thought - especially the Caltech one where you had to talk about a time when you were ethically challenged. My son had a similar experience no ideas for the essay a false start that went nowhere. We made a joke about it and then realized that that joke would make a good start for the essay. Today I told him I wouldn't take him to the library unless he got his RPI application in. It was trivial - a short "candidate's choice application" for which he could recycle his essay. Next up Stanford - which has a whole new set of questions... I'm under orders not to bug him about it till Dec. 1. (It's due on the 15th.)</p>
<p>Child #2 - Was forced to finish essay before school started (or close to it anyway). I couldn't stand the pressure.</p>
<p>I'm glad we don't have to go through this anymore. Back when my S was applying, because his first assignment was to UM rolling admissions, he had to get three essays done early (sept). This really helped give him the basis of everything he needed.</p>
<p>As a writing teacher, I'd like to make a suggestion based on something written here: that the poster's D didn't think there was anything out of the ordinary in her life. Trying to find that special thing can be the kiss of death; the point of the essays, I believe, isn't to show how special you are, but how you find meaning in ordinary things--and that's a skill all writers need. It's going to come up all the time in any writing course they take. I think it might help essay writers if they don't think of it as being about themselves, but as being a glimpse of their ability to think about things, and those things could emerge from the most ordinary incidents--it's the imaginative encounter with a moment that matters, not always the extraordinary life experience, which few seventeen year olds have had.</p>
<p>Well, anyway, take this suggestion if it helps, and cheerfully ignore it if it doesn't. Best of luck to all your young writers!</p>
<p>Yeah! Update. It took him 8 hours to write 150 words. Well, let's see, it took 25 minutes to write 150 words; it took the other 7 hours and 35 minutes to moan, lie on the couch, eat candy, watch bad tv, walk to get the mail, pet the dog, make breakfast, eat lunch, moan some more, complain, stare out the window, pledge to only go to colleges that don't require applications... but he finished! He has APPLIED to four schools; has one biggy application left to do, plus some essays for honors college and scholarships... Yeah, Thanksgiving holiday! He still has 3 days to finish aps before school on Monday.<br>
How are your kids doing with applications???</p>
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7 hours and 35 minutes to moan, lie on the couch, eat candy, watch bad tv(...)
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<p>This. Is. The. Funniest. Thing. I've. Read. All. Day. Brilliant!</p>
<p>Have you been spying on my son? I would say so, but you left out the sighing, eye-rolling, and furtive eVisits to MySpace and a game server.</p>
<p>Four schools down (including the incredibly painful Univ Washington application), and ... well, I don't like to think about it.</p>
<p>S is down to edits of what seems like a bazillion essays but is really about five --reworked to suit the apps. He's got a writer's voice, lucky dog. Now if he could just discover his Inner Grammar Nazi...</p>
<p>On the 'Can't be Stuffed' front: he's decided to chuck the majority of his portfolio for the rest of the apps. I'm visualizing him at his safety.</p>
<p>My son doesn't watch much bad tv (the Simpsons are good), but he does flip constantly to IM, BBC news or whatever else. When I'm standing there to help him with his apps...!! So I've started to have my own projects in the room while I'm waiting.</p>
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So I've started to have my own projects in the room while I'm waiting.
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<p>The dining room has become Application Central. Son does essays and apps -- I read CC.</p>
<p>D's school has a policy that they won't send out transcripts or recommendations until the app for that school has been completed...Unfortunately, they just informed all of the seniors that in order to have their transcripts and recommendations out before Jan. 1st deadlines, apps must be completed by Dec. 4th. Because D is in the fall musical, which will take up most of her time in the next 2 weeks, she has to complete an app on Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>Ouch! That's a low-blow for that info to come so late! The kids should have been told about that deadline back in September. In my son's case, he KNEW that Thanksgiving was about giving thanks for 4-hours, then slogging through essays for the remaining 4 and 3/4 days. But just think how lovely and carefree December through April 1st will be! ;)</p>
<p>Common app essay fairy was here Sunday night (didn't leave until the essay was done early Monday morning!). D HAD to get it to teacher on Monday, so of course, it was finished after midnight the day it was due!! I thought it was very good, and teacher only had a minor grammar correction. It's a religion & politics essay, and she treats the subject without bashing anyone's beliefs ... it's more a reflection of her own journey (how it started, what it means to her, how she is still struggling, that kind of thing). She figures if a school doesn't like the subject, she doesn't want to go to the school. Fortunately, her school picks are in line with that thinking, so all should be well. Now she has a new deadline: all common apps & supplements to be done by the end of the weekend. We shall see!!</p>
<p>The essay fairy was kind enough to visit on Monday night. S2 had just minor edits to finish and was keen to do so, as he and friends were leaving on a camping trip early Tuesday morning. I might add, the essay fairy was helped by the proofreader elf. </p>
<p>When S2 pressed submit for his UC application, I could see essay fairy and proofreader elf dance a jig, as they took off for their next assignment.</p>
<p>It now seems the FAFSA gremlin is here and can no longer be avoided</p>