<p>Is it normal to start to freak out at this stage? What are some tips to prepare your kid for rejection? </p>
<p>Someone talk me down from ledge.</p>
<p>FYI
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/888743-parents-angry-about-rejection-letter.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/888743-parents-angry-about-rejection-letter.html?</a></p>
<p>Booklady, I think freaking out at least a little is required. DD has completed her part of the common app; I have done mine. We have barely looked at the apps for the schools that use their own. I’m sweating over the looming deadlines as we wait for recs to come in and have yet to begin the financial aid forms. </p>
<p>Once all this is taken care of, I will be joining you on the worrying about acceptances. Is seven schools enough when you have an unusual background and need a lot of aid? I guess we will find out soon enough.</p>
<p>aaarrgghh!!! When GMTson2 gets done w his prep school apps in the nxt week, I am going to do NOTHING FOR A MONTH. Then we’ll have to gear up for GMTson1. </p>
<p>Stealing a sneak peak at nxt fall’s college admissions rat race for GMTson1, I took at look at the college Common App-- what a piece of cake it is compared to the excruciating prep school apps.</p>
<p>My daughter is applying to seven schools and she is still taking her sweet time. She loves to write and although she is not a perfectionist, she really simply will not close out on any of these essay questions- some are not started yet and about 5 are half to almost fully baked. And they are good- so fun to read but perhaps I should be nervous? All of you saying your kids are done makes me think she needs to light a fire… I will stay patient and see if she ramps it up after the holiday… it is so fun to see how she answers these questions- I so appreciate her insight.</p>
<p>I’m beginning to think that no one in my family worked hard enough on the essays!</p>
<p>@twinsmama, you took the words right out of my mouth. He wrote them one weekend, edited them the next, and then sent them off. Eek.</p>
<p>Last year S finished his apps over winter break, so don’t worry yet. I don’t think he spent weeks agonizing over his essays either (he was accepted at 4 schools and WL at 2). Right now it is easy to sit and worry, but once the applications, SSAT scores and recs are in it is out of your hands. M10 will be here before you know it, and then will next year. It seems longer than a year when we were in the middle of applications.</p>
<p>Just take a deep breath. Everything works out in the end.</p>
<p>@freshlook I’m still chugging along with my essays and short answers! My goal is to have them done before returning to school.</p>
<p>My kids are in a school where they hardly write at all. It’s quite possible that their idea of “enough” is much less than that of other kids. Oh well…if they don’t go to BS, they can go to the public high school, where they also won’t write much, and then they will be better able to fit in with the many millions of people who can’t write. :-)</p>
<p>3000 posts now, and I feel just as frazzled about S2 getting his essays wrapped up as I did w S1</p>
<p>We are so close to done on the common app that I can taste it. DD needs to complete supplemental bits and then we can submit! OTOH, we have added a last minute school and now need to do 4 apps for schools that do not accept the SSAT application. Plus a visit…</p>
<p>One. Half. An. Essay. And then bug teachers for recs if they haven’t done 'em when we get back. And submit my writing piece, which is not due until right before the deadline. Visiting my day school the day of the deadline.</p>
<p>Everything done except shepherding one recommender through the process and making sure everything made it to where it was supposed to go. And my daughter needs a graded writing sample. Can you believe an 8th grade honors English class where they never write?? My son’s sample was from a very limited assignment, but it was all he had. My daughter has had only one graded writing assignment, she didn’t get it back until just before the break, and she doesn’t want to use it because she got a B-.</p>
<p>We had the same issue with the English class last year . Teacher gave her an essay assignment that he could grade and comment on so she would be able to include it with her app. I couldn’t believe it, either… But she is writing so much in her freshman year now… And the lack of middle school writing practice doesn’t seem to be a big detriment, thankfully!</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear that. No real worries about daughter’s writing; her essays have been lovely (at least in her mama’s extremely unbiased opinion 
), but squeezing the written word out of my son, despite his measurable verbal gifts, can be challenging. He is at the most mindless stage of 13ish-ness and spends a great deal of time leaping over stacked boxes while watching any sports that are on. He will read this, I know. (Hi, sunshine!!!)</p>
<p>S2 dropped another school from the list. It was one of his ‘likely’ schools, but it just wasn’t a good fit. It’s a wonderful school, but S2 couldn’t formulate convincing answers for the short essay questions about why he wanted to go to there. That said enough for us.</p>
<p>He’s now down to 5. Hope we don’t regret this boldness…</p>
<p>Twins mama…too funny!</p>
<p>DH was going to work on the financial aid app this evening and we lost power for three hours. 
Ugh.</p>
<p>FYI, reports of SevenFamily being done with app process were greatly exaggerated…got email from one school informing of additional supplemental essay. Sigh.</p>