<p>@ballerine22 Did you find the middlesex essay challenging? My friend and I are debating over it.</p>
<p>Okay, what is everyone submitting for the graded essay? I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out what to send. The only things I have that I could submit from this academic year, is a book review from English, or a 6 page paper from my Chinese History class. Do you think that I could submit an essay from a test? Or does it have to be an individually graded assignment?</p>
<p>Ivyguy - I used the SSAT application, so I had a different essay, but I just looked at the Middlesex application. Wow. That’s tough to write. It’s a lot to ask for teenagers to describe themselves, given that we all aren’t quite sure of ourselves and we haven’t grown up or matured fully. Asking to do it in one word is even harder. I’m glad I used the SSAT app!</p>
<p>helloel - I submitted the only essay that I’ve written this year, which isn’t really an essay so much as an analytical paragraph that was graded. You should contact the schools and ask their preference. If I were you, I would choose whichever one was more well-written. However, don’t send one from the test. It needs to be individually graded. For the paragraph I submitted, I got an A-, which makes me nervous because that doesn’t seem like such a good grade, but I was the only person in the class to get above a B+ (my teacher’s a REALLY tough grader.) Do you think they will understand that?
Good luck!</p>
<p>I chose an assignment about setting. It was supposed to be a paragraph from the short story we were writing, so I think it incorporated my voice well. I’m focusing on voice and genuineness for my essays…hopefully they’ll see that.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, I also got an A- on this paper I might send. It is my 6 page paper for my Chinese History course, and I think it’s pretty well written. Do you think I should only send papers on which I got a really high A or A+?</p>
<p>I’ve only done one writing assignment this year, so I don’t even have a choice on what to submit.</p>
<p>I picked the first personal essay (about 500 words) we wrote.</p>
<p>oh my just submitted choate. feeling so incredibly surreal right now.</p>
<p>About the graded essay:</p>
<p>I have been told that one thing the AOs use this for is to get a sense of how grades are handed out at your school. So, for example, if you were to submit an “A+” essay that’s crap, that would be held against you. And a really well written essay that only got a “B+” or “A-” shows that you’re being held to a high standard, which is a good thing.</p>
<p>Submit the best work you can . . . doesn’t matter so much what the grade is. Your “A-” essays are just fine!</p>
<p>I sent Choate last Tuesday, Hotchkiss on Thursday, Episcopal goes out tonight and St. George’s I still have to come up with a song that would serve as the soundtrack to my life. How about that Choate question about your first book? And I couldn’t paste anything in the browser, it just didn’t work. No, no stress at all…</p>
<p>Thanks, dodgers mom…we’re in the throes of this now. </p>
<p>And chukkerhead, St. G’s song question…wow. I guess the schools are going out of their way to make sure kids have to write an essay just for them, rather than a recycled one.</p>
<p>Yeah thanks dodgersmom, I was wondering what it was used for and that certainly makes sense. I think I’ll submit it and hope they won’t mind the length of my paper!</p>
<p>oh for choate/pasting stuff into the browser, you could try switching your browser. i know i couldn’t paste in chrome, but it worked fine in safari/firefox 
good luck on the last bit of the process guys!</p>
<p>2kidsnoanswers-that is for sure! Unique x 100 question completely unusable anywhere else. All I know is, my entire grade is applying to boarding school except for maybe three people, and the questions I have had to answer seem way more thought provoking than those some of my friends have had to answer, like “what color describes you?” Seriously.</p>
<p>Wow chukkerhead why do so many people apply to boarding school from your school?</p>
<p>Maybe elite private school, I’m guessing?<br>
I just realized how calm and great I feel after clicking Submit. :)</p>
<p>^^So true, great to get it off your desk and onto someone else’s. But then the tension really starts to build in February. Keep yourself busy, and keep doing what you did to get yourself to this point.</p>
<p>I’ve finished the two for Exeter. Still worrying about the two from Deerfield. And I’ve got two short answer ones for Taft. I don’t know how I’m going to finish in time aaah!</p>
<p>Awww, I’m rooting for you. Good luck!</p>
<p>Submitting Deerfield’s in like 15 minutes! It’s my first one, it feels weird actually turning it in.</p>