<p>How much weight do you think the parent statements carry? I am finding that they are taking up a lot of my time! My guess is that they are looking for one more perspective and that by reading your child's ideas, their teachers', and yours, they can start to see a pattern and get an idea of who your child is.</p>
<p>I'd have to agree with your guess. I don't think they would be any kind of make or break kind of thing....just yet another facet of the applicant's personality coming through. I took great care with ours, nonetheless, taking up far more time than I thought they should have. I tried to stress what a nice kid my son is and how he might interact with peers, because they've got plenty of information about his academic abilities from other sources. Mainly, I was just as honest as I could be, especially on the "why this school" question.</p>
<p>Yes, I have spent a lot of time on them too. </p>
<p>On a positive note, it has made me more empathetic toward my daughter's struggles and the time and energy she has put in for her essays!</p>
<p>One other thought....</p>
<p>Most top boarding schools are conscious of the fact that they're admitting an entire family (certainly the parents) as much as the applicant. Parent essays reveal important nuggets about how the parents will interact with the school and the values that have been transmitted to the child over the years. Does the essay read helicopter parents? Does it read pushy or supporting? Does it read humble/honest/loving or braggy/manipulative/award collecting? Does it convey whether the parents value genuine learning or is a grade obsession conveyed? Does the school gain a sense from the essay about how the kid fits in the family, the local school and the community? </p>
<p>Parent essays are tricky and while they are probably not the most important data point in the application, they can absolutely influence how the reader(s) "feels" about the child.</p>
<p>I agree with everything, and here's a little thing I think might be true.
They need consistency in an applicant. If one teacher says the student is nervous, the other says they are serious, and the parent says that the child is confident, which is true? I doubt they want such a bipolar individual, and they may doubt the sincerity of one or more of the applicant's recommendations, etc.</p>
<p>you mean tri-polar? :)</p>
<p>I've always thought they just want a sense of if the parent truly wants boarding school and if they truly love their child....Ive always thought my mom over rated her jobs with the essays</p>
<p>It is important to the school that you will be supportive of their endeavors as well as your child's.</p>
<p>Parents come and parents go. School administrators just want parents who will be supportive but not pushy - and give lots of money. </p>
<p>Also your syntax and grammar will give them an indication as to how well your little darling will fit into their programs. Will they have to undo years of incorrect grammar indoctrinate, or is that monster vocabulary something that he has heard from birth.</p>