<p>I agree about the interviewing process also! You can get advice on how to interview, but nobody can actually do the interview for you.</p>
<p>Well, that’s the same with good essay consulting. It’s not “here, let me write the essay for you.” It’s “here are some things you might want to refine or expand on to help make your point more clearly.” Which is different from “I’ll tell you what your point is / should be.” I absolutely guarantee that my kids’ essays were then. They reflected their sense of self, humor (in the case of my S), priorities, life approach and style of speaking. They were absolutely essays that only the two of them could have written. I think the acid test is – drop the essays on the floor – you should be able to tell which kid wrote what even without the names, because it should be so compellingly clear that <em>only that kid</em> could write that essay. No other kid could take either of my kids’ essays, substitute their name on the top, and have there be any authenticity whatsoever.</p>
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<p>Tests are a measure of you doing your work on your own, but other assignments are a measure of you doing work with the resources available to you. If you’re working on a term paper, it’s perfectly acceptable to go to a tutor or teacher and have them review your work. That’s how you become a better writer. When you get to the point of writing a thesis or dissertation, it’s expected that your advisor is going to be reviewing your work and offering editing advice. </p>
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<p>It’s representative of one type of writing. I’d expect that most students with strong admissions essays also have high-ish SAT essay scores, and vice-versa. If there’s a big difference between the caliber of the two, it might create a red flag for the adcom. I’d be suspicious of an applicant with a spectacularly well-crafted CA essay who received a low score on the SAT writing section. </p>
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And I still disagree. 
Ever read one of Michelle Hernandez’s books? She gives an example of how she counsels her clients on structuring an activities matrix. It reads like something only an adult would write. If the adcom can’t detect any adult influence, then it means that the polishing was the right amount–just enough to bring out the student’s message as clearly as possible. Too much polishing, and the adult heavy handedness becomes apparent.</p>
<p>I told D1 about this discussion last night and asked her how she felt about her own essays. She initially wanted to show them to no one. I suggested (she says that I “insisted” ) that she have at least one adult read them as a gut check. She ended up getting feedback from a teacher, a peer, and the son of a kind CC poster who offered her son’s services. D1 used some suggestions, not all–and felt at the end that her essays were improved by the input. We the parents never saw the essays (though we heard snippets). She was accepted ED to a school that relies heavily on the essay component, so the adcoms must have liked them too.</p>
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<p>That’s one of the best pieces of advice I got from CC, and one that D1 really took to heart. I overheard her passing on that nugget to other friends, who all found it really useful.</p>
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The college essay does NOT have to be “about themselves”. The student can write about something else in a way that reveals something about the student. For example, if the student has a passion, a “personal statement” could be entirely about whatever it is that the student is passionate about. (It would probably need an introductory statement connecting the passion to the student, but that’s pretty easy … “I love to read”, followed by a lively exploration of some of the student’s favorite literature.).</p>
<p>My friends and I were discussing this post at lunch today. They were surprised to find out that parents actually hire people to “help” with their essays in the application process also. Maybe that is a parent meddling just a bit too much. What do we know… We are from a small school in Texas 
There are only 230 students in our senior class. I guess we do things differently and that’s alright! I guess this is the small part of the diversity these colleges are looking for! I am hoping for at least one acceptance from one of my reach schools. No matter what happens though, I truly believe I will be where God wants me to be! I’m very excited for my next step in life
Now my phone has to be put away because our bus will be leaving for our soccer game!!! Our coach doesn’t allow us to have them out because she feels that our phones interfere with any team bonding we could be having. She is one pretty amazing coach! Hopefully we bring home a district win!</p>
<p>Re post #75:
We had one of those. His name was Harry Bauld. We never actually met Harry, of course. Instead I bought his book. (Must have spent at least $8!) I brought the book into the house and put it on my daughter’s bed. She read the book and then felt inspired… and wrote the first draft of her main common app essay.</p>
<p>Good luck HPFan! With soccer, and college acceptances.</p>
<p>"And I still disagree. Ever read one of Michelle Hernandez’s books? She gives an example of how she counsels her clients on structuring an activities matrix. It reads like something only an adult would write. "</p>
<p>I agree. I think much of the advice is too “adult-sounding.”</p>
<p>The college essay does NOT have to be “about themselves”. The student can write about something else in a way that reveals something about the student. For example, if the student has a passion, a “personal statement” could be entirely about whatever it is that the student is passionate about. (It would probably need an introductory statement connecting the passion to the student, but that’s pretty easy … “I love to read”, followed by a lively exploration of some of the student’s favorite literature.)</p>
<p>The essay does have to make a point about the student- and it needs to be a point the student makes, not one the adcom struggles to guess. If you write about how Grandad was the greatest influence, the essay is not just about Grandadad came to this country and learned English after work- and wow. It’s supposed to show HOW he was that influence on you, WHAT the impact was on you- the best is how it had an impact on your drive or the way you face challenges.</p>
<p>It can’t be entirely about a passion. It has to include the impact on the applicant. Lots of kids write about their passion for a sport- and how they won the big game in the last minutes and everyone ws so thrilled and you still feel it. So…? That’s just a story. How does it help an adcom? Make the point about persistence, teamwork, collaboration- and tie it to academic challenges or some decision-making.</p>
<p>ps. see if you can find the youtube where the dir of admisisons at Stanford talks about passions in the essays/CA.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how I feel about all this essay advice. </p>
<p>I wrote my essay on…musical time travel and how I can travel back to my childhood and feel at peace. </p>
<p>It didn’t really say much about any desirable attribute and didn’t have much of a point. It just gave insight into the way I see the world.</p>
<p>So far my essay seems to have worked at LACs and less well at big schools (eg Georgetown).</p>
<p>Re posts by calmom, lookingforward, and raiderade: In practice, I think that a number of students who are uncomfortable writing about themselves do write about something that matters to them, with some connecting statement (which could be rather tenuous). </p>
<p>I have a limited sample set to judge how well this works, although it seemed to work fine, for a number of colleges. For the places that really want a <em>personal</em> personal statement, it might not work as well–even though a student could do fine academic work there, despite being uncomfortable discussing “what makes them tick,” for assessment by people they have never met. Some people actually love to talk/write about themselves, and some people really dislike it.</p>
<p>LOL calmom, for a moment I really thought you HAD hired Harry Bauld! :)</p>
<p>I have to say I feel sorry for some of these kids who aren’t able to be in charge of their OWN college applications. After hearing some stuff here, I can imagine that some overbearing parents smother their kids’ spirits to the point that they feel too insecure to be their own best advocates. This is when we’re supposed to be “setting them free!”</p>
<p>Re post #89
You might want to call up the University of Chicago ad com and explain to them that they made a mistake when they admitted my daughter, since her essay was a work of humorous, satirical fiction that made no reference whatsoever to her or her interests. </p>
<p>My point is that it is ok to think outside the box and submit an unconventional essay. The ad coms are smart people, they can read through the lines and figure out that a kid who writes passionately about Topic A may indeed be a kid whose defining characteristic is that he is passionate about Topic A.</p>
<p>The problem with many applicants is that they spend so much time trying to figure out what the colleges want and giving it to them that they fail to give the ad coms the one thing they do want – the answer to the question, “how is this kid different than the 10,000 other applicants vying for a spot in our class next year?”</p>
<p>In my d’s case, the Chicago ad com learned that that my d. was witty, fun-loving, and irreverent, and possibly a little worried about whether Chicago was a good fit for her – and they also could see that no matter how perfect the spelling, the essay was not the work of a parent or paid consultant, because no parent/consultant in their right mind would have suggested that my d. take that approach with her application.</p>
<p>Then again, it was Chicago (the school that in a previous year had confronted its applicants with the question, “How do you feel about Wednesday?”).</p>
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<p>Agree. And my son’s essay was a description of a household object and what liking that object revealed about his personality. It didn’t relate to his academic interests and there was no overarching Grand Life Lesson revealed.</p>
<p>Youdon’tsay, thank you so very much I truly appreciate your kindness!</p>
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<p>Oh no, not again! </p>
<p>What Chicago seeks (or used to seek) with their utterly eclectic and uncommon essays offers no magical roadmap to anyone, except for those applying to Chicago. Some have expressed their boundless admiration for Chicago’s different path; others have had a less positive opinion. While this difference of opinion reflects the inherent subjectivity on such issue, it would be hard to deny the total irrelevance to any school except Chicago.</p>
<p>And, it is good to remember that while the adcoms who DID read the essay know how successful an essay way, none of us here can do more than speculating. The fact that a student was accepted with a risky essay means nothing, as he or she could have been accepted because of the essay or in spite of it! At best, a few students might have received direct feedback for an adcom, but that does not mean that what worked for one will work for someone else.</p>
<p>The point is that the non-narrative, non-personal, risk essay obviously didn’t hurt. </p>
<p>And that even if there was a parental proofread, the essay was clearly the work of the applicant. (In that case, all I did was proofread the final draft before it was printed and sent. As I recall, she had either misspelled or mistyped the name of a historical figure, so a my net contribution was that the letter “e” got changed to “s”.)</p>
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<p>Yes, but it should be clear that the non-narrative, non-personal, risk[y] essay obviously didn’t hurt at … Chicago since the school specifically encourages that type of essay. What else could they expect from such off-the-wall selection of prompts. </p>
<p>For the overwjelmgly majority of the students, using such essay would be wasting an opportunity. Poster 89 was absolutely correct that the non-supplemental essays should be about the student or about elements that are directly relevant to the student. The essay offers an opportunity to convey personal information that is NOT covered in the application. It should not be about another person or about things, unless it is specifically suggested by the school. </p>
<p>Again, Chicago is unique. And deliberately so!</p>
<h2>Coquimom, at one extreme, there are parents who ignore the whole process- or fight it. At the other extreme, are the overbearing smotherers. In between are parents who are supportive, to the degree the kid needs. Each kid is different.</h2>
<p>My kids did their own applications. Both got into their top choice schools. Their essay topics were risky- each chose one of the notorious to-be-avoided subjects. We know #1’s school liked the essay because they praised it to the GC. </p>
<p>What I did do was talk to them a lot, beforehand. #1 initiated it; at a certain point, I was told, ok, got it under control. #2 asked me if I thought an answer to one supp question was long enough. Both submitted their CAs before I even knew they had started inputting. #2 emailed me a copy of the essay after it was sent. </p>
<p>Fine. It worked for my kids and the kids of some other posters. But, I am also on the other side of the fence, with a school that will reject 00000+ kids. In a pool of thousands of qualified kids, who should get moved forward? Is it ethical to try to “read between the lines?” When do the stats override the writings? Which errors do we assume are nerves and which are character or judgment based and should raise a flag? And, what’s our responsibility when a top kid writes an essay that’s just a story? Or an editorial? Is that nerves, too? Inexperience?</p>
<p>I wish these kids had asked someone to just give them some sanity check before hitting the send button.</p>