<p>Wow where did this come from? I didn’t read anything in this thread that was indicative of manipulation. Everyone knows glorious parent essays won’t get kids admission but abnormally candid critical letter may indicate the parents don’t agree on sending the kid to BS and it’s just the kid who wants to go. </p>
<p>How would you read this, for example?</p>
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Of course, you want to be sensible about what weaknesses to admit and how to portray them. One way you can acknowledge a weakness but still make it a positive is to play off some attribute of the particular school. So, for instance if your son is shy and takes awhile to make new friends, and he’s applying to smaller schools, you can acknowledge that he can be reserved in new situations and take awhile to fully integrate, but that’s why you think that School X with its strong sense of community is such a good fit for him, as opposed to bigger more impersonal schools
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<p>While I don’t agree that the quote above is an example of twisting or manipulating facts, I do believe that couching negatives as positives is an overused and uninspired approach that probably ends up sounding like “blah, blah, blah, blah” to AOs after a while. It just isn’t interesting and probably reveals more about a parent’s fears and risk aversion than anything really noteworthy about the applicant. But it IS a parent essay, so whatever you say and however you say it, the essay will be evaluated as a reflection of you, not your child. Schools ask for parent input to get a sense of how the parents think and how the family will integrate into their communities. You don’t need to sweat over your answers; they don’t need to be eloquent. Be honest, be forthright and, above all, don’t come across as high-maintenance. Indicating that you might hover or that you might be a PITA come college counseling time are two big red flags to avoid.</p>
<p>Ultimately, as long as you come across as a normal, loving parent who is supportive of your child’s choice to attend BS, you’re fine. The parent essay is not going to be a deal-breaker unless you come across as a potential problem for the school.</p>