<p>How important are parent essays? Am just getting started on this process for about a month now, maybe a little late in the game. I work full time (and in the midst of busy season), single parent, and not sure how much time I need to set aside to put into the parent essays. Child applying to five schools, all require parent essays (from what I've seen, at least 4 essays a school). </p>
<p>Advice is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I think the parent essays are important. Once you start them, you’ll notice that most of the parent essays ask similar questions, so I’d think you could reuse essays. (Do proofread, though, so you don’t swear undying love for Andover on the Exeter parent statement!)</p>
<p>At any rate, I think the schools would like to know 1) if you support your child’s application to boarding school, 2) why you chose the particular boarding school, and 3) something about your child’s family background. For example, the child of a single parent, living in a city, will have a different home experience than the child of a couple living on a potato farm in Maine. I think many schools do look to build diverse student bodies, so don’t feel that there’s a “right” answer.</p>
<p>I don’t think the prose needs to be polished, but don’t leave it to the last minute. If you have an adult friend or relative who could proofread your essay, it might help, to catch anything which needs further explanation, or typos.</p>
<p>To answer your question about time commitment…I would reserve at least 6 hours for your part of the applications. 3 hours to draft your answers, 2 hours to revise/repurpose/proofread, and 1 hour to format (depending on apps/portals you plan to use).</p>
<p>I have found that carving out time when both you and your child should be working on essays/apps helps. Of course, it depends on your schedules…maybe you set aside some “reward” for plugging away at the apps — as simple as an ice cream break seemed to work for us.</p>
<p>Thank you for the tips on what schools want to know and how to approach the essays. I feel much better about it now. Let’s hope they judge content more than writing ability 
!</p>
<p>Schools are accepting families, not merely students. Since boarding school students are, for the most part, minors, the parents will be involved more than in the college admissions process. I think they want a sense of who the parents are, and how well they communicate with their kids and understand the schools they are applying to. They really shouldn’t be too intimidating - feel free to celebrate your kid’s unique qualities, and to discuss what values and interests you have cultivated. Be honest.</p>