I have seen some parent statements for BS that do not have specific word or character limits. . . I am assuming LESS is More here. How have you’ll handled this?
The parent statement should be thorough but not excessive. If you feel like you answered the question fully and to the best of your ability, there is no reason to elaborate further. The character limit on your child’s essay prompt is probably a safe guideline for how long your parent statement should be. The length also depends on how many parent statements are required.
How about this?
* Parent Statement:
Johnny/Susie is a happy, bright kid who is itching to go to . We’re fine with that and will not interfere with homesickness, curriculum planning, assignments, projects, study hours, exams, school rules, teenage drama, or the college process. We will happily drop kiddo off with you this September and cheerfully pick him/her up four years later or on any other schedule you specify.*
They just want to know you’re:
- Fine with BS
- Not the one pushing it
- Not going to be a PITA in any form
Less is more. Don’t overthink.
I wrote a slightly longer statement for the one school where DC did a Skype interview because we weren’t able to get there in person. Otherwise I stuck to answering the specific questions, often with bullet-points, and where they were open-ended I answered along the lines of what ChotieMom wrote above–nothing approaching the length of DC’s essays (and some of those were shortish too).
Hey ChoatieMom…how did you get ahold of the one I wrote?
Parent statements and parent interviews are almost completely designed to show that you understand and support your kid’s desire to go to boarding school. Completely concur with @ChoatieMom that less is more.
Most of the parent statements that we wrote were several paragraphs long. Don’t rehash things that are repeated elsewhere in the application. Focus on some unique aspects that you have as a parent. Don’t use the space to brag about your child.
Mainly they want to see that parents are supportive of the BS process and not going to be a PITA later.
^ agree
+1000. Worth repeating.
I am going to follow the advice above. For those that ask about learning challenges, etc–how did you handle that? Honestly, once DS is accepted, the nitty gritty of what study style works for him etc . I am sure he can work out with his advisor. What are they really looking for here?
I’m thinking “learning challenges” refers to things like ADHD, dyslexia, etc. rather than kiddo preferring Nintendo to homework or night owl vs. morning person or distracted by noise, etc. I put “NA” for those questions.
The Andover application had that question from my recollection. I think they want to know how your child would handle being in a demanding class.
The rigor at these boarding schools is quite high. They don’t want kids who will melt under pressure. But they really want to see how your child adapts during adversity. Study smarter not harder is the answer we gave.
So, ChoatieMom, I could answer simply and honestly: DS has ADD, takes medication for that and has no related issues in performance at school. Does not have accommodations for standardized or school assessments. (I don’t have to say . does better studying on the weekend to prepare for the week or other obvious things. … . ).?
If her medication completely controls the condition, then I don’t think she has a learning challenge. I think the question is trying to get at a challenge that the school needs to know about in the event accommodations need to be made. I don’t have experience in this area. It would be better if someone else commented.
Thanks ! I am sure I am overthinking this. Cheers
Most boarding schools have a learning center to handle kids with special needs (ADD meds, learning disabilities, IEP, etc). Its good that you’re being honest. I think what you wrote above is fine. That the ADD is under control with meds, and she does fine academically. If she has an IEP you might want to consider including it with the application.
Super-bright kids with ADD can often self-accommodate during middle school. However once they get to high school, things can break down because of the volume of work. Being at a rigorous boarding school can sometimes make this worse.
Bottom line: they just want to know if she can handle the work
Thank you all. I feel comfortable with this.