Same here… but the good aspect is that advising is good and they do shepherd the kids through the process.
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DS19 didn’t let us read his common app essay but told us the general theme. He is a pretty good writer so I told him I respected that decision but even professional writers have proofreaders and editors so he needed to let someone read over it for proofreading at the very least. That approach made sense to him. He had his English teacher that helps a lot with college essays go over it with him. He goes to UNC-CH so I’m guessing it was fine. I did read some of his short essays to supplemental questions. DS23 will most likely let me read it, he’s just starting it now so we’ll see but he already said he will let his brother read it and that same English teacher. All kids are different.
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@AnonMomof2 - that is pressure for sure. yikes.
but also think about this - your school is a known entity to these places, and they take kids from your school. that’s a good thing. My two middle kids’ low SES public school had abysmal overall scores, and even though there were some stand-out kids with great stats, smart & talented, the top schools never ever take these kids. never; ( except one kid many years ago was a gates scholar.) So - just saying while she has pressure; she also has chances! Good luck!!
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That is true. Those of us with a lot of privilege need to remember that it is privilege- most selective colleges do know the school, always take lots of kids from the school, give a lot of credence to teacher recs, etc. Lots of people would give a lot for that even when it comes (as it does) with tremendous academic pressure and competitiveness and difficulties in standing out among many stellar and very college -admissions savvy students.
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Which is the catch 22 when sending kids to elite prep schools. Parents want to give their kids the best chance yet the pressure to achieve acceptances from top colleges is much higher.
Our kids will be just fine no matter where they end up.
S23 has no formal list of his own. Refuses to even think about essays. He’s toured only 1 school that he refuses to go to. And he only has a 3.34 gpa and TE for him is even less attainable.
The only anxiety I have really is that he finds a place he is comfortable going to that I can afford.
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Does anyone know if you can submit your Common App application to a college and then upload your common app essay and college specific essays at a later date? Thanks
No, you cannot
Wow! I thought anything supplemental can be uploaded at a later date! What about LORs? Transcripts and test scores? Thank you for the info. And I’m just curious, how do you have this knowledge? Much appreciated! Thanks
LoR’s and transcripts are not sent by the student. Those plus official test scores can, and usually are, sent separately.
But anything that is the student responsibility can only be sent once. It is possible, depending on the college, to include updates through their portal. But any updates made in the common App are not retransmitted to a college if already submitted.
And really, the student should not be sending stuff piecemeal
You mean aside from my eight years moderating this site and the number of applications I personally submitted via the Common App? 
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Thanks for your help!!
Thank you!
Long email sent to S23’s dad today about colleges. Not sure how supportive or consistent my ex will be with the process.
Free app sent to NAU, a school we likely cant afford. But he likes the area and is a safety.
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Good for you - those are two significant things to tackle!
4 into Harvard from one school? Is it a New England boarding school?
If this is a western school, I’ll be shocked!
Definitely. My child’s high school is near some Title 1 schools. It gives you perspective when kids struggle to have enough to eat.
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I believe that poster is posting about a boarding school but our top academic New England private day school is not much different in college numbers.
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We will soon visit 3-4 more schools.
A busy sports season will begin in the fall, and there won’t be much time for visits then. We are encouraging 23 to submit applications starting next week to places with rolling admissions. That can take off some pressure.
We are aiming for TE, so a wide net must be cast.
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Oh, yes. Good point. Day versus boarding doesn’t matter. I basically meant “fancy place with the goal of getting kids into ivies.” If that’s the type of school, then it makes sense it is stressful. That’s what parents are paying for.
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What is TE? Yes although our college list is tentatively final we are doing one last set of college visits over Labor Day. And trying to get him to do as much as possible before school starts for same reason as you… though no sports here, there are classes, robotics, his research job…
TE is Tuition Exchange. Its a benefit for some college employees children.
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