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<p>From my experience, No. Just laziness.</p>
<p>What helped me finally buckle down was the question "What do I want to say/prove/express about myself to these admissions officers. What about me is me enough that if they saw it, they would know whether or not I was a right fit for the school. Since that is primarily what essays and recs are about- they know you’re qualified by your stats. They know you belong on the campus by your essays.</p>
<p>sixthdeclension, in your case, that might be. But procrastination, especially of the writer’s block variety, is most definitely tied to perfectionism – to the idea that you will never be able to write something good enough, to fully express this really awesome idea in your head.</p>
<p>@dbwes- Ya, I can see it as a form of writer’s block. I guess I’m not surrounded by enough people who function that way to really see it right off. I was simply speaking of what I experience in my school (not a whole lot of perfectionists).</p>
<p>I don’t see it as laziness, or even perfectionism. I see it as fear.</p>
<p>Remember that this is the first time in their lives when they do not know where they’ll be going to school next year (at least for public school students). For most, this is the first time that someone can say NO to them about something hugely important. It’s the first time that they really have to prove themselves as people (and I’m not discounting auditions or sports tryouts or whatever, but this is different in scope).</p>
<p>No wonder they can be paralyzed! There may be kids who are afraid that they cannot “fully express this really awesome idea” in their heads. But the ones I know think, “I don’t have an awesome idea - I don’t have a single idea! They can’t reject me if I don’t apply. And I can’t apply if I don’t write the essay.”</p>
<p>Kids can also have an easy time with some essays and draw a complete blank with others. S had no problem writing his common app essay and struggled with what to write for the supplement. He was finally able to figure it out and get it done, but it was an interesting contrast how the prompt of the essay caused the problem.</p>
<p>Just a quick note to thank everyone for their advice and strategies. We survived Round #1 of early college apps. S2 already has 2 EA acceptances in hand as we wait for the RD decisions of Round #2, which include his top choices. It was much easier going through the holidays with a couple of acceptances in his pocket.</p>
<p>However, I do know several students from his school who played “beat the clock” on submitting their applications. One boy told his mother that he couldn’t work unless he heard the clock ticking. He submitted his apps at 11:50 pm - 10 minutes before deadline. It’s not a strategy that I would advocate. I pushed S2 hard to get his apps & essays in well before deadline, and the last two months have been very unpleasant at my house. On the other hand, I guess there are students who are accustomed to and perform well under pressure. And for those students (and their parents), I tip my hat and offer the following:</p>
<p>T’was the night before New Year’s and all through the house
The senior was typing and clicking his mouse,
Proofing his apps with an essay rewrite
To submit to college by the stroke of midnight.</p>
<p>D applied everywhere EA and ED. She had one essay that she was able to use for all schools (they all had a “topic of your choice” option). It was done in early October, and she was admitted to the ED school, and there was much rejoicing.</p>
<p>But now she wants to apply to an honors-type program at the ED school, and she has to respond to a specific prompt. The application is due on 1/10, and I have my doubts that it’s gonna happen. She’s just stymied. She finally decided that this essay isn’t about her writing ability, it’s about answering the question (pertains to the particular program she’s applying for), so she’s just going to write her basic answer first, and worry about the style part of the writing second. At least that’s what she says, I don’t know how much actual writing of any kind has happened yet.</p>