<p>Our son is currently applying to many top universities, and was nominated to apply for the top scholarship at our state university. We want to hire someone (reputable in our area for high integrity and excellent skills) to help him with editing his essays. Our son is very much against this because he thinks it is unethical. We do not think that he is grasping the importance of the essay in a competitive application pool because he also says things like, "its not a big deal, I can write it in an hour", and " if a college is going to judge me on a 250 word essay, I don't want to go there anyways." The discussions we've had about his attitude about the essays have not ended well. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>An essay is a reflection of who the applicant is, not who the highly paid essay “editor” is. Therefore, I agree that it is unethical to pay someone to edit your essay, assuming that the price tag associated with their service means that they’ll be doing a lot more than just editing. </p>
<p>What’s more troubling is his belief that he can write an essay in an hour - college essays take lots of time and reflection and probably are the most important things that he has ever written up to this point in his life.</p>
<p>Really? Do most applicants have no help at all with the essays? He would be writing the essays himself and then having someone read them and offer suggestions. Some schools in our area actually focus classes on the essay writing, so a teacher would be reading and editing them. We don’t have that opportunity at our school. I am not grasping the ethical problem with this. </p>
<p>I think he is being rebellious about writing the essays because he is nervous about going away from home and he is trying to sabotage himself so that he won’t have a choice. (?)</p>
<p>Drawing the line as to what’s “ethical” in the ridiculous world of college admissions is next to impossible. </p>
<p>That said, the kind of moral conviction your son is displaying is incredibly rare among 17 and 18 year olds. Of all people, his parents should respect that. </p>
<p>Of course, maybe he has an ulterior motive, and is just using this as an excuse, in which case you might be right. But, if he’s being sincere, then you should be happy.</p>
<p>let him do what he wants.</p>
<p>I admire your son’s character. It seems he feel comfortable with his essays and I think it’s a good thing. Letting other people edit his essays is not only unethical but it may also hurt his chance. Colleges want to hear his voice, not other people’s voice.</p>
<p>D2 has 3 versions of common app essay. She has been working on it since Aug. It was only this weekend she has decided which version to submit. No, it takes more than an hour. With 500 words limit, she had to be very careful and very precise with each word. Your son is very much mistaken about importance of essays. They will allow adcoms know him outside of his basic stats. They will judge him based on those 250 and 500 words essays. </p>
<p>In reading Ds’s essays, I have learned a lot about her, as I am sure she has of herself too.</p>
<p>Your son will have the choice to take or not take any suggestions someone makes. I have proofread both of my children’s college essays as have their college counselors at school and at least one teacher. I teach college writing and worked as an admissions counselor for a few years right out of college. We have paid pretty hefty tuitions that cover the college counselor salaries. I do not view this an unethical at all. Your wonderful son has great values, but limited experience. Have someone look at his essays and he can take or leave the suggestions. You both win. It isn’t unethical.</p>
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It depends on what “editing” involves. At most schools, a student would know at least one trusted teacher who would be willing to read an essay (even if not for class), so I would suggest that. A teacher will probably know where to draw the line between “helping with grammar and ideas” and “making this a very compelling, winning essay.” I agree that if you are paying for it, it is probably crossing the line for most people.
This seems likely to me. A good college essay, unless someone has a really amazing idea and knows exactly what they want to say, will take far more than an hour. If he’s applying to top competitive schools in addition to that scholarship, then he will eventually realize the importance of essays.
He just seems lazy, a bit uninformed, and stubborn to me. But I have not experienced the whole story, so I could be wrong.</p>
<p>^ I don’t think he really meant what he said. It’s just a rebellious reaction. And before he sit down to write the essay in one hour, he probably think about it days and nights.</p>
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<p>Yes. Sometimes they get a parent or a friend to read it, that’s about it.</p>
<p>Ask your son when he is writing a paper for class, does he discuss the topic with his teacher first and show his drafts to his teacher before writing his final version? Does he think that is unethical?</p>
<p>OP wants to hire someone. That’s different than having an exprienced adult (teacher, parent, etc) look at it on a volunteer basis.</p>
<p>What’s the difference?</p>
<p>I have heard Caltech and MIT admission officers’s advice about the danger of editing students’ essays. Today I learn this from Harvard:</p>
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<p>[Harvard</a> College Admissions § Applying: Taking Time Off](<a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/time_off/index.html]Harvard”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/time_off/index.html)</p>
<p>I agree with MD Mom. He could ask an English teacher or GC to proof read. I admire him taking ownership and not wanting to pay someone. This is a good compromise.</p>
<p>I’ve also heard that adcoms can sometimes tell when an essay is not in a student’s “voice”, as coolweather states.</p>
<p>I’ve heard the same thing about a student’s voice, but I also think the essays need to go beyond standard writing. A kid really needs to show who he is. I applaud your son for his integrity, and it shows great parenting on your part. However, most applicants are getting the essays edited for competitive schools, and your son wants to be competitive. With the bell curve shifting, essay editing is much like test preparation 20 years ago - necessary but new. You just have to be selective about who you choose for editing services. If your son has already written something, they’ll have his voice to work with, but will be unencumbered by his own self-consciousness. Obviously, I’m a fan of editing, but I think it has to be moderate, expert help.</p>
<p>oh, and we did get essay assistance for our daughter, and it was well worth it.</p>
<p>I think the OP’s son and mine are twins separated at birth.</p>
<p>My son refused to take a prep course or study for the SAT or ACT because he considers that cheating. As for the essays, the idea of paying someone to edit it for him would be anathema. I don’t even think he’ll allow me to look at it (assuming he even does one, I am currently shopping for no essay, no rec letter schools).</p>
<p>With my son, he earned a merit commendation on his own; had he taken a prep course, he might have gotten semi-finalist.</p>
<p>I also think paying someone to edit an essay is unethical unless you are a writer employing a professional ghostwhiter who is credited.</p>
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<p>My daughter thought that students who took the prep classes should have to disclose that on their applications. However, she did study on her own and it did pay off.</p>