<p>My daughter is getting a start on applications to a number of top prep schools. I'm wondering if parents helped or left the kids to their own design.</p>
<p>You must be kidding!! Have you looked at the applications??? What level is she applying to: Prep or older? Have you any familiarity with this process??</p>
<p>I made two copies of the applications and my daughter and I sat down and filled out one of the general info type pages i.e. name, parents name, etc. She used this to complete the other apps in draft. I checked and then we moved on to the real thing. I also for all of the short and regular essays keyed the questions to a Word document. My daughter did several iterations in Word and then copied to the applications. She always did the draft first to see spacing and fit. Then she did the actual original application. I actually did almost no editing but did suggest she expand on things or skinny things down.<br>
My daughter spoke to the teachers about recommendations and I followed that up with letters from me to each of the teachers.
So I think the answer is YES I helped my daughter but more with organization than content!</p>
<p>Thanks Shelley, sounds fair. Hazmat, yes I've looked and they are every bit the college application in complexity. A big part of me says that a kid who can't handle this alone maybe isn't ready.</p>
<p>I did most of the application myself.....I think I checked with my mom on some dates and such. I got NO help with my short answers or essays. I contacted all of my teachers for recs and handled that alone. Basically my mom did the FedEx runs for me and gave me the application fees. She did plan the trips for campus visits and interviews....and paid for that also. We had a great time in our journey and I had a life changing experience at my school. Have fun and good luck.</p>
<p>Proof the essays for typos, grammer, etc. After you have written something, and looked at so much, it is easy to miss a minor mistake</p>
<p>For my Ds applications, we parents had to write a cople of essays as well ie: Tell us something about your kid we should know, tell us a place of growth for your child. A classic is having patience.</p>
<p>What I did, was made sure we had envelopes, stamps, that copies were made, and made a big old calendar so D could write in dates, etc. Organization is key. Ds had a folder for each school and paced themselves. And sometimes they would work intensely for a while then take a break...those essays...</p>
<p>Have fun!!!</p>
<p>I absolutely took the reigns in the application process. My son never filled out anything without rough drafting it first. I kept everything sorted and organized. It was not as laborious since he is part of a scholarship program that eases the application process. Nevertheless, up to this day I have printed Outlook calendars with dates and deadlines. (He starts his first year in Sept).</p>
<p>The process is like preparing for a huge wedding. It is a family affair that requires planning and involvement.</p>