The Parents' Role |
brainstorming? yes
writing and editing? no |
“Andrea developed a wonderful rapport with my son. It was obvious that she really enjoys working with students. She has the perfect combination of approachability and professionalism. Together, she and my son determined essay topics that would reflect him and his personality, and would help differentiate him in a college application pool." |
REMEMBERING, NOT WRITING
Having gone through the application process five times with my own three children (three sets of college applications, two sets of graduate school applications), I know how anxiety-ridden the process can be for parents. Parents can definitely have some input, but only in the brainstorming phase of the process.
Parents' memories, especially in remembering interesting or defining moments in their child’s life, can be very valuable. However, after this initial burst of brainstorming help, parents really need to chill. The essay needs to be written by the student, in the student's own voice. Admissions officers consistently say that they can tell the difference between an essay written by a 17-year old and one written by a 50-year old, so parents do more harm than good if they get too involved and edit out the student's voice. Parents need to trust that in the end, the work I do with the student will produce focused, interesting, and insightful essays.
Parents' memories, especially in remembering interesting or defining moments in their child’s life, can be very valuable. However, after this initial burst of brainstorming help, parents really need to chill. The essay needs to be written by the student, in the student's own voice. Admissions officers consistently say that they can tell the difference between an essay written by a 17-year old and one written by a 50-year old, so parents do more harm than good if they get too involved and edit out the student's voice. Parents need to trust that in the end, the work I do with the student will produce focused, interesting, and insightful essays.
COMMUNICATION
While parents are relegated to the bench right after the warm-up exercises, they are still valuable members of the team (they are needed to pay the bills!) and are treated as such. I will email regular progress reports so parents can keep tabs on the game while they are watching from the sidelines.