Writing school applications: Make it real
It is the season, it is indeed. As most people turn towards holiday shopping after Thanksgiving, parents of prospective elementary and middle school children seeking independent school admission turn their heads towards writing out school applications. Independent school applications include four to five questions that require crisp, descriptive short essay-style responses to questions like — Describe your child's strengths and areas of challenge?, What kind of learning environment do you think is best for your child?, Why are you drawn to [name of school]? or Why do you think [name of school] is a fit for your child?, How do you expect to be involved as a family and so on.
Answering these questions can be nerve-wracking for some parents. For the most prolific writers, these questions still demand some pause, reflection and effort. In helping parents write their applications, I have identified these tips:
Authentic: Keep the application real. No child is perfect and while you cannot imagine a better school for your child, only describing what is best in your child will lower the overall credibility of your application. Education is meant to both nurture and challenge your child. The best fit school is one that will both match and stretch your child. Describe your child's strenghts and be unapologetic about her areas of challenge.
Show fit: Schools seek a fit just as you do. Often, parents focus on how the child fits the school. Establishing that fit is the school's job. You are your child's advocate. Focus on how the school is a fit for your child and her particular learning needs. Describe how you expect the school nurture your child's strengths and what you saw in the school that made you feel like it would challenge her. When filling out an elementary school application also focus on why the school is a fit for your family — your values and the ways in which you hope to be involved in the school.
Be Specific: Use examples and quick anecdotes to describe your child, what you saw at the school and how it fits your child or your family. Examples bring your application to life, distinguish it from other applications and they paint a picture. Here's an example of how to use an example — John is creative versus John expresses himself by creating elaborate, detailed drawings that are embellished with stories and plot lines.
Keep it crisp: Yes, worry about the length of your application but more importantly, make sure it is crisp. Don't repeat yourself, if possible, even across answers. If the application is an easy, informative read, that is what matters. Keep it clear and crisp.
When its all said and done, don't second guess yourself. Whether or not your child gets into a particular school is driven by many factors out of your control. More importantly though, when your child does get into a particular school I hope it is because there is a fit both ways. Good luck with those applications!