Many students who attended a private secondary school had fulfilling experiences, making new friends from all over the world, learning how to debate, picking up a new language, figuring out physics is not really that hard, and trying new sports like cross-country skiing through a snow-capped bird sanctuary. “Preps” had new personal responsibilities and tried their best to avoid the “Holden Caulfield syndrome.” Holden, the protagonist in Catcher in the Rye, was notorious for getting kicked out of Pencey Prep for failing 5 out of 5 classes.
Do not fret parents, having taught that book for many years, I can tell you right now- Holden had to work very hard to accomplish that feat! He might have attended about 3% of his classes and completed about 0% of his homework.
The goal in high school, private or public, is to have one teacher who reminds us of Mr. Keating, Robin Williams’ character in Dead Poet’s Society. His quote, the one etched into the memory of movie goers above the age of 40, will forever be a classic: “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”
Help your student begin to change the world. Sometimes a change is welcomed. A private secondary school might be that change for your child. If this is the case, the application process must begin now. But does it have to be so daunting and feel like the college application process?
Enter Write Coach. We help students prepare for this secondary school application process by taking the component that seems to derail some families at the outset… the writing piece.
Every applicant is asked to write a Personal Essay, submit Short Answers, and include a Parent Statement. The Personal Essay, above all else, needs to be honest and genuine. We can help your child avoid repetition and other pitfalls while sticking to the word count the school suggests.
What does Write Coach help bring out in every applicant? Passion with a bit of humor (*without being cliché or trite.)
There are three common prompts: Who is someone you admire and why? Talk about the qualities you admire and how you’ve tried to incorporate those traits into your own life; What accomplishment are you most proud of? Find a way to answer that is more meaningful than an award or game-winning goal. If you have overcome a challenge, that deeper thought is what they are looking for; What are your interests? Focus on a particular interest that will set you apart from other applicants. Have you had an experience that nobody else has had, unique to you?!
No matter what prompt you answer, be interesting! Admissions officers read hundreds of essays, so you must stand out from the crowd.
Rule #1: Do NOT have your parents write your essay! Or even the bulk of it. Remember you also submit a graded writing sample. These admissions officers are trained professionals at spotting parents’ creative writing.
The rest of the rules:
- Be authentic. Your genuine self is your best self.
- Check out the school’s website. It’s on you to “get to know” your potential prep school.
- Don’t let your parent “mail it in.” The Parent Statement needs to be personal and sincere. Write Coach can help here with an outline, edit, review, or simply help with parental writer’s block.
- Proof more than once, yet be careful. Too many voices cloud the author’s real story.
- Schools often ask for a 250-500 word count. Do not exceed 500, but write more than the bare minimum of 250.
- Typically, there is a choice of essay topics. Make sure to pick the prompt that resonates with you (*not the one your parents like 🙂
- Do not be shy. If you don’t reveal your skills or passion – nobody else will do it for you.
- Don’t overshare about “extracurriculars.” Those have a place elsewhere in the application. This is the time to show who you are- not what you do!
- Write about something that matters to you, but don’t overstate your cause at the expense of being open-minded.
- Do not forget to actually have some fun with this essay. For REAL- it will show!
You ready to crush this? Sign up for 1 or 2 Write Coach sessions, depending on how much support you need. We love to help students with all stages. The goal is for everyone to enjoy the Prep School applicant process!
