Is it okay to write my child’s college essays?
For many high school seniors, this coming week is an important milestone: the first round of early decision and early action deadlines is November 1. These students are busy completing their Common Apps and polishing their personal statements and supplemental essays. This is the moment when some parents feel tempted to step in and write (or rewrite) portions of their student applicants' essays. Do not give in to this temptation. Here's why:
1. It's cheating. Passing off someone else's work as one's own is unethical.
2. You're almost certainly hurting your son or daughter's chances of being accepted at their dream college. College admissions committees read thousands of student essays each year. They know how teenagers write. They know how parents write. They know the difference between a lightly edited essay that is in the student's voice and a polished essay that is in the parent's voice. You won't receive a letter of rebuke from the admissions committee, just a rejection.
3. Suppose you succeed in fooling the admissions committee. Are you now planning to do their assignments for them at a college that's more academically rigorous than they're prepared for?
4. Consider the harm you're doing to your child. You’re teaching your child that when the stakes are high enough, it’s okay to be unethical. You're also teaching them that their own work in their own authentic voice isn't good enough. Maybe they would have been accepted at their dream school without your intervention. They'll never know.
5. Consider a shift in your mindset. Send the message to your children that you trust them, that you value and respect their independence, and that you believe they are capable of making their own decisions, managing their own lives, and taking responsibility for their own success. Allow them to make mistakes during this process and learn from them.
When you sign up for a package at Confluence College Admissions Consulting, you'll have peace of mind knowing that an expert is overseeing your college applicant's progress, while at the same time being mindful of their ethics, autonomy, and self determination.
