Sense of social responsibility. Many applicants find that taking the time to write a thoughtful essay also helps them figure out what to look for in a college they have been considering. Since I always encourage students to develop word lists, many ask me to provide examples of words that other applicant families have come up with. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. Special talents or abilities. <p>Ok, so I am filling out the "parent brag sheet" that D's high school Guidance Counseling department recommends parents complete for the Guidance Counselor Report that gets submitted to her college choices. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. Updated on November 11, 2019. This will set your brag sheet apart, and provide concrete content for your childs counselor to discuss. Include specific details about what separates your childs achievements from other applicants. What are the things you like about your school? Active Adorable Adventurous Alert Ambitious Anxious Artistic Astute Athletic Attentive Awesome Awkward Beautiful Capable Captivating Careless Charming Chatty Clever He is currently working on a documentary about our neighborhood, would provide a far clearer picture of a students love for journalism than just saying, Jack is good at writing.. These may also be a form where you have to fill in blanks that are more straightforward and resemble questions that you might be asked on the Common App. Setbacks are inevitable in college and throughout life, and admissions counselors want to make sure that setbacks wont discourage applicants. Commitment to service. Remember, your childs counselor cant work with vague responses. Make sure you dont repeat anything youve already listed, as the counselor has many of these documents to read. Tell us the type of college environment that you think will bring out the best in you as a student and as a person. If your child is bad at math, for example, you could write something like, Math is not Johnnys strong suit, but his work ethic and willingness to work with tutors have enabled him to maintain a B average in precalculus this year.. There can be a lot of pressure, feeling like this is your one chance to make the letter strong or that you have to squeeze all of your childs characteristics into one form. Application Essays -- the Important First Introduction! Respond in full sentences, not bullet points, so that your responses can be inserted directly into letters of recommendation. A lot of the time, these wont necessarily be positive events. When writing this response, remember that its not always just leadership positions or awards that count as achievements, but the process of getting there. Specifically, you want to focus on things that better explain your child, not only as a student but as a person. Dont exaggerate here, as many other families might have faced very serious challenges. It could be that your son failed his first AP Government exam and that inspired him to dedicate two hours each night towards reviewing the material covered in class each day. Remember that it is called a brag sheet - so you want to emphasize how youve stepped up as a leader in your different activities. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. This is the one question on the brag sheet that you don't have to respond to in full sentences, unless you're asked to provide examples to explain your adjectives. Oftentimes we get in the habit of using the same generic phrases like cute or smart on repeat. Adjectives are describing words and you can pretty much guarantee that the words kids grow up hearing are the same words they will end up using to describe themselves as adults. Colleges love seeing personal growth, and they understand that many high school students are quite different people as seniors than they were as freshmen. When children hear these same terms repeated over and over they actually become meaningless. It's important to note that you may not be asked to write a parent brag sheet; many parents aren't. They either feel like they need to prove their child is the most amazing high school student to ever walk the earth, or they feel compelled to give the "warts and all" story and open up about times their child has been lazy/dishonest/etc. Can you provide an example of a time your student overcame an obstacle or adversity and demonstrated strength, courage, or resiliency? Use your discretion of course. You may include a hobby that is unique or a life change that affected your performance in school. Maybe your child is well-versed in art history. For the purposes of this article, we are using example questions offered by the Common App. #11: How does your student react to setbacks? Lets take a closer look at the different sections brag sheets typically contain. 9 Personality and Character Traits Colleges Look for in Applicants Definition: Able to do things well. Give the trait, then add a few sentences of explanation to why it is important to your child's character. When college admissions specialists review your application, they are asking themselves, "What qualities best describe this applicant?" But, if your family has experienced a job loss or significant change in finances, this may be a good place to explain that your child is prioritizing schools that are cheaper and in-state. Again, describe the achievement in a few words so that the reader can gauge the reason behind your recognition. It goes over everything from choosing your high school classes to brainstorming personal ideas. Letters of recommendation: Recommendation letters can tell a lot about the kind of person you are. They can provide degrees of comparison. doesnt ask so, you can talk about your athletic involvement in this section. But be strategic about your tone. When students ask teachers for letters of recommendation, we recommend they write their own brag sheets to give teachers ideas of the skills and personality characteristics they might highlight. , a student one may also ask if theres any circumstance thats affected your performance in high school or whether or not theres something else you want to share (if youre creating your own template, you can add such as section if applicable). industrious. The essay can reveal the answers to these questions more than any test score can. Everyone is going to face setbacks throughout their life, and colleges want to admit students they're confident can roll with the punches. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Include specific details about what separates your child's achievements from other applicants. Perhaps youre amazed by your childs ability to talk with anyone and everyone. 5 Adjectives To Describe Your Child? - Parents Forum - College Here are 20 words to describe your child; you can use these words for any child: There are so many things to love about your child, from the things he/she says to the things he/she does. Ask questions; get answers. Instead, be specific. 56 Examples of Academic Strengths for a School Application While your child may be mommy/daddys angel, he/she will have traits that may rub others the wrong way or even get him/her in trouble. Some counselors feel that parents can provide a more detailed analysis of their child than the student can provide him/herself. Most applications to private schools require parents to write about their children in a parent's statement or by filling out a questionnaire. Sentences such as my daughter is the most outstanding singer the entire country as ever seen shes the next Madonna! will only make eyes roll. The parent brag sheet typically consists of several short-answer questions you'll complete. This exercise is the beginning of a process to come up with word messages students want colleges to "get" about them as they fill-out applications, write essays and have interviews. College classes can differ depending on the subject, instructor and class size, so remaining adaptable can be a useful skill. You may be tempted to write "smart," "kind," and "funny" and move on to the next question. While answering the last portion of the question, dig deep to think about what you truly hope that your child gains from college. To get a little deeper, I might also ask, "What was your son (or daughter) like when he (she) was a little boy (girl)?" Ask below and we'll reply! Potential examples can include parents divorcing, a serious illness, the death of someone close to the student, etc. If you need to complete one, chances are youre inclined to say only good things about your child. A parent brag sheet is a form you may be asked to complete for your child's guidance counselor. These, Free Printable Easter Egg Templates & Easter Egg Coloring Pages, 9+ Free Habit Tracker Printables (so you can finally form positive habits that stick) . However, she wanted more opportunities for group trips, so she took it upon herself to contact 8 outdoor experience tour operators and arrange discounted rates for the group. If your child has dedicated an hour every night to freewriting to boost those writing skills, this is the place to relay that to your childs counselor. Begun to ask teachers for help when they don't understand something? It asks for 4 adjectives to describe my D and I am stuck on one, total braine freeze has set in. We created this guide to explain what a parent brag sheet is and what they're used for. The student version of the brag sheet is typically similar to a resum, asking for a list of academic and extracurricular involvements, along with any accomplishments that can help the recommenders write about the candidate in a positive light. Your email address will not be published. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? As you start working on your college applications, youll learn that letters of recommendation from your counselor make up an important component of the process to distinguish you from your classmates. Although most come with pre-assigned sections such as Extracurriculars or Honors, if youre asked to write a brag sheet from scratch, you can still use the following format and create yours. How to Use Adjectives to Describe Kids. Maybe your child has always excelled in history. Your counselor might want to relay this information so that the admissions officers can gain a sense of your maturity and dependability. Creativity, self-awareness, and a good command of grammar top the list. Making your answers clear and concise is the best way to ensure the counselor reads all the information and gets your main points. Think about what else your childs counselor might want or need to know. For example, you could say: Hungry bear; Unhappy bear; Angry bear; Silly bear; Sleepy bear However, they also are looking for "students who are going to be involved in a lot of activities, and students who are musicians, and students who are athletes, and everything in between.". Here are four tips to follow to ensure you're creating the strongest brag sheet for your child. 1. Explain what type of history is your childs expertise. Here are some tips on using adjectives to describe kids: When used consistently these words will become a natural part of your daily routine and your child will become accustomed to hearing themselves in a positive light every day. Even if you gush throughout your brag sheet over how smart and hardworking your child is, if you don't have any examples to support those claims, counselors likely won't include them in their letter. A proper response may look like, I hope that my child is able to surround herself with a supportive community of peers who will encourage her, just as much as I do, to work to pursue her dreams but also prioritize her own personal happiness.. Maybe an illness forced your child to miss two months of school and she had to work endless nights to catch back up and maintain a good GPA. For all of these responses, remember to back up your points with specific anecdotes. Read about how to build a versatile college application here. Academic achievement; character development; whole child education; the acquisition of learning skills; becoming a member of a community of kids Adventurous. Many times, parents aren't given a lot of direction on how to fill out the parent brag sheet, but we've got you covered! While its mainly written to help your guidance counselor, any time you need a recommendation from a teacher, supervisor, or coach, you can also hand them the brag sheet so that they know about all of the things that youve achieved. If your child started high school as a very shy student with terrible stage fright and is now an award-winning public speaker, that circumstance demands that you go into greater detail about their hard work, determination, and strength in getting over their fear. 300 Words to Describe Yourself in Every Situation - Parade A huge part of parenting is being active in your childs life, whether it is his/her school or person life. For example, if your child wants to become a psychiatrist, the counselor might use the letter to highlight the student's STEM skills and willingness to help other students with homework and group projects. Adventurous: offering an opportunity to experience new things. Include specific examples whenever possible to explain your reasoning. If I'm going to spend my time doing something, I'm going to give it my all. At my first college admissions meetings with students, I ask parents to identify nouns, adjectives, phrases, and short stories that will help me know something about their son or daughter. The award could be related to your prospective major in college, but it could also be for outstanding community service. How to describe your child to a teacher (including templates) If theres nothing that applies, its more than okay to leave this response blank! What is your greatest strength as a student and a person? Avoid focusing on appearance for compliments. - counselors want to know what your child has achieved in high school, and why you view these as the standout accomplishments over others. Your recommenders can also benefit from knowing whether youve been active for a long period of time, so adding the year you started an activity can help reflect your commitment. Considerate. When you attend a big high school and your, has to write them for nearly a hundred students per year, how can you make sure they can talk about you positively and concretely enough to help you stand out to admissions officers? The purpose of the parent's letter is to add dimension to the candidate's statement and help the admissions committee better understand the applicant from the parent's . With this question, high school counselors are, again, seeking specific examples. Finally, it's important to cover any challenges your child has faced and, most importantly, how they have overcome these challenges. She got into the school.</p> 5 Adjectives To Describe Your Child? - Parents Forum - College If your child started high school as a very shy student with terrible stage fright and is now an award-winning public speaker, that circumstance demands that you go into greater detail about their hard work, determination, and strength in getting over their fear. Thats why some applications ask for details about extracurricular activities. You want to be positive and paint your child in a good light, but dont exaggerate or go overboard in terms of the length. The anecdotes should reflect your child and family in a positive light. Explain, for example, that your daughter spent an entire summer working, without pay, for an environmental nonprofit to help provide your community with safer drinking water. The following words can be used without meaning to say that your child is bad; in fact, everyone has bad traits. Just keep it real and your child's personality will shine through. These traits arent necessarily bad, but they can be a little weird when compared to other kids. Because counselors often have to read through hundreds of brag sheets, you should respond to the questions succinctly and accurately.
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