Applications - The Parent's Statement

Published February 07, 2009
Many schools require a statement from the applicant's parents. After all, you probably know your child better than anybody. The school also wants to know what your concerns and educational objectives are. The goal here is to make sure that everybody's expectations are the same. For example, if you want your son to play on a varsity hockey team and the school offers limited hockey time, you need to deal with that before you decide to send your son to that school. Perhaps your daughter finds math challenging. You will want to point that out so that the school can discuss how it might deal with that concern.

Here are some examples of the sort of questions schools will ask:

From McCallie School
 
  • What do you hope your child will accomplish at McCallie?
  • From what activities does your child derive self-confidence?
  • What are your child’s strengths and weaknesses? (Please comment on social characteristics: e.g., self-reliance, sense of humor, ability to mix, shyness, assertiveness, etc.)
  • Include any particular concerns of which the school should be aware: e.g., Has your child experienced any difficult challenges or personal setbacks in recent years? Are there any medical conditions of which we should be aware?
  • Has your child had any psychological or educational testing?
  • Does your child regularly take any prescription medication?
  • Does your child's health limit or interfere with the normal performance of everyday activities, including class work, athletics, or other duties?
  • Please make any additional comments about your child which you feel may be helpful to us.

From The Hun School 

It is very helpful for us to learn about our applicants through their parents’ eyes. Your answers to these questions will help us to better understand your child’s social and educational needs. Please attach additional pages if necessary.
 
  • Please list any relatives who have attended The Hun School (name, class, relationship).
  • Please discuss your primary reason for considering a new school for your child.
  • Describe your child as an individual, explaining briefly what you believe are his or her strengths, weaknesses, goals, and aspirations.
  • Has your child ever had an educational evaluation? If so, please explain the circumstances and send us a copy of the written evaluation.
  • Has your child ever required any academic support or accommodations? If so, please explain.
  • What are your expectations of The Hun School?
  • What role do you play in your child’s education?
  • Please list the names, ages, and current schools of other children in your family.
  • We welcome any additional comments you may wish to make.

As you can readily see from these two examples, the schools are assembling a composite picture of your child via written applications and statements, an interview and academic testing. Once the admissions staff has a clear idea of your child's strengths and weakness, interest and achievements, then it can begin to make a final determination as to whether your child will fit in and vice-versa.

Since so much is riding on your statement, do the following:
 
  • Download and print out the forms, even if you plan to apply online.
  • Do a rough draft of your answers .
  • Put that draft away for a day or two.
  • When you have some quiet time, review the draft and revise it as necessary.
  • If you have an educational consultant, be sure to discuss and review this part of the application with him.
  • Make a fair copy of your answers.

 

One last tip: use the Applications Calendar to keep on top of all the deadlines involved in the admissions process.
 

Read Related Admissions Articles:

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Applications

The applications process consists of several parts.

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