Parents should not help students with college applications

Completing college applications is a long and difficult process. Students often turn to counselors for help, sometimes for thousands  of dollars. There’s no denying that the extra help students are able to receive at SHS  is an advantage and a privilege. But what about parental aid?

Involving parents in the college application process is dangerous. From biased and uncalled for essay edits to unlimited, constant access, parental involvement when applying to colleges is more harmful than helpful.

Counselors, whether or not they be at school, are limited in their ability to directly help students with their applications. But there is no professional barrier between parents and their kids and therefore no barrier when it comes to the privacy of college applications. It’s easier to say “no” to a counselor than it is to a parent.  

Parents want so badly for their kids to be accepted into the  college of their choice that they can be unintentionally relentless and ruthless in their involvement. That means working through holidays and enduring constant revisions and endless unwarranted advice.

None of this is to say that editing essays and looking over final versions of an application is overstepping boundaries. It’s when editing essays turns into writing essays, and looking over applications turn into doing applications that lines are crossed and the application is no longer a reflection of the applicant in question.

Parents should have no direct involvement in their children’s applications. They shouldn’t write essays. They shouldn’t fill out the forms. Nothing. It’s not fair to the students who take large chunks of time out of their busy schedules in order to work on applications and to the students who aren’t able to receive this sort of boost from their parents. Parents’ direct involvement is essentially falsifying information on the application. If cheating on tests is not allowed, why should this be?

College applications are the gateway to the next stage of life. It is absurd to think that students’ future should be interfered with by the meddling of overly concerned parents. So parents, limit yourselves. And students, don’t be afraid to limit your parents. Understand the boundaries, but most of all, understand that this is your future — a future that you want decided for yourself.