The lights are on the tree! It took a little finagling, as always. I didn’t seem to have enough strands and had to borrow some from the outdoor lights (which, luckily, are not up yet.) I was wondering why, until I remembered THE INCIDENT from last year, where my son was trimming a couple errant branches on Christmas Eve, and accidentally cut through a strand of lights.
I’m sure there’s a note to my future self, tucked away in a bin I haven’t opened yet, explaining that I need to buy two new strands of lights this year. The important thing is, the tree lights are up. Outdoor lights can wait a little.
I wish it were all Christmas and fun around here, but my son has essays to write for grad school applications. He’s applying to eight schools, and they all require different “personal statements” and/or “statements of purpose.” A couple of them are generic, and some are more specific with their prompts. Additionally, two of the school are asking for “diversity statements,” and we have no idea where to go with that. Those are optional- but does it look bad if he doesn’t do it?
He took a writing class this semester and the teacher taught him the value of the SFD, or “shitty first draft.” I can say that he’s accomplished a few of those so far! We’ve got a long way to go…. but I’m undaunted. I’m a NaBloPoMo veteran! I can help him get through a few little essays. Sigh.
Next up… tinsel and ornaments!
Do you like writing essays? – My son… doesn’t. But we’ll get it done.
24 Responses
The tree looks lovely! I love that you also write notes to your future self. I do that all the time. And sometimes I even find them in time for them to be helpful!
I hope your son gets his essays done soon. I like to write, but not stuff like that. Good luck helping!
Thank you Noemi! We’re plugging away.
Love the lights on the tree, that’s the magical moment, isn’t it?
I used to hate writing essays, or writing in general. The blogging helped me to “normalize” it and actually enjoy it as it’s a good thought process.
My son also is not a fan of writing in general, but he’s getting better. I don’t think he’ll ever have a blog though : )
I just googled “what is a diversity statement” and I got things like “a well-crafted diversity statement can play a pivotal role in your interview process”.
Ugh, I find it quite daunting. But I’m sure the mom-son team can do it!!
Yes, these prompts are SO VAGUE. It’s annoying. I guess we better come up with a stellar diversity statement now, though.
The tree looks great.
No. Essays are not my thing.
Good luck.
You’re off to a great start.
Thank you Darlene!
The lights look magical! When I bought my first “full size” tree two years ago, I got one that was pre-lit, which makes things extra easy for decorating, but if the lights ever fail, I’ll probably have to get a new tree or figure out a way to put a different string of lights on.
Good luck with the grad school essay writing! I haven’t written an essay in probably 11 years (my senior year of college) but I always enjoyed writing more than other assignments.
Gah, I wish my son felt that way. His writing has come a long way, but writing is still not his favorite thing.
The shitty first draft! It’s such a freeing idea, really. Or, as a woman in my writing group said last night “the first draft is getting the clay out of the riverbed and dumping it on the floor.”
Ha ha…. there’s a metaphor for it!
I did LOVE a first draft. Mostly because it was the hardest part for me. Getting that out of the way, I could get down to editing which was my favourite. I really loved writing essays in university.
Love the lights. It looks so cheery and festive.
I just wish these essays had more interesting prompts! I feel like they’re encouraging boring, generic answers.
Let’s hear it for the SFD!!! I’m a big fan. Let’s also hear it for being out of school and (for the most part) not having to write unless we want to!
Ha, yes. I’d much rather voluntarily write a blog for fun, than have to follow someone else’s silly prompts.
I mean part of the reason I was drawn to a degree in math is because there are no essays or papers to write! I also took a lot of business courses as I knew I wanted to get my MBA and those classes also did not have many essay/paper requirements. Give me a test over an essay any day of the week! But now in my job I do have to do a fair bit of writing. I would say I am a good writer but I got through a lot of SFDs. My colleague is a total machine and can crank out a paper in an impressive amount of time. She went to a liberal arts school, though, and wrote a lot of papers and does not like math/excel/etc. So we compliment each other extremely well! Give me all the spreadsheets and give her all of the whitepapers (that is what we call the papers we write for work.). But I would say that I am a great editor so I edit what she writes which is a far easier job than writing it.
Good luck to Paul on his essay writing!!
Ooh, you guys are a good pair. Kind of like my son and me- he’s doing the writing and then I get in there to help him edit and polish it up.
Egads. Just have AI write the shitty first draft and then tweak it. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be!
I asked this before, but I’m going to be persistent and ask again. (That’s a lovely character trait, isn’t it?) Why is your son interested in grad school? I thought he wanted to be a performer? Is there an advantage in going to grad school for that career path?
Fair question! He does want to be a performer, and will be pursuing a masters in trumpet performance. If, that is, he can go for free. He’s looking at schools that offer a teaching assistanceship or some sort of fellowship. The idea is to keep taking lessons for a couple more years, get some more performing experience, and then start taking auditions after that. But, no- you certainly don’t NEED a masters degree to play in an orchestra.
Lights! Action! YAY!
What is your son going to grad school for? Happy for your essay bonding time <3
I don't *love* writing essays, but I do read a lot of essays and would be happy to add my 2 cents.
(pocobrat at gmail will find me.)
Okay thank you Maya! I’ll only contact you if we get stuck- I’m sure you read a lot of essays and I don’t want to give you any more. He’s hoping to get a masters in trumpet performance (same as his undergrad degree.) He’ll also be auditioning, and the auditions will carry a lot more weight than the essays. But his essays still have to be decent.
Haha that look of… oups! 🙂
You’re a NaBloPoMo veteran, you can help with the essays! YES!
I am honestly glad I don’t have to write essays anymore. I like writing for work although it’s all very technical and rigid. I am sure you two will get it done.