College Essays Workshop
College application deadlines might feel far away.
They’ll be here before you know it.
Why start now?
After almost two decades of helping students prepare for college applications, I know starting much earlier is better.
Beginning sooner allows you to:
Write your school-specific supplementals while your impressions of campus visits are still fresh.
Have plenty of time for important editing and revising.
Jumpstart ideas for your personal statement.
Free senior fall to focus on keeping grades strong.
Open summer for college visits and easier travel.
What does this Workshop cover?
No two students are alike, so I’ve tailored the pathways to reach all kinds of learners. Students can choose from two pathways depending on how much support is needed.
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Pathway A is suitable for students who are confident in their writing abilities.
These students just need some ideas to get started and then they can create polished, edited, and concise writing independently.
At the end of Pathway A, students will have:
Thorough outlines and brainstorming notes that can be easily turned into completed writing about almost any supplemental essay question
A personalized supplemental tracker to organize all the essays by school and essay type
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Pathway B provides writing, revising, and editing support in addition to the brainstorming and outlining.
This path is appropriate for students who need or want support ensuring their writing is strong and the best representation of their unique voice.
At the end of Pathway B, students will have:
Completed sections of polished writing to use for almost any supplemental question
A personalized supplemental tracker to organize all the essays by school and essay type
How is the Workshop structured?
Both pathways consist of 3 modules. These modules can be completed in any order, and we can determine the order together based on student interest and abilities.
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This module prepares students to write about each college specifically. Almost every school will want to see evidence that you’ve familiarized yourself with their program enough to believe it would be a good fit. Together we will research and gather information to prove it.
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You will likely have to write about your area of interest for many supplemental questions. Together we’ll consider your passion for your intended major (if you have one) and how to best convey that passion in a way that illustrates your strengths and capacity for growth. If you don’t yet have an intended major, we’ll gather material that can still convey your academic passions and aptitude.
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Showing what makes you unique is an important facet of the supplemental essays. We’ll reflect on your activities, clubs, sports, and any other official or unofficial groups you’ve belonged to or associated with to gather information about what you’ve been through, what you’ve learned, what has shaped you, and where you’re headed.
What we believe in:
Getting to Know Each Student
Though the workshop goal is the same for everyone, the path will be different for each student. I’ll work with students to understand how they learn best, what motivates them, and what kind of support they respond to.
Over-communicating
Parents are an important part of the college application process, and I’ll update you after every session so you know exactly what we’re working on. When we begin working together, we will discuss what collaboration looks like so everyone is on the same page. Whenever possible, I welcome collaboration with students’ college counselors to make sure everyone involved in the college process is delivering the same message.
Creating Authentic Writing
Writing is one of my passions, and I love sharing that passion with students - even if they’re not passionate writers themselves! The only way to create authentic writing is to take time to work through the writing process. Starting early ensures that our students aren’t in a position of last-minute scrambling or finding shortcuts that result in inauthentic writing.
Building Planning Habits
This workshop will not only help students successfully navigate the supplemental essay process but also illustrate planning and organization steps they can apply to other long-term projects. Building these habits of breaking down the tasks, starting early, and sticking to small internal deadlines will set them up for success in future projects.
What about the Personal Statement?
If you’re interested in support with the personal statement, I can do that too! Though this workshop is designed specifically for supplementals, we inevitably come up with ideas that can be used for the personal statement. You’re welcome to add sessions specifically to work on the personal statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The workshop is designed to leave students prepared for any kind of supplemental question, and completing all three modules is the only wan to ensure that level of preparedness. That said, if families want to discuss completing one or two of the modules only, I am happy to have that conversation.
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All Supplemental Workshop Sessions are one-on-one so I can best work with each individual student on particular interests, abilities, and needs.
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Sessions take place in my online zoom classroom, and students can be located anywhere in the world.
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I offer flexible pricing based on a tiered system. Please look over the pricing page for details. Specific prices will be shared after our consultation session, so please reach out below to discuss!
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No - I am not a college counselor and do not offer advice about where to apply.
Whenever possible, I appreciate communicating with a student’s college counselor to make sure I am supporting whatever advice the college counselor is offering.
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That depends on how much work students do in between sessions! In theory, we can introduce a module in one session and a student could complete all work related to that module before our next session, in which case completing the workshop would require 3-4 sessions.
Most students, however, prefer to work together on some of the module work, in which case each module requires 2-3 sessions, on average.
Of course each student works at his or her own pace, and our regular updates throughout the workshop will give you an idea of pacing, which we can always discuss and adjust.
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Complete the form below!
I will then reach out for a brief consultation to make sure the program is the right fit.
We will then go over the basics of the workshop and set a time to begin!
Still have questions?
Reach out or complete the form below for more information!
Let’s Work Together
If you're interested in enrolling in the College Essays Workshop or just want more information, please fill out the form and I will get back to you right away!