Writing the College Application Essay: One-On-One Guidance From the Beginning

Know Before You Enroll:
- This is an intensive course for those who want to make significant headway with their college application essay in a short amount of time and requires a few hours of commitment by students each week. While some students may have a completed, final draft at the end of the course, others will need additional sessions or feedback for it to be ready to submit in their college application. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' amount of progress made by the end of this course -- every student writes and adjusts to the college application essay writing style at their own pace.

Who is this class for? 
This class is designed for students applying to college who either have not begun their college application essay yet or have just started but would like help starting/reviewing from the very beginning. This is the perfect class for students who may be unsure what to write about, are not confident in their writing ability, or those who simply want guidance through the process!

Class Description:
Meet with me one-on-one over the course of three weeks to write your college essay. In this class, you'll work on either one essay of approx. 650 words (common app essay or goapplytexas essay) or 2-3 short essays totaling the same. If you have additional essays you'd like help with, you're welcome to sign up for additional class sessions. With my background in English/ESL/college advising/college teaching/transitioning to college, we'll look at your essay topic from multiple points of view to help you communicate as effectively as possible to your target audience: the College Admissions Department and/or Faculty.

My feedback style is fully discussion based; I do not do track changes/fix grammar issues until the very end. I ask probing questions, helping students really think critically about what they have written. I am also quite direct -- if I see a concern, I will not ignore it. I will let you know what the concern is, why it is a concern, and make a recommendation on how to fix it. I don't want to waste your time -- you have enough on your plate as it is! However, ultimately this is your essay, and you make all the final decisions. I will not write your essay for you. Writing is subjective, so there may be times when you disagree with my suggestions, and that is okay! If you decide to ignore my recommendation, I'll happily help you make your essay the best it can be.

*Writing college essays can be quite personal. When we are discussing college prompts or essays, if I were to ask a question (in order to better get to know you/understand an idea) that you are not comfortable discussing, you are welcome to decline to answer and we'll move on. However, the better I am able to get to know you, the more help I can be when giving you direction and advice on your essay.

Example Class Schedule: 
We'll meet twice each week for three weeks, so that after three weeks, most students will have a solid draft (and in some cases a final draft) of their essay. (As everyone's writing ability, pace, and writing style is different, if I feel you need further revisions after the class, I will let you know and recommend you enroll for another (optional) meeting.) **The schedule below is an estimate, and one example of a student's essay journey. Each student's sessions will look slightly different based on their individual needs.

Week 1:
Class 1: We'll look at your various essay question choices and pick the topic that will best shine a light on the unique individual you are. Colleges want to get to know you, and sometimes, picking what might seem an obvious choice for the essay topic may not be the best choice.  If you have a set essay question, we'll discuss the best way to answer it. 

Class 2: To this class, you will bring an outline, partial start of the essay, or another organization method of your choice where you show your thoughts for how the essay will be set up. We'll go over it together and talk through your ideas. My goal is to ensure you've planned on covering all the important points within your essay, correct you if you have veered off the goal of the essay, and give you tips for writing your first draft.

Week 2:
Class 3: You will bring your first full draft to this class. This meeting will focus on big picture feedback. Did you stay on topic? Is your point clear and concise? Do you use an appropriate tone throughout the essay? Are there any grammatical mistakes that are consistently made that can be corrected? How do you feel about the essay? Is it organized?

Class 4: You will bring your second draft to this class after making edits based on last meeting's feedback. If larger concerns have been addressed, now we get a little more picky, looking over grammar, spelling, word choice, and sentence structure. We'll also check to be sure the essay is still meeting the basic requirements for your essay, ie. length/word count, etc. 

Week 3:
Class 5: We'll continue to discuss your essay and continue to make it stronger. We'll discuss how you feel about your essay, changes you still want to make, and ensure you're (still) fully answering the prompt. You'll make the necessary corrections for next class.

Class 6: Assuming previously discussed corrections have been made, we'll discuss finishing touches to your essay, with the goal of polishing it to submit if it is ready. While some students may have their final, polished draft by the end of this class, some students may require further corrections or may be recommended for additional, optional sessions if more work is needed. Everyone's writing ability and adjustment to the college essay writing style is different.