You really got me to stick with it, and I believe you’ve helped me write a wonderful essay.It wasn’t easy, but I think I’m going to miss meeting with you.
-> Last day to sign up is Sunday, July 21. <-
Stand out!! Reveal your inner marvelousness!!
For all students, writing the college application essay is an exciting opportunity to stand out. For (a) students applying to very competitive schools – every applicant has good grades, test scores, experience, etc. – and (b) students with credentials that are marginal for the school(s) they are applying to, standing out with a great essay may be especially valuable. It is really true: the essay can be the thing that gets such students in. One admissions officer said that a great essay can “cure the sick.”
A well-constructed but generic and bland my-year-as-class-treasurer kind of essay almost surely will not cure anything at all.
No, the thing to do is to be bold enough and skilled enough to write a very personal essay that expresses the unique wonderfulness of the student. The essay should be one that only he or she could have written. We’d like it to interest the admissions people and stick in their heads.
I am offering to help your junior write such an essay over the summer before his or her senior year. We’ll work in a class format, with class duration typically of around an hour but probably longer for the first meeting (Tuesday, July 23 7:30 pm Eastern time; classes will be Tuesdays at 7:30 pm approx weekly). Mostly I will lecture, explaining what we need to do, both at a high level and very specifically for the week’s assignment. I’ll have examples of how past students went about accomplishing essay tasks. I’ll point out predictable mistakes. There will be opportunities to ask questions, and I will encourage students to contact me outside of class time if they are unsure / stuck. I will make written and/or video comments on each assignment. I’ll proofread drafts. We’ll devote considerable energy to exploring possible topics, devising an easy-to-work with structure, and deciding on meaningful details. This first phase is crucial – if it is properly done, the writing usually goes relatively smoothly. We’ll go through at least two draft/review cycles. After final clean-up, your student will have a very high-quality piece in his or her own voice that reveals a bit of your child’s essential excellence (final draft target is Aug. 27).
A few details:
- Length: We’ll work to the 650-word limit of the Common App.
- Supplemental essays are not included, but I will be happy to help with those, too, as an extra assignment. Your student may not know during the summer what supplemental essays he or she will need; we can take that up in the fall (but please do not wait until the last minute!).
- Writing is hard. Writing this kind of piece is harder still. This essay process won’t work if your student doesn’t do the work. I will expect your student to complete tasks as agreed to. I am “nice” and “reasonable” but not infinitely patient. If I do not get adequate cooperation, I’ll end the relationship and refund the unused part of the fee, less an early termination charge of $50. So far, this has never happened.
- I believe in this process and work seriously at it (I also enjoy it). But what I am proposing is not for every family. Not all parents are comfortable giving students as much leeway as I think is needed to get the right result. If you sense this could be you, or you’d just like to better understand the approach, let’s talk before you sign up.
– Nick
-> Last day to sign up is Sunday, July 21. <-
