The Game-Winning Essay
Brainstorming, a "Talking Draft", and Collaboration on a Final Essay for the Common Application
The essay is the one part of the application which is completely under the student’s control. It serves as the face of the application—and should reveal something about the student that is not discoverable from the application alone.
College reps also tell us what they don’t want to read: The big comeback sports win! The one-week service trip that opened my eyes! So, we redirect students to more unique topics.
The best advice for writing the most impactful college essay is, to paraphrase Ernest Hemingway: Write hard. Write clear. Write about what’s important to you. But finding that topic can be difficult. And this is where The College Coaches come in.
Together, leverage our brainstorming questionnaire and “test-drive” topics to see which one has “wheels”
Together, leverage our brainstorming questionnaire and “test-drive” topics to see which one has “wheels”- One-hour meeting
Guided by the coach, the student works through ideas which are captured in the student’s voice through dialogue-type-responses
- About a one hour meeting
Together, transform the “talking draft” into a final draft
Together, transform the “talking draft” into a final draftThe Coach will do a final review via Google Docs, ensuring proper grammar, word choice, punctuation, and adherence to the word limit
- Final meeting, may require final edits be done via email.
- The best college essays are not academic papers, but compelling personal narratives. Students’ essays will show the admissions committee that they are more than a GPA and a standardized test score–they are real-life, unique, and fascinating people. Their essay will be the face of their application. Game on!
- Essay Coaching is also available hourly and for Supplemental Essays ($300/hr. with a 4 hour minimum).
A free introductory meeting is strongly recommended as a first step! Or register now here.