Starting the College Essay:
One-Day Primer
$55 - see above for dates & times.
How do you start the process of writing your college app essay? How do you make sense of the various writing prompts provided by the Common App? How do you compose a compelling and effective personal essay that will help you get accepted to the college of your dreams? This one-day course offers a primer in what college admissions counselors are looking for, and how to write an essay that delivers. We will cover the most useful brainstorming exercises, the fundamentals of the college essay, common misconceptions and mistakes, and how to use storytelling effectively. By the end of the day, students can expect to have learned everything they need to know to start brainstorming and composing their own essay with confidence. This course is taught by Lech Harris, Brandywine Learning Center’s college essay coach since 2019, and will be held remotely over Zoom.
College Essay Boot Camp: (6 day) Course
$375 - see the dates above.
This six-day course guides students through the process of brainstorming, composing, and revising their college app essay. No prior drafts or application work are required: this course assumes that students are starting at square one and begins from there. Beginning with an explainer to answer student questions about what the college essay is, what its goals and purpose are, and what makes a college essay effective, the course then moves into brainstorming exercises designed to get students thinking about the memories, experiences, and values that they might tap into for their own essay.
Taught by Lech Harris, the course leads students through two successive drafts, covering revision strategies, common mistakes, and providing instructor feedback, before transitioning, in the second half of the sessions, into individualized, one-on-one discussions of student drafts. By the end of the course if students apply themselves and put the effort in they can end up with a finished essay, ready to submit. If students still require a bit more editing and attention to perfect their essay they can schedule additional appointments with Lech.
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All course meetings will be held over Zoom.
A rough schedule is as follows:
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What is the college essay for, and what is it NOT?
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Brainstorming your topic.
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First draft due—common pitfalls and revision strategies.
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Storytelling and revising for detail.
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Second draft due—one-on-one conferences.