How I Help Students With Their College Essays
Over the past eight years (and nearly 150 students), I’ve honed my process for coaching teens through the writing of their college essays. It’s a process that draws upon skills I’ve developed throughout my own writing career – as a creative director, an author, and someone who has led the marketing and communications departments of major nonprofits, including one that champions educational equity and another that focuses on developing young leaders. (And not for nothing, I’ve also ushered three of my own children through this journey.) So how do I work?
It starts with a conversation
I meet with students – in person or on a video call – and ask a series of questions. I stress to my students that this is not an interview (and anything they share with me stays between them and me). I am not judging them and I don’t want students to try to impress me. Rather, it’s a conversation designed to find the little gems that could be the foundation of a great essay. As I take notes on everything they share, I see where their eyes light up and their words come out faster, and I notice patterns among some of their responses that may lead to something deeper. By the end of this first conversation, we’ll land on a topic for their Common App essay.
Next comes the freewrite
This is what I call the ‘vomit on paper’ stage. Gross, I know. This is independent work where I tell students to kick their inner editor out of the room, ignore grammar and sentence structure, forget about word count, and just get all the random details down on paper. Over the course of our work together, we will sculpt a fantastic essay. But first, they have to “gather the clay.” To help students get all these details down on the page, I’ll give them a whole slew of little questions that they should answer as freely and fully as they can. If their topic is the hub of a bicycle wheel, my questions are like the spokes, coming at that topic from all directions. The more they get on the paper in this stage, the easier it will be to tackle that first draft.
Creating the road map
After I go through my student’s freewrite, we’ll meet again and I’ll point out all the bits that I loved – those fantastic details, the poignant insights. I may ask questions to get further clarification, or if necessary, push them to try and articulate not just the “what” but the “why.” Once they have all the details, all the clay, we’ll talk about the narrative arc and build a rough outline.
Tackling that first draft
With that outline in hand, students will begin to work on an actual draft. Again, this is independent work … I’m a professional writer, and I don’t think I could craft a decent sentence while someone was staring at me, so I would never ask a student to write while I’m staring at them. (Likewise, I will never edit something in front of a student.) But my students will have a road map for getting started, and if they’re worried about that opening line, I suggest they put in a placeholder.
The editing process
With the first draft (and perhaps second, maybe third?), my feedback will be broader in nature. I’ll make sure that students are providing the necessary details so that the reader can clearly understand what is being communicated. I’ll look to see that the story is being told in an order that makes sense, or draws the reader through the narrative. And I’ll be looking for “the message” – what positive character attributes does the story reveal? Does the student show some sort of growth or self awareness? As we get further along, my edits will become more technical in nature, looking at grammar and syntax. And the last thing we’ll focus on is word count. It’s really easy to cut down on extra words; it’s much harder to add in those important context clues or deeper meanings.
The final product
Every student is different, and so every process is somewhat unique. I’ve had students start early in the summer and go at a leisurely pace, and I’ve had students come to me a week before the Common App deadline … (for the record, I do not recommend this!) I will work with students for as long as it takes – in a way that meets their needs, with however many rounds of revisions – to get their perfect essay.
How do I measure success? When students feel proud of their work, and when they tell me that this thing they had been dreading – writing a personal statement – turned out to be something they really enjoyed.
A few more important details
I set deadlines for every phase of our work together and ensure that students stay on track. There’s enough stress on the parent/child relationship at this time; I’m happy to be the friendly nag. :)
The very first question I ask my students is this: How are you feeling about the whole process? Oftentimes they’re nervous, anxious, stressed. Applying to college is … well, it’s a lot. My number one goal, aside from helping them craft a fantastic essay, is to help reduce some of that anxiety.
I do not write students’ essays, and I’m really careful about how I approach the editing process. I leave notes explaining why I might suggest certain changes, because I want my students to learn how to become better writers. But I want this to be their writing.
I also help students with their supplemental essays, and can even guide them on the activities section of their application.
I truly love working with young people, and would be happy to chat further. There’s a whole page on my website that provides even more information, but if you have any additional questions, reach out and we can set up a time to speak.