College Essay Writing Workshop
The college essay gives students a chance to showcase themselves in a personal way that goes beyond what admissions officers can already see on a student’s “college resume,” but writing it can be an intimidating process for many rising seniors. Parents,counselors, and advisors often hear the common refrain, “Where do I start?”Worrying over the essay can dominate the first crucial weeks of the academic year,distracting seniors from the importance of focusing on the November 1stdeadline when grades for early application are sent off to colleges. This is one of the reasons the Pulsifer College Counseling Center requires students to submit a draft of a college essay to their college counselor in August.
This summer, as a special service to rising seniors, Thayer Academy will offer college essay writing workshops to give students the opportunity to formulatean essay early, allowing them to focus on academics and the rest ofthe college application process during the busy fall term.
The workshop is divided into 2 sessions thatwill begin with 2 hoursof instruction on the basics of the college essay, from brainstorming to drafting. Each student will leave this firstsession with ideas, ready to work on a draft. Students will also be provided with a college essay “how to” guide to help them in the writing process. The second session will consist of one-on-one meetings with a ThayerEnglish teacher and/or college counselor to review one or two potential essays. Our goal is forstudents to have a college essayready to goby the beginning of theschool year.
WORKSHOP DATES
Workshop #1:Wednesday, 6/21 and Wednesday, 6/28 from 10Amto 12pm
Workshop #2: Monday, 7/10 and Monday, 7/17 from 5 pm to 7 pm
Workshop #3:Thursday, 7/20and Thursday, 7/27from 2 pm to 4 pm
Workshop #4:Thursday, 8/10and Thursday, 8/17 from 2 pm to 4 pm
Note: The second day of each workshop will not require the full time commitment, as the objective is a one-on-one appointment with a teacher. In fact, in some cases, students may be able to schedule their teacher feedback session on a different day if necessary.
If you are interested in one of these workshops (The content is identical forallfour), please emailChristine Woods ()and indicatewhich workshop you’d like to take (#1, #2, #3, or #4). In the event that the workshop is full, you will be placed on a waiting listand notified a day or two before if space becomes available.