Perfect Your College Admissions Essays in 6 Lessons

 

Instructor: Dr. Thomson

  1. 9/2      10:30 - 12:00 pm
  2. 9/9      10:30 - 12:00 pm
  3. 9/23    10:30 - 12:00 pm
  4. 9/30     10:30 - 12:00 pm
  5. 10/7    10:30 - 12:00 pm
  6. 10/14   10:30 - 12:00 pm

This is a highly selective program, as we only take qualified students. There are four reasons for your need of our services:

  1. You might have already scored well on the SAT, but you may not (yet) be an attractive candidate for your dream schools.
  2. We offer critical advice for selecting your colleges, essay directions, and interview responses.
  3. We know the values of the credentials and the directions for the candidates more than anyone else.  
  4. We know what top college admissions officers are looking for.

We are gearing those prospected college bound seniors toward perfecting their best sellers, college essays, to open up opportunities of infinity. In 6 weekends, they will finish their most daunting job. Dr. Thomson is going to scrutinize their drafts, and help in perfecting them.

6 Lessons, each in 3 hours.

Lesson 1

  • Why It Matters
  • What the Admissions Committee Wants from You
  • Give Them What They Want!
  • Practice #1:  BENCHMARK  “YOU” ESSAY
  • Teacher’s General Critique
  • Practice #2:  REVISION
  • Second General Critique
  • Practice #3:  RE-REVISION
  • Third General Critique
  • Recap & Homework Handouts

Lesson 2

  • Turn in Homework
  • Ask Class to Summarize What They’ve Learned So Far
  • Essentials of Good Writing:  the “Four C’s”
  • SoS
  • Practice #4:  BENCHMARK “WHY US?” ESSAY
  • (As above, 5-10)

Lesson 3

  • Turn in Homework
  • Progress Report from Class
  • What NOT to Write about!
  • The Fifth “C”
  • Practice #7:  BENCHMARK “CREATIVE” ESSAY
  • (As above)

Lesson 4

  • 1 & 2.   (As above)
  • “You Be the Committee”
  • = Role-Playing:  Teacher (acting as Dean
  • of Admissions) Selects Two Students’ Re-revised
  • Essays from Previous Exercise, Has Them Examined
  • by Other Students to Determine
  • Acceptance or Rejection
  • Roundtable Discussion:
  • “What Just Happened?  Why?”
  • Repeat 3 & 4 above with Two Other
  • Students’ Re-revised Essays
  • Homework Handouts

Lesson 5

  • 1 & 2.  (As above)
  • 3.  Other essay considerations:   humor, controversy, restraint,
  • colloquial usage, extraneous allusions, common essay vs.
  • essays for particular schools, &c.
  • EDIT!!
  • BE TRUTHFUL!!
  • Give your “final” version 24 hours to “marinate”
  • before submitting it.  REMEMBER YOUR AUDIENCE!!
  • Roundtable Discussion:
  • “What Is the Real Purpose of the Essay?”
  • Recommended Additional Resources
  • Homework:  Bring in TWO Polished Essays Based on
  • Choice out of FIVE Real Prompts.

Lesson 6

  • Turn in Homework.
  • Teacher’s General Critique.
  • INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS with Students; While These Are
  • in Progress, Students Will Pair up and Assess and Discuss “Best” Essays by Each
  • Other from Viewpoint of Admissions Committee
  • Final Discussion with Class:
  • What New Things Have You Learned This Week?
  • What Spillover Effect Do You Anticipate They Will Have?
  • Are You Now Ready to Write Actual Application Essays
  • WITHOUT Further Guidance?