Coaching High School Seniors Through the College Essay

I was working with a high school student on her college application essay, one of about 17 high school kids I would work with that year. She was pursuing an engineering major and was submitting applications to the top colleges in the country. As a college essay writing coach, the first thing I do is ask the student for a story. That’s all the essay needs to be: a story from the heart of the student that shares something that isn’t on the resume, transcript, or in their reference letters.

I loved that she wanted to pursue an engineering degree, typically, a male-dominated field.  I asked what inspired her, and she smiled and told me the story that would end up being in her essay. About ten years earlier, at the tender age of seven or eight, she created a gadget that controlled a series of pulleys that she could control from a few feet away, and that would turn off an appliance. For an admissions counselor reading over hundreds of essays, this story would bring a human element to the application. It was an “a-ha” moment for her, and an example of “hitting gold” for me. As an essay coach, it is like digging for gold. I love it, and every year I look forward to my next batch of kids. 

It’s quiet this time of year in the college admission process, at least where the essay is concerned as deadlines for the applications aren’t typically due until November and December. While the entire application is an exercise in stress, it’s the essay, that according to an article in U.S. News & World Report, is THE most stressful part. An associate dean of admissions of a New York State college says that it’s because the students put it off, and, under pressure, find themselves staring at a blank page, unsure of how and where to begin. 

That’s where an essay coach comes in.  We have the power to make that dreaded activity not so bad, and many times a life lesson for students.   

I say life lesson because I’m not an English teacher; my writing has been honed from years of newspaper, magazine and website writing; perfected in the field. It’s a labor of love for me, something I try to convey to my students: that one should approach the essay relaxed. When we brainstorm, mining for experiences as potential essay material, I may hear about a typical family vacation, but as we discuss the trip, they may share something that they’ve learned about themselves, or about the world, and then I know we’ve hit gold. 

Once we latch on to a story to explore, the next phase of the process begins. I explain that since the essay calls for around 600 words, we divide the essay into paragraphs, each one with a purpose. The first paragraph is the “hook” which brings the reader into the story, the second, third, and fourth paragraphs pull the story along, and by the fifth paragraph, the student explains how the experience has prepared them for the future, and by then, we’re usually at 600 words or more. We stop the remote session for the student to go off and write their first draft while the details are fresh in their mind. It’s sent back to me so I can ask questions, ask for clarification or more details. We go back and forth until we feel the story is complete, the grammar has been corrected, the words have been counted, the essay prompt has been addressed. It may take a few days, or it may take two weeks. Once it’s finished, the student can send it to their parents who have been eager to read it. Parents, for the most part, have always been supportive, very relieved that their student has a coach to work with. At the onset of a writing session, I always instruct them that this is solely a project between coach and student, and only on one or two occasions have I had to gently nudge a parent out of the room.  

To see my students pleased with their final essay, excited that they were able to write something they can be proud of, and maybe see an experience in a new light, is gratifying beyond words. Every student is different, and that’s what makes each brainstorming session like going on a new adventure. My main goal is to provide the student with one way to approach a writing assignment, but also find enjoyment in the process. If they can carry that experience with them into college and beyond, then that is the best thing of all.  

Let me end with my five best suggestions for approaching the college essay:

1. Find an experience from YOUR life because it’s unique to YOU.
2. Brainstorm stories with a close friend or relative and take a deep dive into the experience to see what makes it special.
3. Essays always come with word counts. Ignore the word count until you have your story written out. Only then go in and cut or add more words.
4. When writing the essay for the first draft, allow yourself to write TERRIBLE first drafts. That frees you up from the pressure of writing it perfect the first time. It’s in the editing that the best writing emerges. Use words you typically use, don’t get fancy to impress anyone.
5. Take a break in between edits. Step away from it and then read it over as if for the first time.  Imagine it’s someone else’s writing, see if it makes sense. Read it aloud. If it sounds awkward, then something needs fixing.

For more information on the college essay process, contact MJ at mjgoff758@gmail.com.

You can also visit TheJoyfulTraveller.com. Her eBook, “The College Application Process Made Easy” is available on Amazon.