Essays are a critical part of the application process, whether a student is applying to US universities, Canadian universities or completing the Personal Statement for the UCAS application to UK universities. They also happen to be the most daunting and stressful task students have to tackle in the university application process, including for those students with good writing ability. The university application essays are very different from the types of essays students have been writing for English class and need to be insightful. Through defining the elements of a well-written essay, we empower students to tell their own unique story in their personal statements and supplemental essays.
We begin the writing process with interactive group workshops, discussing the purpose of the essay, introducing students to ways in which they can differentiate themselves through their unique stories. We give them activities which encourage reflection. We brainstorm for topics which are meaningful to the student. The topic will act as an anchor, drawing the reader into the story only the student can tell, revealing of the student’s personality for the admissions officers reading the final version of the essay.
To maintain the momentum, we follow-up the workshops with weekly one-on-one sessions where the personal statement and all essays are outlined, drafted, and go through multiple revisions to fine-tune the content, structure, and polish before submission.