College Essay Brainstorming and Consultations (5 week series via Zoom)

As 4.0 GPAs have grown more common in American high schools and tests optional at many universities, the personal statement has become an important way to distinguish oneself in the college application process. While the stakes of college essays are high, crafting an authentic personal statement can also catalyze an invaluable journey of self-discovery for teens on the verge of adulthood.

However, the personal statement differs profoundly from essays that students write in high school classes. Therefore, many teens struggle through the processes of getting started and writing a draft. In this five-session course, college counselor, published author, and master teacher Dr. Dominique Padurano (Dr. P.) provides students with the structure, motivation, and confidence to brainstorm, draft, and revise their Common App personal statements. Some students may finish the course with a polished essay; others will emerge with a full, but still rough, draft.

Please note: This workshop will take place 5 Sundays via zoom from 4-6pm on Sept 8, 15, 22, 29, Oct 6. Dr. P. will conduct the entire first session with all the students present on Zoom at the same time. Subsequent class sessions will be divided up into 10-15 minute increments, depending on the number of students in the course. Each student will be assigned one increment during which Dr. P. will conference privately with them about their essay. In the online format of this course, students will share their drafts with Dr. P. via Google Docs prior to each class session and log onto the Zoom classroom several minutes before their appointment.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College; a former teacher at Horace Mann Upper and Scarsdale High Schools; and Founder of Crimson Coaching, Dr. P. has taught teens for 30 years. Her own writing has been published in the popular press as well as in peer-reviewed books and journals. As a college essay coach and teacher, she’s helped students gain admissions to Harvard, Princeton, and other top U.S. colleges – as well as earn full-ride scholarships to Fisk, Hampton, and St. Joseph Universities. Learn more about Dr. P. at www.crimsoncoaching.com/about, or contact her directly at info@crimsoncoaching.com.