Writing the Personal Essay
It’s college essay season!
CTK’s team of coaches can guide your student from generating ideas for the college essay, to developing strong stories that highlight the student’s core character traits, to finishing with a well-edited final essay. We have worked together for several years and among ourselves coach more than 100 students each year in essay writing.
Meet the CTK Writers
What is the “college essay?”
Almost every high school junior in the US will write the college essay this spring or summer because virtually every college application requires a personal essay or personal statement. In addition to grades, courses, test scores, and activities, the personal essay is the way that a student reveals who she is and what matters to her. This is the student’s big opportunity to let her schools know who is knocking at the door.
Are you interested in hearing essays read aloud by graduating seniors? Students local to northern New Jersey can register to attend our FREE College Essay Story Slam at 7:00 pm on May 21 at the Maplewood Library (Hilton Branch). This is one of our favorite events of the year!
When should juniors write the college essay?
We suggest that students work on the college essay in spring or summer after junior year. Why? It is because college applications open on August 1, so before then students ideally will have the following items ready to go:
Personal essay written
Common app filled out, including a well-written activities list
Letters of recommendation requested
High school guidance office paperwork prepared, including brag sheet for school counselor
College list prepared
Familiarize yourself with our Junior Year Spring Checklist so your student can be fully prepared for college applications starting in late summer. Can I Really Start My College Applications in August?
What should students write about in the college essay?
Students can write about almost anything. We often introduce students to the process by explaining that the essay may talk about what they do or who they are – or both. The essay prompts are designed to elicit the true nature of a student, and admissions readers will say that what they seek more than anything is authenticity. The bottom line is that a student is seeking to put her best self forward through strong storytelling.
Read all about what and how students write the college essay in our detailed how-to blog, Writing the College Essay.
How do we coach students as they develop their essays?
At CTK, we’ve developed a college essay package that takes students from idea generation through story writing, editing, and polishing. We offer a five-session package that coaches students through the whole process from start to finish. The ultimate goal is an essay that conveys the student’s authentic self in an engaging way through strong storytelling. We also keep track of discarded ideas and stories for use when the student moves on to writing supplemental, honors, and scholarship essays.
