HELLO!
The College Essay Writer’s Lab Workbook will save you countless hours of
going around in circles on the essay writing bus.
Everything in this workbook is designed to help you go from feeling stuck
and overwhelmed by writer's block to feeling confident in your ability to
craft a college essay that wows admissions officers and boost your
admissions chances.
Across four modules, you'll learn how to write your best college essay,
while saving time and energy that can be used on other parts of your
college applications.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at
bethany@standoutcollegeprep.com. I look forward to working with you!
Regards,
Bethany
Bethany Goldszer, M.S.Ed.
Director of College Counseling
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Prep LLC, 2020
All Rights Reserved
COURSE OVERVIEW
1
MODULE 1: BRAINSTORM
Gear up your brain to write a great essay. Learn to
identify T.A.L.E.N.T.S. to highlight in your essay and
develop potential essay topics to write about.
2
MODULE 2: WRITE
Learn an effective structure for communicating
where you’ve been, where you’d like to go in the
future, and showcase your college readiness and
potential contributions to the community.
3
MODULE 3: REVISE
Learn revision strategies and work with a peer to
discuss and deconstruct the PARS+G structure, add
details and questions, delete the unnecessary, and
arrange the essay for clarity and effect.
4
MODULE 4: FINAL POLISH
Learn how to address sentence-level issues (e.g.,
transitional phrases, grammar, tone, etc.), paragraphto-paragraph flow and cohesion, word-choice, and
style.
5
MODULE 5: BONUS
Read sample student essays to see how they applied
the contents from this workshop to write essays that
got them into their dream schools.
DOWNLOAD *NEW* SYLLABUS
PRECOURSEWORK
OBJECTIVES
Before
the
College
Essay
Writer's
Lab
starts,
complete pre-work assignments to set a strong
foundation for yourself.
By the end of this section, you should:
have
your
basic
questions
about
college
essays answered,
be familiar with Common App questions,
hone your sense of purpose, and
be firm in your goal of college admissions.
COLLEGE ESSAY FAQS
HOW DO I BEGIN TO WRITE MY ESSAY?
There's no perfect time to start. You have to roll up your sleeves, sit down, and begin to
write. The first thing to do is to brainstorm potential topics and what you'd like to get
across to college admission officers.
HOW MANY ESSAYS WILL I NEED TO WRITE?
Many students have to write the general essay asked for by the Common App (or Coalition
App or applications directly from colleges). Even if the essay is optional, I recommend that
you write one. Also, some schools ask for additional supplemental essays.
WHAT ARE COLLEGES LOOKING AT IN MY ESSAY?
While specific criteria may vary by colleges - in general - from my experience with
admissions officers, they are looking to learn about YOU. They'd also like to know about
your aspirations, motivations, what makes you "tick," and what value you'd bring to the
college community. Moreover, the essay demonstrates your academic superpowers,
explicitly thinking, writing, and problem-solving, all necessary for college success.
WHAT SHOULD I AVOID WRITING ABOUT?
I will never tell you a topic to avoid writing about. Skilled writers can make the most
"cliche" or "touchy" topics (e.g., religion, race, gender, politics, etc.) perfect essay topics. If
you're concerned about your topic choice, there will be plenty of time to discuss it with me
during the class or afterward.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY ESSAY IS GOOD?
Your essay should be the most pivotal piece of writing you've worked on in your academic
career. You'll have a feeling in your gut that it's good and truly represents your experience
and what you'd like to convey about yourself to colleges. If you're not happy with the final
product, then it's not the essay to submit. We'll be checking in as we go to see how you're
feeling about your writing. My goal is that you feel proud of your essay.
HOW LONG SHOULD MY ESSAY BE?
Common App essays should be no longer than 650 words. For other applications, such as
the Coalition App, there is no word limit but recommended between 500 to 550 words. Be
sure to always check instructions for specific guidance on word count.
DO COLLEGES REALLY READ THE ESSAYS?
Keep in mind that admissions officers are human beings. If your essay is interesting, wellorganized, and flows well, it will get read. If it's none of these things, there's no guarantee it
will get read word-for-word. Believe me: you want your essay to get read. If you are
memorable, it's the surest way they will fight for you at the decision roundtable.
IF THE ESSAY IS OPTIONAL, SHOULD I STILL SUBMIT ONE?
In college admissions, when the competition is fierce, and every part of the application is
real estate to make a case for why you should be admitted, I recommend following the
proverb: Optional Means Required. The only point where this is not true is with
standardized score reporting, given the new realities of COVID-19.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
COMMON APP PROMPTS
1
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful
they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds
like you, please share your story.
2
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later
success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How
did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
3
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What
prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
4
Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an
intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything of
personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and
what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
5
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of
personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
6
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all
track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when
you want to learn more?
7
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already
written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
YOUR COLLEGE VISION BOARD
Paste onto construction paper or poster board and build a
college vision board to use as inspiration.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
MY COLLEGE ASPIRATIONS
WHERE YOU
WANT TO BE
WHERE YOU
ARE NOW
Write your college and career goals.
How will college help you get into a career?
What do you need to get there?
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
BRAINSTORM
OBJECTIVES
This lesson covers the most critical step in the
writing process -- brainstorming and
gathering your great ideas! Don't skip this
step. Your brain needs time to warm up, and a
catalog of notes will provide the basis for a
well-written essay. By the end of this lesson,
you will have:
A list of T.A.L.E.N.T.S. to highlight in your
essay
Several potential essay topics to write
about
MODULE 1
BRAINSTORM
After you read the college essay prompt questions, your first step is to
figure out how to respond. This is the pre-writing or brainstorm stage. Your
goal is to brainstorm as many ideas as possible. You won't necessarily use
all the ideas that you come up with. But it's helpful to have a smorgasbord
of content when planning your essay.
Once you have gathered ideas, you can start to refine them into main ideas
and essay topics. While it's tempting to dive right into writing your essay,
the brainstorming stage is essential. First, it allows you to test that your
topic is interesting (to you and the reader). You can also ask yourself if you
can write an essay about the topic listed, or if you are excited about it. If no,
then you can save time and move on to the next topic before you've wasted
time and get stuck in a dead-end.
The three brainstorming methods below will help you generate ideas for
your college essay.
Brainstorming Method #1: What are my TALENTS?
TALENTS
is
an
acronym
for
all
the
things
that
make
you
a
unique
candidate for college. In this exercise, you catalog yourself under each
category.
Brainstorming Method #2: Choice Interview
Read the questions to yourself and write down responses. Pay attention to
what potential topics may come up from your notes.
Brainstorming Method #3: Idea List
There's nothing like an old fashioned list. Jot down as many ideas of what
you can write about here.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
WHAT ARE MY TALENTS?
Directions: In the space below, write about your...
T: TRAITS
A: ATTITUDE
L: LEARNING STYLE
E: EXPERIENCES
N: NETWORKS
T: TIDBITS
S: SKILLS
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
CHOICE INTERVIEW
Directions: Choose 3 questions to ask yourself, then write down your
responses.
1. Who is your best friend? How did
you become best friends? How are
you alike or different?
2. Do you have nightmares? What
are they? Do they reflect real-life
fears and events?
3. If you had $1,000 to give to a
charity, which one would you
choose to give the money to?
Why?
4. Do you ever feel that people
stereotype you? What stereotypes
do they have about you? Is there
anything you've ever done to try
to break out of, or reinforce that
stereotype?
5. What is your greatest
achievement?
6. Is there a time when you feel that
you let someone down? What did
you do afterwards to make it
better?
7. What's the most difficult
conversation that you ever had to
have?
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
IDEA LIST
Directions: In the space below, make a list of things you can write about.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
CONCEPT SELF-CHECK
Directions: Fill in the blank below.
Brainstorming is the _______ step in the college essay writing
process.
I think I can write about:
This week, I will work on:
My question about the brainstorming process is
_______________________________________________________
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
WRITE
OBJECTIVES
The college essay is a story about you, where
you’ve been, and where you’d like to go in the
future. It’s a compelling testimony of your
abilities (including thinking, writing, and
problem solving) and your potential
contributions to a campus community.
This lesson will teach you a tested and
effective structure for communicating the
latter, giving you an edge in the admissions
process.
MODULE 2
WRITE
You can't write a great college essay without knowing what qualities about
yourself to promote and how to present this information. A crucial step in the
essay writing process is conveying your message in a way that shares your
challenges and accomplishments. You also need to effectively demonstrate
your skills, experiences, and personal traits that you would bring to a college
community. In doing this, you answer the college admissions officer's
questions: is [your name] a good fit for us? Will you be successful here? How
do I know - you are (a good fit) and can be (successful)?
The best way to accomplish these objectives is with the PARS+G essay writing
structure:
Problem: describe a challenge you've faced during high school.
Action(s): the concrete steps you took to address the problem or challenge.
Results: what happened as a result of the actions you took?
Skills: what skills did you gain that your results demonstrate?
Growth: how have you grown from this experience?
When you present your writing using the PARS+G structure, you lay the
foundation for a persuasive and compelling essay.
Writing Activity #1: First Draft Outline
You'll create an essay outline that plans for how to structure your thoughts
using PARS+G. Outlining is an essential part of the writing process, and
all authors do it for their works to impress readers.
Writing Activity #2: First Draft
Use the PARS+G Outline as a guide to help you write your first draft for
our next session.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
PARS+G ESSAY OUTLINE
Directions: Complete the chart based on your essay topic and experiences.
P
Problem: a challenge you've faced during high school.
A
Action(s): the concrete steps you took to address the problem.
R
Results: what happened as a result of the problem?
S
G
Skills: what can you do now as a result of the actions you took?
Growth: how have you grown from this experience?
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
FIRST ESSAY DRAFT
Directions: Use the outline below to organize and write your first essay draft.
Essay Topic
1
PROBLEM
4
Grab the reader’s
interest with a
touching personal
story that connects
to the problem.
SKILLS
Explain what you
know or can do now.
[75 words]
[100 words]
2
ACTION
5
Mention other
successes that
having new
knowledge and
skills has led to.
Discuss the actions
that you took to
address the
problem
[200 words]
3
RESULTS
GROWTH
[75 words]
6
What happened?
[150 words]
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
CONCEPT SELF-CHECK
Directions: Fill in the blank below.
Writing is the _______ step in the college essay writing process.
Planning an _______ will help me organize my thoughts into the
PARS+G structure.
The PARS+G structure is effective because
______________________________________________________.
This week, I will write at least 45-minutes on these THREE days:
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
My question about the writing process is
______________________________________________________?
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
REVISE
OBJECTIVES
After writing down your ideas on paper, you
might not be happy with the initial result.
This is where the revision step starts. In the
revision process, you'll improve analytical
skills in reading your work. You will find holes
in your writing and challenge your ideas, thus
deepening and strengthening your essay
prose.
In this lesson, you will deconstruct the
PARS+G structure, add details and questions,
delete the unnecessary, and arrange the essay
for clarity and effect.
MODULE 3
REVISE
Congratulations! You're almost done with your college essay! Now you have
to revise--likely THE most important paper they will write in your college
career. Revision guidelines will help you internalize what is needed for a
college essay to meet expectations and present your best self possible.
This module will review a set of general guidelines to follow to ensure your
self-revision is constructive, thoughtful, and thorough.
Self-Revising Activity
Critique your essay using guidelines set forth in the Self-Revision
Checklist.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
SELF-REVISION CHECKLIST
Directions: Use the checklist below to critique your first essay draft.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
REVISION NOTES
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
REVISION NOTES
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
REVISION TOOL:
TRANSITION WORDS
One day * One morning * One evening
* First * First of all * Second * At
first * After that * After a while *
Before long * Afterwards * As soon as
* At last * A moment later * In the
meantime * Later * Later on *
Meanwhile * Next * Soon * Then *
During * Tomorrow * Now * Next
week * All of a sudden * Suddenly *
Yesterday * In addition * Shortly after
that * At that very moment * Not a
moment too soon * Earlier * Eventually
*Lastly * Finally * Therefore * In the end
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
REVISION TOOL:
ACTION VERBS
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
CONCEPT SELF-CHECK
Directions: Fill in the blank below.
Revising is the _______ step in the college essay writing process.
Revising a peer's essay will help me ______________________.
The revise step is important because
______________________________________________________.
This week, I will revise essay on these THREE days for at least 45 minutes:
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
My question about the revise step in the writing process is
______________________________________________________?
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
FINAL POLISH
OBJECTIVES
You revised your essay and are ready to paste
it into the Common App, right? Wrong.
There's one additional step to ensure your
writing is perfect and shiny. The final polish
step is an add-on to revising your essay. In
this module, you will learn how to address
sentence-level issues (e.g., transitional
phrases, grammar, tone, etc.), paragraph-toparagraph flow and cohesion, word-choice,
and style.
MODULE 4
FINAL POLISH
The final polish step of the writing process is not about making your writing
"correct." Instead, it's about re-seeing it in its entirety (revision) and making it
more effective. Programs, like Grammarly, can correct your spelling,
grammar, punctuation, and usage. The process of final polish requires a
human mind - your mind. You'll have to think through possibilities by
experimenting, exploring, and choosing among options. If your essay is too
long, you'll need to think through a series of revisions, either by cutting or
rewriting. As you make your final polish edits, think about your audience and
purpose.
This module will review and practice a list of final polish guidelines to get you
to a 650-word or less college essay masterpiece.
Final Polish Activity #1
You will review the "Final Polish Checklist" to grade and revise your essay.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
MODULE 4
FINAL POLISH CHECKLIST
I have answered the prompt.
I have used all parts of the PARS+G
Framework.
There is a beginning, middle, and end.
I have topic sentences.
I use transitional words and phrases to
guide the reader through my essay.
I use correct spelling and grammar.
I express my ideas so clear that I
answer the reader’s questions.
GRADE YOURSELF
My essay is less than 650 words.
I use words that a 17-year-old would
use.
NOTES
My essay represents who I am.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
FINAL POLISH NOTES
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
FINAL POLISH NOTES
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
CONCEPT SELF-CHECK
Directions: Fill in the blank below.
The final polish is the _______ step in the college essay writing
process.
The final polish step is not about being correct, it's about
______________________.
The final polish step is important because
______________________________________________________.
This week, I will take a break, then polish my essay on this day:
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
My question about the final polish step in the writing process is
______________________________________________________?
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
BONUS
WHAT'S INSIDE?
Sample essays that worked using the
PARS system
Script for admissions officers to ensure
they know you
Add-on opportunities to build on our
work together
ADMISSIONS OFFICER SCRIPT
Sample email to send to admission officers to introduce yourself
Dear (insert admissions officer name),
My name is Anthony Ballone, and I am in the 12th grade at Commack High School
in Long Island, New York. I am interested in attending (insert school) because of
(insert what you like about the school academically) as well as (anything else you
may be interested in).
I first learned about (name of school) when (insert special connection you
have with the school, e.g., someone you know, prior visit, etc.) Now (name of
school) is a top choice for me.
I do have several questions that I hope you can answer for me. (insert questions).
I have attached my resume listing my GPA (Insert) and my other academic and
personal accomplishments. My home phone number is: (631) xxx-xxxx and my
email address is (insert professional email address, first and last name preferred).
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Anthony Ballone
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITER'S COURSE | STAND OUT COLLEGE PREP
NEED EXTRA ESSAY
ASSISTANCE?
If you still need help with your
essay, you can sign up for 1-on-1
assistance with me.
SIGN UP FOR ADD-ON
SERVICES
"THIS IS THE BEST INVESTMENT I'VE EVER MADE!
"Thanks for helping me through this process! I really
enjoyed working with you."
- Patrick Walsh, College of the Holy Cross