Volunteer Name: __________________________
Volunteer Email: __________________________
Volunteer Phone: __________________________
Essay Overview
Thank you for donating your time to support our Road to College department and Uplift scholars in our efforts to ensure that 100% of our scholars
are accepted into college and find their best fit schools. College essays are an essential component to each college application. It is the only
opportunity for students to share their identity, their perspective, and their experiences in their own voice.
Because of the importance and impact a college essay can have, our RTC counselors work individually with each scholar to create an outline and
draft the college essay(s). We have created this form to leverage the support we provide for our scholars. Please use the questions listed below to
guide you through the essay review process and provide concrete revision suggestions for our scholars. We want you to provide concrete advice
on revisions while maintaining the student voice in the essay. Thank you again for taking time to support our efforts. Once you have completed
this form, please turn the form into the RTC Counselor.
Essay Information
STUDENT NAME: ____________________________________________________________________________
ESSAY TYPE (CIRCLE ONE):
Personal Statement
Supplement Essay
Scholarship Essay
PROGRAM NAME / INSTITUTION NAME: ____________________________________________________
PROMPT:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
MAXIMUM WORD COUNT:
_________________________________
COUNSELOR IDENTIFIED AREA OF FOCUS (TO BE FILLED IN BY RTC COUNSELOR):
______________________________________________________________________________
Volunteer Name: __________________________
Volunteer Email: __________________________
Volunteer Phone: __________________________
Essay Review
Since our RTC counselors have worked on identifying the topic/story, we would love your feedback on the mechanics and writing style of the essay. Please
remember that the essay you are about to read is very personal to the scholar and he/she is entrusting you with a story that might not have been shared
with others. Therefore, below are steps to take to build trust with the scholar and fully support them through this process. Thank you in advance for your
warm and honest feedback.
1) Introduce yourself and ask the scholar about their essay and what he/she chose to write about
2) Thank the scholar for sharing the story with you
3) Inform the scholar that you will be reading their essay with the intent to provide concrete suggestions on how to improve the mechanics of
the essay (feel free to share and walk through the rubric you will be filling out)
4) Inform the scholar that you will first read the essay independently to identify the areas that need improvement
5) Inform the scholar that after you read the essay independently, you will both work through the revisions together so that the scholar is able
to fully understand why you are providing specific recommendations
6) Inform the scholar that you will fill out the rubric and turn the form into the counselor so that s/he may know what was worked on and what
next steps the scholar needs to take on the essay
N/A
Address the question(s) asked
Stay focused on prompt/topic throughout the entire essay
Capture the reader's attention within the first 30 seconds
Provide sufficient amount of examples, anecdotes and
imagery
Choice and placement of words seems accurate, natural,
and not forced
Write with a distinctive voice
Conclusion is strong and ties essay together
Makes no errors in grammar, mechanics, and/or spelling
Beginner
Developing
Proficient
Exemplar
Revision Suggestions