Look at Me: Mastering the College Essay

Get introduced to the key elements of successful college application essays. Discussions will focus on the slippery nature of the genre – how to draw an admission officer's attention to your strengths and distinctive qualities without merely reciting a list of activities and accomplishments.

You'll look at a series of essays and analyze what works, what doesn't, and why. Through a series of fun prompts and interactive writing exercises, you'll consider your own experiences, interests, and backgrounds to assess what relevant personal material you might best develop in your responses to essay prompts on CommonApp (an undergraduate college admission application use to apply to more than 1,000 colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, China, Japan, and many European countries).

Together with your fellow classmates, you'll brainstorm topics and gather ideas, developing at least one idea into a draft application essay. You'll workshop and revise your essays as time allows.

Registering Youth

• Parent/guardian registering a child for the first time: When you register, select "Others Only" in the "Who Are You Registering?" section. On the next page, select "Add New Registrant." Create an account for your child.
  • The next time you register your child, use "Search Registrants" to select them.
• Make sure to fill out your youth's emergency contact information and other details when creating their account.

Materials

Instructors or Guides