About College Essay Sidekick
You be the hero, I'll be the helper.
Applying to college these days can feel like a truly daunting, high-stakes endeavor. It's easy to lose sight of the excitement of the process, and the opportunity it affords for students to engage in self-reflection and expression. As a veteran teacher with over 20 years' experience (AP English, AP Research, ELD), I have a passion for effective storytelling and for helping students engage in the whole writing process.
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My Approach
Every student has a unique story to tell, and college admissions offices are full of people eager to read those stories. The challenge lies in setting aside purposeful time to brainstorm, focus the story you want to tell, and put pen to paper for a final product that makes you excited to hit Submit. I will meet you wherever you are in the process and help you get one step closer to the finish line, minus the stress.
Every one-hour meeting will have a specific focus (creating your plan of attack for apps season, understanding the role and intricacies of various college essays, story mining, generating a topic list, creating a detailed outline, or polishing a rough draft) to accomplish what needs to be done. It won't be as breezy as a bike ride on the beach, but it will be a journey to enjoy.
Sessions To Fit Your Place In the Process
In person (preferred) or virtual; Add or subtract meetings as we go; Pay after final meeting only if you are satisfied with service
Where Do I Begin?
$250
Two one-hour sessions to be scheduled on separate days.
Session 1: Learn about the role of college essays and their various types (Common App, PIQs, supplementals, etc); locate prompts; plot your to-do list for college application season.
Session 2: Brainstorming & mining; reflecting on your experiences and values to find topics you're truly excited to write about during the fall.
Outcome: Leave two sessions with a clear understanding of the college essay and a solid list of topics to pull from.
I'm On My Way
$250
Two one-hour sessions to be scheduled on separate days.
Session 1: Isolating prompts you'll most likely write, based on your college list; identifying challenging prompts; brainstorming & mining. Possible homework: write a rough draft.
Session 2: Reviewing and reworking optional rough draft or outlining your essay(s).
Outcome: Have a draft that's almost ready to send to schools or an outline or two that allow you to feel equipped and excited to write.
One Hour Meeting
$150
Schedule an hour to work on anything to help you at this exact stage of your process: making a to-do list to keep you on track for fall, brainstorming topic ideas, talking through supplemental essays, or fine-tuning your personal statement before hitting Submit.
Grad School Sessions
$300
Two one-hour meetings to be tailored to your goals and stage of the process. Session 1 may include discussion/framing of recent academic and work experience and motivations for attending graduate school. Approaches to session 2 might include outlining personal statement, drafting, or review of statement in progress.
If you don't see what you need, we can easily work together to assemble the right setup of hours and sessions. Email collegeessaysidekick@gmail.com to get started.
Contact
collegeessaysidekick@gmail.com
Michelle Reigstad, the College Essay Sidekick
