College Essay Writing Workshops start this month!

Does the idea of getting your child to write their college essay feel like going to the dentist to get your teeth pulled without Novocain?  If so, you’re not alone. Parents of high school seniors all over the country are bracing themselves for the annual college application frenzy. And as any parent who has been through it will tell you, all too often this process ends up being a battle of wills between parents and their kids that leaves everyone exhausted and anxious.

Two Bay Area women, Laurie Wagner, a writing teacher for over 20 years, and Ellen Fondiler, a career strategist and a storyteller, have created a week-long course called The Story of You: Write a Winning College Essay in One Week, that takes the sting out of the process for parents and students.  

"The college entrance essay is an opportunity for kids to share something meaningful and personal," says Fondiler.  "Colleges are looking for stories that reveal who these kids are, not what they’ve done. While it might seem impressive that someone worked for a congressmen over the summer, it won't mean anything to a college admissions officer unless it meant something to that child and possibly changed them in some way. A better essay choice might be something more ordinary like the weekly Sunday night dinner the student had with his grandmother who taught him how to cook."

Through a series of writing prompts and brain storming exercises, the 12-hour workshop helps students write compelling college essays about the small moments in their lives - like nightly basketball games in the driveway with dad or a car ride with a friend that revealed something important to them and which offers a window into who they are.

Wagner and Fondiler, both mothers, created this class after going through the grueling college application process with their own kids. "There was this pressure my daughter felt to look good on paper," says Wagner. "It seemed so false; anyone could brag about what they'd done. As a writing teacher I knew that I could help my daughter tap into something much more authentic to who she was, and to write a story about something that had her real voice in it." 

Thus The Story of You was born. More than anything, the class is an opportunity for kids to get to the heart of what matters to them and how they want to introduce themselves to colleges.  As Ellen says, "Kids might think that nothing has ever happened to them, but they have hundreds of stories just waiting to be born. You don’t have to write a concerto, live with polar bears or visit every country in the world. You just need to be yourself. College admission essays don't have to be about a life-changing event to be genuine and compelling.” 

Laurie adds "We help kids peel away the layers of their story and dig for something more true and authentic.  The end result is a genuine story about themselves that will help college admission officers decide why this student might be perfect for their school."

The workshop, which takes place at Wagner's writing studio, 27 Powers, in Alameda, will be offered 15 times; dates start in August, and run through November. The two women will meet with a group of up to 15 students after school during the course of a week. Students also have the option of taking the course as a weekend intensive.  The course focuses on the Common App and UC essays - though students can work on any essays they need to complete.  Some students will walk away with a polished essay by the end of the workshop - while others will have a powerful draft. The two women edit all essays as part of the workshop; they also offer private editing services to help get students over the finish line and work on additional essays.

To learn more visit their website at www.thestoryofyou.info