Writing a college entrance essay can be ultra-intimidating, and scoring a one-on-one coach for the process is often expensive and inaccessible. New College of Florida’s writing experts know this. So they decided to change the game.
Enter the new, three-day “College Application Essay Writing Workshops”—an online series launched this summer that is free, inclusive and open to all rising high school seniors in the Sarasota-Manatee area.
The August workshop is currently underway, and information about upcoming sessions can be found here. A set of companion workshops, entitled “Supporting Student Writers: College Application Essays,” will be held in September—specifically designed to help adult mentors build their teaching confidence (register here).
The program—funded by a $73,737 grant from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation—includes training for teachers, guidance counselors, librarians and other adult mentors from community organizations who wish to teach students critical writing skills. The grant money will also help enhance equity and access for students transferring to New College.
“College application essay writing can be an overwhelming experience for many students. Not only can the stakes be high, but it is not always easy nor comfortable for students to write about themselves,” said New College Director of Writing Jennifer Wells, Ph.D., who developed the workshops. “Many students don’t know where to begin or how to come up with a topic or topics to write about. Others know what story they want to tell but don’t know how to organize their narrative.”
The workshops tackle this by showing students how to analyze admission essay prompts, reflect on their own stories, and draft essays that are unique to them. They also learn about writing in college and project management—invaluable skills for undergraduate success.
Wells has personally been supporting high school students through the college application essay writing process for 17 years. She previously taught at Florida State University, was a high school language arts instructor, and directed a high school writing center. One of Wells’ recent students, Arianna Gonzalez, was greatly impacted by her mentorship.
“I 100 percent believe that the admission essay workshop that I took part in at North Port High School changed the course of my college career. I was always so insecure about my writing skills. I know what I want to say, but sometimes I have trouble putting the ideas onto paper,” Gonzalez said. “Dr. Wells really guided me during those few days. Most importantly, she didn’t do it for me. Dr. Wells gave me the tools (which I still use to this day) that I needed to write an essay that would have me admitted into my dream school.”
Students can sign up here for upcoming college essay writing workshops. To register for the mentoring sessions, click here.
Abby Weingarten is the senior editor in the Office of Communications & Marketing.