College Admissions Essay

So you want to go to college… #

Let Brave Writer® help you whip your application essay into shape with a class designed to walk you painlessly, perhaps even pleasurably, through the process. Using tried and true Brave Writer® techniques, such as list-making, freewriting, and the topic funnel, and leaving time for revision and editing, this class will be your structure and support—from soup to nuts.

Common Application (Common App)

Ideal for high school students working on applications, College Admissions Essay will center on the Common Application essay prompts (which can be reviewed here: Common App Essay Prompts ).

Other Application Essay Prompts

Students applying to colleges that use their own applications are welcome to bring another essay prompt into class and work with it instead. Each student will complete one essay during the class, learning from and inspiring the others. We look forward to guiding you to the moment you can tick one more item off your college to-do list!

Important Note: The ideal time to take College Admissions Essay for college admittance is right before applying (not a year ahead of time). In that way, recent life experiences can be mined for essay writing!

Class Overview #

Week 1: Topic Selection and Refinement
In Week 1, we will discuss what makes a good topic and a compelling application essay, what admissions staff are seeking to learn about you, and what guidelines will lead you toward a topic that’s the right fit for you and your desired college(s). Then, using word lists and the topic funnel, you will generate and refine possible essay topics with the goal of finding a subject that will make the writing process a welcome opportunity to reflect on your unique experiences and gifts.

Week 2: Freewriting
In Week 2, repeated freewriting will get material down on paper and lead you closer to the core of your statement.

Week 3: Revision
In Week 3, we’ll re-envision and go deeper, unearthing as many memories and experiences related to the subject as we can—staying connected to sensory exploration and detail to create vivid writing. Keeping length in mind, we’ll identify the strongest threads of your piece and craft a structure that serves you and your subject. If you’ve taken classes with Brave Writer®, you have hiked this trail before. If you’re new to this, you’ll appreciate learning an approach to essay writing that you’ll return to again and again during your college years and beyond.

Week 4: Polish/Send
In Week 4, we’ll don our editors’ hats and take a final look at structure, diction, grammar, punctuation, and last but not least—word count. You will upload your essay to your online application and celebrate reaching another milestone!

For more information about how the classes are run, please read about online classes.

To explore our Brave Writer® classroom, click here to access a sample class.

Brave Writer® online classes are specially designed with the busy homeschooling parent in mind.

Class Structure Overview #

Class is held in a private discussion board with 20-25 other participants.
Class is asynchronous—you log in when it is convenient for you each day of the week at no specific time of day.
It is text-based—no video.
Student writing assignments are posted in a text box, published to the classroom, and all students are able to read student writing.
Class is a writing workshop format, with all coaching feedback available to be read by all families.
Class work, student writing, and coaching feedback can be downloaded and saved in a PDF format.

Class Length and Time #

Classes last anywhere from three to six weeks. We offer courses that address a specific writing need so that you can take the ones that suit your family throughout the school year. Short class sessions enable you to work around family vacations, out-of-town swim meets, recovering from wisdom teeth removal, and visits from grandparents. We operate on the quarter system, including a summer session. Our most popular classes repeat each quarter, while others are seasonal.

We operate "asynchronously" (which means that the discussion is not live, but that posted information remains available to you in your time zone at your convenience). Instructors check the classroom throughout the day to answer questions and give feedback on writing. Writing is done at home and then typed into the classroom, and shared with both the instructor and other classmates. You're not required to be online at any specific time of the day. We have students from all over the world participating in our classes so "live" discussion is impossible. Instead, the online classroom enables the instructor to post information and assignments when it is convenient to the instructor. Then, when it is convenient for you, you come to the classroom and read the latest postings.

Private Classroom Space #

Our classes meet in a customized online classroom, designed specifically to meet the needs of Brave Writer®. Only registered students and the instructor have access to the classroom to ensure your privacy. Assignments and reading materials are posted by Brave Writer® instructors each week (no additional supply fees necessary, unless otherwise indicated). Either you (homeschooling parent) or your child (homeschooling student) will visit the classroom daily at your convenience to read helpful information about the current topic or to find the writing assignment.

Instructor feedback to student writing is offered for all participants to read. Writing questions are welcomed and encouraged! That's the point of class. We aim to give you immediate support as you face writing obstacles.

Safe Community #

Brave Writer® takes seriously the need for encouragement and emotional safety in writing. No student is ever at risk of being humiliated or mistreated. All online dialogue is respectful and supportive of your child's process. This is the core of Brave Writer® philosophy. You can read about Brave Writer® values here.

What makes our program especially unique in the world of online education is that we value a corporate experience. Rather than teaching your child in a tutorial format, we prefer students to have the opportunity to both publish their work for an audience (other students) and also to have the chance to read other student writing. In no other setting is this possible. Schools-in-buildings rarely have students read each other's work. Homeschooled children are rarely in a classroom environment to begin with, so the opportunity to read peer-writing is nil.

Our classes provide an utterly unique experience in the world of writing instruction. Since most writers grow through emulation of good writing, it is a real advantage to Brave Writer® kids to get the chance to read the writing of their fellow home-educated peers. They love it! They get to examine and internalize other ways of writing, analyzing and expressing ideas similar to their own. They have the chance to validate and cheer on their peers. And of course, the best part of all is that they receive the praise and affirmation of kids just like them.

Not only that, all instructor feedback is posted to the classroom for all students to read. That means your kids get the benefit of instructor comments on many papers, not just their own. We've noted that this style of instruction is especially effective and hope you'll agree!