Looking for a college admissions conference this summer to help launch your application process? I will be the featured essay writing coach at the My Pathway to College conference for college-bound students in San Diego. I will be working with students on their...
Here’s my video on how to write an anecdote. I believe anecdotes are on the best ways to start a narrative-style piece for a college application essay.
Workshops for
Educational Consultants and Students
I offer in-person and cyber workshops and private tutoring to counselors, teachers and other educators.
Counselor and Teacher Workshops
Become an official Essay Jumpstart Expert!
Get certified through my one-hour cyber training or put together your own group.
Cost: $200 for private session.
Put together a group of two or more and the costs go down accordingly. Email me for details: Essayhell@gmail.com. (I use Zoom)
During these sessions, I teach counselors and English teachers what I believe makes a “great” or effective college application essay, and then how to teach their students to write them using a narrative (story-telling) style to showcase their defining qualities and values.
In effect, I share my main essay writing Show AND Tell “method,” including how I help students brainstorm and identify engaging topics, use anecdotes (mini real-life stories) to hook readers and make their essays personal and meaningful, and a slew of other tips and techniques to craft powerful personal essays.
Participants receive copies of my trade-marked handouts and worksheets (my SampleOutline™, AnecdoteBuilder™, Sample Essays, ProblemFinder™) in one digital companion workbook (that you can print out), as well as a digital badge (two options) to use for marketing.
They also receive digital versions of my popular writing guides, Escape Essay Hell! and Heavenly Essays.
For information on how to set up a private or group workshop, either in person or via Skype, email Janine Robinson: EssayHell@gmail.com.
If you live within an hour of my home in Laguna Beach, California, I can come to you, or we can set up a workshop here. I also work with groups via Zoom, Skype or other Webinar platforms. Just ask and we can make it happen!
“After reading Janine’s books: Escape Essay Hell and Heavenly Essays, I was craving more. I am a new college consultant and Janine’s method was exactly what I had been searching for. I was thrilled to become an “Essay Jumpstart Expert.” My one-on-one time with Janine was invaluable. I appreciated getting to know the origin of her ideas through her journalism experience. She bridges key concepts and strategies from her journalism background to approaching college essay writing.
She had a very well-organized Power Point that covered her points, from her books, with more depth and complexity. Her instruction provided me with a more sophisticated understanding of the college essay writing process. Best of all, Janine is so generous with her materials and resources. She provided me with a workbook that I can easily use with the clients, immediately. She exudes passion for what she does and wants to set others up for success! From the bottom of my heart, thank you Janine!”
Chrissy Mossbarger of Next Chapter, Ladera Ranch, CA
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“There is a big difference between being able to recognize a good college essay and being able to coach someone
to write that good essay, and the workshop helped tremendously to train me in coaching.”
Laurel Reidy of LWR Admissions Support in Encinitas, CA
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“Janine’s process and formula provides a way for counselors and independent college consultants
to maximize the way that students approach writing the essay in a way that helps them to really explore
more about who they are, what is important to them and why it is important…
The way she delivers her workshop is clear, concise, with tons of great examples so that it is easy to follow.
I thoroughly recommend her training!”
I work for private college admissions consultants who want me to work with their clients on their essays, either in person or via group Skype.
During my interactive workshops with students, I help them understand what makes a great college application essay, and take them through various writing exercises to help them identify strong topics, teach them narrative writing techniques and show them how to craft “slice-of-life” personal essays.
I use a variety of hand-outs, worksheets, videos and exercises to make the workshops lively and interactive.
Anyone is welcome to put together their own group, including educational consultants, counselors, teachers, parents and students.
Workshop Rates: I charge a per-student rate, and the total cost goes down depending on the number of students. Email me for details: EssayHell@gmail.com.
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Private Consulting
As a professional writing coach, I counsel you one-on-one on how to teach your students to write narrative-style college application essays using the approach I developed and share in my writing guides, videos, online courses and blog.
These private sessions include the same information and resources I offer my group workshops participants, including my handouts/worksheets, certification of completion, badge and two of my popular writing guides (Escape Essay Hell! and Heavenly Essays.)
Private Consulting Rates: Depending on what skills you want to develop (helping students identity compelling essay topics, find and tell their real-life stories, map out writing plans, apply literary writing techniques and strategies, edit and polish their own work, etc.), I work in person or via Zoom, Skype and phone consultations. Cost: $300 an hour. Group rates are less. Email me for details: EssayHell@gmail.com.
Recent former workshop clients include:
Square One Counseling, Laguna Beach, CA: Gave essay writing workshops to the clients of Lynn Fair, a top college counselor in Laguna Beach, CA. Summer 2013-2016.
Cleveland Foundation College Now Scholar Program, Cleveland, OH: Gave online essay writing workshops to their “Top 50” students. Summer 2015.
Palisade High School, Palisade, CO: Gave essay writing workshops to the IB students as part of a college admissions seminar. Summer 2015.
Texas Region One GEAR UP, Edinburg, TX: Conducted weeklong essay writing workshops to the top 160 students, and 35 English teachers, from 30 high schools in the Rio Grande Valley. (Read more about these workshops HERE.) GEARUP also purchased licenses to my online essay writing course for 10,500 students. Spring and Fall 2014-2017.
Bergen County Technical High School, Teterboro, NJ: Presented cyber essay writing workshops to their junior years students as well as to English and other teachers at this magnet school, ranked #6 in New Jersey. Summer 2016,
Colorado Academy, Denver, CO: Daylong workshop to about 100 rising seniors on how to brainstorm, craft and edit their Common Application essays. Summer 2017.
Girls, Inc. of Orange County: Gave essay writing workshops to freshmen and sophomore girls at their annual Eureka! Camp summer program at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, CA. Summer 2017.
City of Laguna Beach: Gave weekend college application essay writing workshops through the city’s Recreation Department at the City Community Center downtown. Summer 2017.
Shanghai International School: Spent a week giving essay writing workshops to 380 juniors from SAS at a college admissions retreat in beautiful Hangzhou, China. Spring 2018.
Laguna Beach High School, Laguna Beach, CA: Gave essay writing training workshop to their college counselors. Fall 2018.
When I give writing workshops to students on college application essays and what makes them effective, I love to show this short video on YouTube.
It’s just over two minutes long, but in that brief time, I believe many students quickly get a sense of what they need to do to craft essays that will be engaging and memorable.
Take a couple minutes to watch this video, which brings you around a table of college admissions officers at Amherst College, a liberal arts college in Massachusetts, as they sort through applications. (more…)
After working with thousands of students from all over the world on writing the dreaded college application essay for the last eight years, I’ve finally been able to boil down the process to three simple steps.
Yes, just three steps.
If you follow these steps, I believe you will be able to craft a college application essay that will give you an edge in the admissions game.
How?
Each step makes sure that you share information about yourself that will make your essay effective and help you stand out from the competition. (more…)
Prove You Deserve to Win in Your Scholarship Essays
Scholarship essays are critical if you want to go to college, but can’t afford it. To win them, you usually need to write powerful and personal scholarship essays.
Scholarship essays are similar to the personal essays you write for college applications. They need to give schools (or sponsors) a sense of who you are, what makes you tick and what you value.
Scholarship essays, however, usually need to go one step further. Applicants need to also show and explain why they deserve to win the scholarship. (more…)
UPDATE: as of March 23, 2016
The University of California announced NEW essay prompts for 2016-17.
Read about how to answer them HERE.
It’s Not Too Late to Write Your College App Essays
Before the Nov. 30 Deadline
Yes, you have waited until the last minute. But don’t despair!
There’s still time to pound out two awesome essays!
If you’re working on your two college application essays for the University of California freshman application, I’ve put together a short list of my most helpful posts.
Read through them, watch the videos, and get crankin!!
Prompt 1: Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.(more…)
Students looking for ideas and inspiration on their college application essays should check out the “This I Believe” web site.
It’s an international organization set up in 2004 to help students and adults identify and express through writing personal essays the core values that guide their lives.
Thousands have been collected and published on their site and in books.
Most of these essays could easily double as college application essays, such as for the Common Application or others that ask for personal statements.
In both, you use real-life stories to share your personal philosophy. (more…)
The 2015-16 Common Application is officially out. If you’re applying to college, you will be making a lot of decisions in upcoming months. Important ones.
What schools should you apply to?
What should you write your college application essay about so you get accepted?
Once you get in, what do you think you will want to study or do in college?
Even though I mainly try to help students figure out great topics for their essays, I think all these big decisions have one thing in common: You can help yourself immensely if you take a little time to identify what matters most to you in your life. (more…)
As a professional writing coach, I help students, parents, counselors, teachers and others from around the world on these dreaded essays!
Learn about my in-person and online tutoring, editing, workshops, books, and online courses, ... READ MORE....
Online Course
Learn to Write Your Essay in One Hour!
My on-demand, fast-and-easy online e-course: How to Write a College App Essay (Click lightbulb for details.)
Perfect for The Common App, UCs, grad school, transfer and scholarship essays!
