by j9robinson | Nov 9, 2015
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…)
by j9robinson | Dec 17, 2013
The winter flurry of letters is landing in mail boxes around the globe this time of year. I just heard from three ecstatic students who learned last week they were accepted into their dream schools–one was Harvard, another Wellesley, and a third Middlebury. I felt excited and proud for them. But I will feel equally excited for my students who will soon learn they will be attending schools in our University of California system, whether it’s Berkeley, UCI or Santa Cruz, or other state universities such as UW, Boulder and U. of O, and especially those getting into the small liberal arts colleges no one has ever heard of, but are true gems.
And I also can’t help think about those who are getting those awful cryptic rejections in the mail at the same time. They can really sting.
But if you are still waiting to learn where you will be attending college (or are still working on your college application and essays), just know that you will land in the place that is right for you. It may not be that dream school, or the one you couldn’t wait to tell your friends about getting into. But chances are you will attend a school that you will end up absolutely loving. It’s all about finding the right match–kind of like shoes, if they don’t fit right, they will hurt your feet. (more…)
by j9robinson | Apr 9, 2016
Summer 2023 In Person Essay Writing Workshops Janine will be holding college application essay writing workshops this summer through the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center in downtown Laguna Beach, CA. Here’s the schedule. Click HERE for more details and how to...
by j9robinson | Mar 29, 2016
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!
Read about the first workshop and newest official Essay Jumpstart Experts from San Diego in my latest blog post!
TESTIMONIALS FROM ESSAY JUMPSTART EXPERTS
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“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!”
* * * * *
“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
* * * * *
“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!”
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Student Workshops
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.
All my students receive free copies of my popular ebook guides:
ESCAPE ESSAY HELL! and HEAVENLY ESSAYS.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Click HERE to contact me any time.
Janine Robinson
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PAYMENT: All clients must pay in advance of my services (below), and then as they go for editing help.
NOTE: Please do not make payments until we have discussed and confirmed the exact services I will be providing.
Just email me any questions at: EssayHell@Gmail.com. Thanks!
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
PAY $200
(Click “Buy Now” button below): For Hourlong Jumpstart session.
PAY $100
(Click “Buy Now” button below): For expedited 2-day editing.
Use the DONATE “Buy Now” Button below to pay agreed-upon fee other than in options above (such as UC edits at $400).
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by j9robinson | May 27, 2014
When my two kids were finishing their junior years of high school, they each received the assignment from their English teacher to write a college application essay.
It sure sounded good—they could get a jump on these dreaded essays and receive professional direction on how to find great topics and write them in an engaging, memorable style.
It didn’t quite work out that way.
From what I could tell, this task of teaching how to write college admissions essays was dumped on these teachers, and they had to cram in a last-minute writing section at the very end of the year (and compete with the AP test crunch time, other end-of-year deadlines/pressures and spring fever.).
Also, as far as I could tell, no one really taught the teachers how to write college admissions essays and students had had very little practice writing in a narrative style. (more…)
by j9robinson | Jun 13, 2013
College Application Essays: How to Answer Prompt 3 of the Common App.
Who or What Have You Confronted Lately?
When you read the five options for your Common Application essay, one prompt probably will appeal to you first off. Others you will skim and choose to ignore.
This is how I felt about the third prompt–“Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?”
It just didn’t inspire any topic ideas for me, and I assumed it was less likely than the others to work for you, too.
But when I gave this question a little more thought, I realized that I challenged a belief while I was in my teens. And it was a very big deal.
I was raised in a religion that is considered relatively radical and unusual, and when I started to think for myself (sometime around junior high) I decided it wasn’t for me.
I was not popular with my parents, some of my friends or my parochial school at the time, and it was hard sticking to my guns. Although rejecting my religion was challenging, painful and lonely, the process truly defined who I was and what I believed. It would have made an excellent essay topic.
So there. I have to eat my negative words about that third essay question.
I wonder what other possible topics could be for that question, besides challenging a religion that has been imposed upon you.
How about a gender belief? Or racial or cultural one? Could you stretch the meaning of a “belief or idea” into an assumption, opinion or prejudice? I think so, especially if you indicate that you have done that in your essay.
I also think if you try to think of a time someone or something first challenged you on a certain “belief or idea,” and then you challenged back, you might find more real-life examples to write about.
For instance, someone tried to hold you back just because you were a girl, and what you did about that (the belief you challenged: girls are inferior to guys).
Or someone kept you out of an activity or group just because of your race or heritage, and what you did about that. I’m imaging some type of confrontation or speaking up or fighting back (peacefully, of course).
I like that the prompt asks you pointedly to also include “what prompted you to act,” so you include some action in your essay.
It’s always a good thing when something actually happens in these college application essays.
The last question in this prompt, “Would you make the same decision again,” is meant to encourage you to look back and reflect, analyze and evaluate that decision to challenge the belief or idea.
A Sample Outline for Prompt 3
If you want to answer this prompt, here’s one way you could structure your essay to engage the reader with your challenging action, and go on to explain why you did it:
1. Start with an anecdote that describes a moment or “time” when you challenged the belief or idea you are writing about. This could simply be the conversation where you confronted someone about it, or some action you took to protest or react to that belief or idea.
2. After a paragraph or two where you described an example of a specific “time” you challenged the belief or idea (or assumption, stereotype, opinion, prejudice, etc.), then go back and give us the back story about this time. What led up to it?
3. Then start to explain how that incident made you feel, what made you decide you didn’t accept it, “what prompted you to act,” how you responded to it, and what you learned in the process. And of course, would you do it again?
The most important part of writing about this prompt, I believe, is to bring some action to your essay. It could be dull and long-winded if you only talk about your beliefs or ideas. Focus on a specific example where something happened and your essay is sure to be compelling.
The larger lesson here, at least that I’ve learned, in reviewing the five options for writing your college admissions essays for these new Common Application prompts is to try your best to think about and brainstorm ideas for each one. Even if one jumps out at you, give the others a chance. I think I could have written a great essay if I had thought more about my own time I challenged a belief or idea!
If are you ready to tell your story, check out my Jumpstart Guide and posts about how to find a great topic, tell a story and write an anecdote.
My new ebook, Escape Essay Hell!, offers more complete steps and advice on how to write these types of “narrative,” or storytelling, essays, if you want more help:
by j9robinson | Feb 4, 2023
ChatGPT Can’t Write Your Essay for You;
But Here are 5 Ways It Can Help You Write Your Own
I wrote a previous post about how the new AI bot called ChatGPT would not be able to write your college application essay for you.
At least not yet, and possibly never.
But I believe this writing, editing and research tool can be a powerful help to brainstorming, outlining, drafting and editing your college admission essays.
And it will be especially helpful to any college-bound students who are not confident in their writing skills, as well as international students who are writing in a second language.
I love how this tool can act as a fairness leveler for these essays and the application process!
And it will only get better with time. (more…)
