I generally think of the college-essay-writing process in two phases: determining WHAT you want to say and then determining HOW you want to say it. And students come to me at various stages in this process. Some students have not even begun thinking about their college essay - and that's just fine! I begin by getting to know about these students' lives, and we often complete brainstorming activities together. Eventually we talk through different potential topics, and hone in on one idea. Next, we outline, organize, and begin drafting. Once they have figured out WHAT they want to say, we move on to HOW they want to say it.

Other students that come to me have a strong idea with a draft in hand; for these students, we focus first on organization and then the art of writing. This includes considering things like word choice, sentence structure, voice, and memorable details. This stage really emphasizes the craft of writing before final submission.