College Talks June: Application Essay Workshop

Crafting the perfect college application essay is an art form—a chance to showcase your unique story, personality, and aspirations. At our June College Talks workshop, you’ll learn why your college essay should be more than just words on a page; it’s your ticket to standing out in a sea of applicants. With competition for college admissions growing fiercer every year, your essay is a vital component of your application, giving voice to your dreams and grounding your academic achievements in your personal experiences.

Discover How to Make Your College Application Essay Shine:

• Unlock Your Unique Story: We’ll guide you through identifying what makes you stand out. Can someone else, especially your peers, write something similar? If the answer is yes, it’s time to dig deeper.
• Craft Beyond the Basics: Learn why successful essays don’t follow the typical five-paragraph rule, list achievements, or resemble your standard school essays. Think storytelling, think poetry, think vivid imagery.
• Topics to Tackle (and Avoid): Navigate through choosing compelling subjects while steering clear of overdone narratives and sensitive topics. Discover how to turn unique obsessions, origin stories, and unconventional interests into captivating essays.
• The Writing Process Decoded: From brainstorming to final edits, understand the stages of crafting an essay that captures who you are. We emphasize the importance of revisions—expect to spend 20+ hours creating something truly stellar.
• Effective Strategies and Tips: Incorporate vivid details, hook your readers from the start, and show rather than tell your story. Get insights into drafting opening lines that grab attention and using specific, surprising elements to keep it.
• Reflections and Personal Growth: Learn how to weave in reflections that convey the impact of your experiences and your aspirations for the future, ensuring your essay comes full circle.

This workshop is designed for any high school student poised to navigate the increasingly complex college application process. Whether you’re just starting to brainstorm or you’re polishing your final draft, our expert guidance will equip you with the tools to craft an essay that resonates with admissions officers and truly reflects who you are.

Join us and transform your college application essay from a daunting task into an exciting opportunity to share your unique journey and aspirations. Sign up now and take the first step toward making your college application unforgettable!

About Taka:

Taka Okubo is an award-winning fiction writer. A graduate of Princeton with a philosophy degree, he holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Indiana University. His poetry and stories have been published by Beloit Poetry Journal, The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, The Ledge Poetry & Fiction Magazine, and Day One. His works, both fiction and poetry, have been nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize. On top of 5 years of private tutoring experience, he has taught both creative writing and composition classes at Indiana University for three years. In addition to his extensive teaching experience, he has 7+ years of essay counseling experience and led the Application Essay Counseling Division at TA for seven years.

Taka’s students have gained admissions to elite universities including Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Oxford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Duke and more