Your Admission Essay | Applying to College?

Colleges really want to get to know you as a person. While your transcript and test scores will show them who you are as a student, only your personal statement will convey to them your character and insights. Yet it’s hard to write a truly personal statement admissions essay that conveys your character. Whether you have difficulty getting in touch with your strongest characteristics, figuring out which story about yourself puts you in the best light or going through the writing process, Donna Kirschner can help.

Dr. Kirschner will inspire and guide you through each phase of writing your personal statement so that the college admissions officers will notice you. Not only will you develop an outstanding personal statement, you will also cultivate your writing skills and go on a journey of-self discovery. This is a major part of what college teaches you and you’ll start off right now.

Donna will draw upon her decade-long experience with the University of Pennsylvania Writing Program to take you through all aspects of the writing process. She will interview you and take you through self-assessment techniques through pre-drafting, drafting, revision and polishing. Here’s how Donna will guide and inspire your admission essay process:

In our four sessions, you can expect:

Session One: » Between sessions one and two » Session Two: » Between sessions two and three: » Session Three: » Between sessions three and four: » Session Four: »

Note that we will try our best to address all of your essays within the confines of these four sessions. If you are applying to many colleges, or you have many essay prompts, then your writing process may need more sessions.

-Donna to spend very focused time getting to know you through a guided interview and self-assessment. We may do some pre-writing. This interview will bring out aspects of your personality that you might not have considered important.

-We will go down memory lane. Together, we will bring out some anecdotes that capture the flavor of the insights that come out from our guided interview and self-assessment.

-You will leave our first session with marching orders to explore a few possible essays (unless you are certain that we have captured your story -it happens!)

You will go through some pre-writing steps that help you construct the beginnings of your essay.

-We will go through your initial pre-drafting and any drafts that you may have to develop a structure for your essay. We may go through the draft to discover the real story or subtext, which often takes place “between the lines” of your writing. This is a process that requires patience and maturity. It requires that you look kindly at your own work. Donna is a patient and insightful guide. We will get there!

-You will leave this session with an outline of your essay.

You will write the first draft of your essay(s). This will be your best effort at a draft.

We will confer on your draft(s). Donna will lead you through self-assessment of your draft and we will discuss revisions to your draft. Writing is a process of “re-visioning” your work and we will take seeing it in a fresh light very seriously. We will assess the structure of the statement and make sure that it conveys what you need it to convey. At the end of this third conference, you should have a fully-fleshed out draft, complete with the voice, style and language language that expresses you appropriately.

You will continue to revise your drafts, putting forth your best effort. Plan to bring to session four the personal statement that you would send to the admissions committee.

We will go over your draft with a fine-toothed comb. You will apply principles of grammar and style so that your draft is as polished as possible, given your voice and style. You will hone your skills as an editor and we will celebrate your amazing accomplishment!