"I have nothing to write about!"

That's a common reaction from students facing the college-app essay project. From here, an emotional cycle can whirl: the initial doubt that gave rise to the statement invites further worry that obstructs creative thinking. The absence of progress makes the statement feel like fact. What’s true is that the statement is never true. 

Other students may feel they have a promising idea for writing but struggle to find a way in.

This instructive writing lab for soon-to-be college applicants — and their parents! — helps students step beyond doubt or worry and toward possibility and progress. Drawing on more than a decade of coaching young writers through thousands of essays, Allan Reeder, the founder of Hillside Writing (www.hillsidewriting.com) helps attendees to see the college-app essay as an opportunity for self-discovery. The most effective, memorable essays develop through an organic process of building from the specific details of the writer’s experience. Allan teaches students how to shape memory into material. The process positions students to write what only they can write, and to ask the questions that reveal the value of their experiences. 

The pressure to appear exceptional can be paralyzing for applicants. Let’s replace that pressure with genuine curiosity, which turns out to be the engine behind exceptional essays.

Students and parents should come ready with pen, paper, and imaginations.