Essays
Prompts, brainstorming help, and gentle encouragement to let your child's authentic voice shine.
Start with story, not strategy
The strongest essays sound like the student, not a résumé. The goal is a small, true moment that reveals how they think.
Brainstorming prompts
- Describe a time you changed your mind about something important.
- What's a small everyday thing that means more to you than it should?
- When have you failed, and what did you carry forward?
- Who or what shaped how you see the world?
- What could you talk about for an hour without getting bored?
A simple writing process
Free-write first
Get the messy version out with no editing. Quantity now, quality later.
Find the moment
Pick one specific scene and zoom in rather than summarizing a whole year.
Show, don't tell
Use details and dialogue so the reader feels it instead of being told.
Read it aloud
If it sounds like your senior talking, you're on the right track.
Trim and polish
Cut anything that doesn't add. End with reflection, not a bow-tied lesson.
For parents
- Encourage and ask questions — but keep the voice theirs.
- Resist rewriting; admissions readers can spot a parent's edits.
- Give feedback on clarity, not on who they should be.
Their voice is the point
A slightly imperfect essay that sounds like your child beats a polished one that sounds like everyone else.
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