The Art of the College Essay is a course that empowers high school juniors and seniors in the college application process. Students will craft compelling narratives, edit for concision and impact, and find authentic voice on the page. The course will cover the craft of the personal essay in general and the parameters of the Common Application in particular. We will consider what admissions officers (the audience) are reading for and how to approach the task with a sense of purpose and personal accomplishment. The course will guide students through the writing process, from finding a resonant topic and writing a first draft to the revision and editing process. Students will examine exemplary texts written by exceptional teenage writers, receive written and oral instructor feedback, and benefit from the collaborative energy of the workshop space. Each student will finish the course with a powerful, polished personal essay.

The course fee includes four 90-minute small group sessions with Christine Gardiner.

Instructor
For over a decade, Christine Gardiner, PhD has been teaching writing and literature at the college level at institutions like Brown University, the University of Denver, and Hunter College. For six years, she worked as an Assistant Professor of Liberal Arts at the College of New Rochelle, where she directed the Letters Department, served as an academic advisor, and read every incoming student's college essay. As a result, she has a deep understanding of the college essay in terms of form, parameters, and possibilities.