Dear Parents,
RACL will offer a week-long Summer College Admissions Essay Workshop from July 25th to July 29th, 2016.
The purpose of the College Admissions Essay Workshop is to help rising 12th graders prepare for the college admission applications. The Workshop is mainly focused on rising 12th graders; rising 11th and 10th graders are welcome too and they will also benefit from the workshop.
The slots are limited, please register as soon as possible. First come, first served!
Website: http://www.racl.org Email: summer_camp@racl.org
Period: 7/25-7/29, 2016
Hours: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (lunch break 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM) daily
Drop-off time: 8:30 – 9:00 AM; Pick-up time: 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Location: RCCC Church, 9266 Chapel Hill Rd, Cary NC 27513
Lunch: Students should bring their own lunches.
Registration fee: Free
Tuition: $260
Registration method: online at http://goo.gl/forms/XeSax6nxhNySAnYl2
Payment method: Please make check payable to Raleigh Academy of Chinese Language. Pay in office or mail to:
Attn: Essay Workshop, RACL, P. O. Box 50375, Raleigh, NC 27560-6375
Refund: refund 100% tuition if requested 3 weeks before the Workshop, 50% tuition if requested on first day of the Workshop. No refund after first day of the Workshop.
RACL Summer Camp Committee
College Admissions Essay Workshop
Course Description: Powerful and well-written essays can greatly increase a student’s chance of being accepted to the college of his or her choice. This 5-day workshop will give students the skills that they need to write the two main kinds of essays required by colleges and universities: personal statements and prompt-based essays. Grammar, formatting, style, and topic-choice will all be covered in detail.
During the course, students will develop two of their own original college admissions essays.
Day 1
Morning Session: Introduction to the Course
- Introduction
- Class Survey: Which schools are you applying to? What are some typical essay prompts?
- Lecture/Discussion: Who is the target audience for your essay? / Who is the typical admissions officer? (Text:On Writing the College Application Essay, 25th Anniversary Edition)
Afternoon Session: Introducing the Personal Essay
- Discussion: What makes a personal statement compelling?
- Read and discuss successful personal statements. (Text:50 Successful Harvard Application Essays)
Day 2
Morning Session: Brainstorming / Writing the Prompt-Based Essay
- Read and discuss successful prompt-based admissions essays (Text: In-class handout)
- Lecture: Formatting the Essay
- Workshop: Outlining the prompt-based essay
Afternoon session: Personal Statement Brainstorming
- Workshop: Outlining the personal statement.
- Reviewing example introductions (Text:50 Successful Harvard Application Essays)
- 3.Developing the introduction paragraph for the personal statement
Day 3
Morning Session: Writing Skills/ Proofreading Review
- Peer-criticism and workshop.
- Grammar, Mechanics, and Style Review (Text:TheElements of Style, 5th Ed.)
- Proofreading the prompt-based essay introduction.
Afternoon Session: Body Paragraph Skills for the Personal Statement
- Lecture: Writing the body paragraphs / Using effective transitions.
- Workshop: Writing the first body paragraphs for the personal statement.
- One-on-one and peer criticism
Day 4
Morning Session: Body Paragraph Skills for the Prompt-Based Essay
- Reviewing example body paragraphs (Text:On Writing the College Application Essay, 25th Anniversary Edition).
- Workshop: Writing the first body paragraphs for the prompt-based essay.
- One-on-one and peer criticism.
Afternoon Session: Finishing the Personal Statement
- Developing a concluding paragraph for the personal statement.
- Group review and proofreading of the concluding paragraph for the personal statement.
- Lecture: Tips and tricks for the last stage of the writing process.
Day 5
Morning Session: Final Proofreading
- Final proofreading of the entire personal statement.
- One-on-one and group review
- Concluding remarks on writing the personal statement
Afternoon Session: Finalizing the Essay
- Lecture/Workshop: Developing the concluding paragraph for the prompt-based essay.
- Final one-on-one proofreading of the prompt-based essay with the teacher
- Concluding remarks on writing the prompt based essay.
Required Books:
- On Writing the College Application Essay, 25th Anniversary Edition: The Key to Acceptance at the College of Your Choice, Author: Harry Bauld
- 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays: What Worked for Them Can Help You Get into the College of Your Choice 4th Edition, Author: The Staff of the Harvard Crimson
- The Elements of Style,Fourth Edition, Author: William Strunk, Jr.
Instructor: Matthew Klinestiver
Matthew Klinestiver has over 6 years of teaching and private tutoring experience. He has worked as an SAT-English teacher at several Chinese language academies, including the Raleigh Academy of Chinese language and the Chapel Hill Chinese School. His private tutoring service provides TOEFL, ESL, SAT-English and GRE-English preparation. Moreover, he has years of experience professionally editing and proofreading undergraduate and graduate-level essays.