Students will learn how to write an engaging personal statement essay suitable for the Common App Personal Statement. Class structure: (a) Overview of the lesson, including the homework assignment that will be given. (b) Discussion of the high points of the chapter of COLLEGE ESSAY ESSENTIALS that we are studying that particular week. (c) Student questions/discussion of what is expected of them in order to meet the objectives of the week. (d) When we progress into the drafting portion of the class, students who are willing to share their work-in-progress can take advantage of feedback from classmates and the teacher.

Course Description:
In this 6-lesson course we will unpack what makes a great college application essay and craft our own amazing personal statements. We will look at essay examples and tease apart the language, narrative pacing, and thematic elements that make a big impact on admissions counselors. We will then turn our attention to writing our own Common App-aligned personal statements. You will get several rounds of revision and feedback from Ms Kirstie, a high school English teacher who graduated from Harvard, which will take your story of self to the next level. Ms Kirstie has guided personal statements of students who have been accepted to Ivy League type schools such as Harvard, Stanford, and MIT.
Lesson 1: Navigating the Common App, Personal Essay and Supplemental Writing
Lesson 2: Brainstorming successful essay topics
Lesson 3: Exemplar essay analysis
Lesson 4: Developing voice
Lesson 5: Crafting personal narrative, feedback and revision
Lesson 6: Supplemental writing

Ms Kirstie received a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts and a Master's degree in English education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. A certified secondary teacher in Florida with 9 years of classroom experience, Kirstie has taught most English courses between 7th grade and 12th grade, including AP English Language and AP English Literature. Her teaching philosophy centers around empowering students to make increasingly sophisticated choices as both readers and writers, articulating their thoughts with precision and intention. Her favorite class to teach is AP English Language, and she especially loves helping students craft powerful college entrance essays. She lives in Florida with her husband and toddler. In her free time she enjoys painting and reading as many novels as she can get her hands on.

Students' testimonials:
“Ms Kirstie is an excellent teacher! Although I came to her a good writer, she pushed me to become more thoughtful and considerate of the words I use. Ms Kirstie reminded me to exceed any expectations of me, and now that I am a 4.0 gpa scholar at Tulane University, I am very thankful for having her as my AP English teacher my senior year.”
- Marneisha Gilmore
“Ms Kirstie was the best AP English teacher ever! She walked me through the course materials so I can get a thorough understanding of the test. She was always so patient and nice when assisting others and myself. Because she took her time and made sure everyone properly understood the material, the work and the AP test was a breeze.”
- Brooklyn Strader

Ms. Beth is an English teacher of 26 years, remote instructor/tutor since 2020, author, and a freelance book editor. She has a B.A. in English, Minor in Secondary Education, and an M.Ed. in Reading. As an educator/tutor, she specializes in working with students of all ages, from elementary to college students, college-bound high schoolers, At-Risk populations, struggling learners, and people for whom English is a second language.
She has been molding young writers for many years and has taught both Scholastic Arts writing contest and New York Times writing contest classes before. Additionally, Beth is the author of the YA novels Find the Moon, Big Fat Disaster, The Patience Trilogy (Courage in Patience, Hope in Patience, and Truth in Patience), and co-author of the creative non-fiction book Trauma Recovery: Sessions with Dr. Matt (Ayni Books). She is currently at work on her first New Adult novel, a romance. Authenticity and finding one’s voice are frequent themes in Beth’s work, and they are absolutely essential themes in her life, as well.