Finding Your Voice - A Personal Essay Writing Course for College Applicants

The Course

Fall is college application season. And in our current educational climate of Chat GPT, countless AP classes, skewed GPAs, and the repeal of Affirmative Action policies, admissions teams at colleges and universities across the country receive thousands of applications that are almost identical. Often, the only thing that separates and defines top applicants from one another is the personal essay. 

In this four-part e-course, educators Rebekah O’Dell and Samantha Futrell will guide students through the daunting task of writing a personal essay.  Let us help you showcase who you are and why you deserve to be admitted to your dream school or program. 

In this workshop, students will

• Practice ideation for personal essay topics.
• Study successful, award-winning personal essays for inspiration and guidance.
• Draft* personal essays that are compatible with application programs like Common Application, Coalition Application, or QuestBridge Application.
• Get helpful tips for grammar, syntax, and structure.
• Learn strategies for crafting their own voice and style.
• Revise and refine their essays with guidance from tenured educators.
• Connect with a cohort of other students applying to colleges and universities across the country.
• Have a personalized, 1-1, one hour final drafting session with the workshop leaders (a $300 value!).**

Join us*** as we explore ways to elevate your personal essays and create authentic, compelling, and competitive pieces of writing that will set you apart from other students in the class of 2025. 

* Students are not required to have a draft of a personal essay before the first session of this course.

**A link for scheduling 1-1 sessions will be available for workshop participants by September 29.

***This course will meet live on Sundays, September 8-29 from 7:00-8:00 PM (EST). However, recordings of each session will be available to anyone who purchases the course. Anyone who has completed the course live or self-paced may schedule a 1-1 writing session with the workshop leaders between September 30 and December 1. 

Your Personal Essay Coaches

Samantha Futrell is an award-winning educator, who has taught students from 7th-12th grade for over a decade. She is a published author and leads professional development on writing instruction and pedagogy for educators. As the President of the Virginia Council for the Social Studies, she advocates for and supports excellence in social studies instruction and education in Virginia and on a national level. 

Rebekah O’Dell is a 20-year classroom veteran who has taught students from 7th-12th grade, including AP and IB classes. She is the author of four professional books on secondary writing instruction and a frequent speaker at national conferences and workshops. Her work explores authenticity, nuance, and voice in student writing at all levels.