Arrowhead seniors have begun to fill out their college applications. Along with applications comes college essays. To help students feel more confident about the essays they’re submitting, Arrowhead High School is holding a college essay workshop run by language arts teachers Terri Carnell, Becca McCann, and Liz Jorgensen.

The first workshop occurred on Wednesday, September 20th and will continue to happen October 25th on these specific dates. These dates are on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The specifics can be found on multiple posters hanging around north campus and on the arrowhead website.

Students can attend as few or as many workshops as they need. All they have to do is show up at North Campus in room 199 at one of the given times and dates. Students can come and go from the workshop at any time during the given slot.  

Posters have been posted around North Campus at Arrowhead providing the information on when and where the workshop takes place as well as what it entails. The poster reads, “This workshop is face to face for seniors only. Students need to supply their own device. The College Essay Workshop will take place in N199 at North Campus. The College Essay Workshop will help students understand what college admissions officers desire in a college essay. The workshop will focus on the principles of good writing, including the components of a compelling narrative. Students will plan, draft, write, share and receive feedback from multiple teachers and students. They will learn about creating an application with purpose and consistency through example essays and readings. Students can come to any/all sessions, depending on need.”

When seniors arrive at the workshop, they are given work time. Then, when they want help on their essay, they sign up on the board and wait for a teacher to be available to help them out, Jorgensen says.

Maria Bielke, an Arrowhead senior, says, “It was a good setting to get work done in because I knew I was there for the sole purpose of working on my essay. I got a lot of helpful feedback and now feel more confident on my college essays. It’s especially nice to have this resource since I’m the first person in my family to actually apply and want to go to college.”

Kylie Spence, an Arrowhead senior, says, “It’s nice to have an in school resource for review of my college essay. Otherwise the only person that would read my essay before it being sent in is me and my mom. Personally I think I’ll get better feedback from language arts teachers.”

Kat Kohen, blog writer for the Huffington Post, in her blog titled: “The Truth About College Admissions Essays” writes, “Colleges don’t ask you to write essays because they want to make you miserable, they are asking because they want to hear from you! They want to get to know your background, interests, goals, triumphs, failures, likes, and aversions in your own voice.”  In essays, applicants are  given a chance to explain why their GPA wasn’t perfect and how their grades may not accurately represent what kind of student they are.

Spence says, “I feel like there is a lot of weight on my essay. When looking at college websites or brochures there is a lot of talk on the kind of students they want. Ones that are open minded, hard-working, well-rounded, and a whole other plethora of adjectives. I know colleges can’t fully see that I am like those students they want just from my grades and test scores. So, it puts a lot of pressure on my essay. I look forward to working with teachers on my essay so I’m confident that it shows the student I really am in the best light possible.”