Rising seniors will have the opportunity to participate in a virtual College Essay Workshop offered by Arrowhead English teachers.  Students will be taught the expectations of college admissions officers and the principles of essay writing throughout the workshop.  After planning and drafting their essays, students will give and receive peer feedback.  

The workshop will run virtually from August 9th through August 12th, 2021.  Interested students can sign up for the College Essay Workshop via summer school in Skyward.  There are two available sessions: a 7:30-10:30 option and a 10:30-1:30 option.  However, flipping between session times is allowed and will not result in a penalty.  Attending all four sessions qualifies students for a quarter credit.  

“Before starting the workshop, I didn’t even have anything written down for my essay. I had zero ideas about where I was going with it,” said current senior Hope Fifer.  Fifer participated in the 2020 College Essay Workshop, where she says she learned proper essay writing skills.  “Everything about it should be about you and it should sound like you when someone else reads it.”

The College Essay Workshop has been offered to Arrowhead seniors since 2013.  During 2020, the workshop was conducted virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  This format will remain in place for the 2021 workshop.  

“I would definitely recommend this to students who either have a complete draft already or haven’t started at all. It was overall beneficial for anybody who attended even if you were there to just get ideas,” said Fifer.  “Because of the workshop, I was able to write another essay on my own time and then get feedback about it.”

Ainsley Betker, another current senior who took part in the workshop alongside Fifer, said, “I definitely recommend this workshop.  The talent and expertise the teachers have is extremely valuable to anyone writing a college essay – no matter how perfect you may think your essay is.”

Additional information can be found in the 2021 Summer School Course Guide.  Questions can be directed to English teachers Terri Carnell, Elizabeth Jorgensen, and Becca McCann.