Stafford, VA - High School Essay Intensive

High School Essay Intensive –
SAT Essay & College Application Essays †

A one-day seminar for high school students and teachers

Thursday, August 23, 2012 8:30 AM-3:30 PM

Cost: $50.00/participant (accompanying adult, $25.00)

There will be a lunch break from approximately 12:15 – 1:00; students may bring a lunch, or go out and return promptly.

Click here to view Andrew’s introduction to the HSE

The High School Essay Intensive class is an excellent way to get immediate experience and inside tips on how to do your best on the timed, 25 minute response to a prompt required on the SAT and/or ACT tests. Participants will actually write two full essays, carefully study and then apply the College Board evaluation criteria to sample essays, while receiving a detailed booklet of resources and lesson plans for continued practice.

Additionally, students will learn special structure and style tools for use in composing the college application "personal essay"—an entirely different type of writing task. The complete process will be presented: choosing the question, creating the outline, and polishing a final version. Participants will leave with a clear concept of the task, their own outline for an actual personal essay, and several new tricks and techniques to add to their repertoire.

Although this seminar is specifically designed for those who will be taking the SAT/ACT or submitting college applications within the next 1-2 years (and especially those teaching such students), it is also useful for general writing practice, tools and tips. It is open to all students, regardless of their experience with IEW courses or materials. A lot of actual writing is done during this six-hour class.

† Contains distinctly Christian content

Some comments from past attendees:

"I really didn't want to come, but my mom made me, and I am soooo glad I did. It's really going to help me, and I'm not so worried about the SAT essay any more."

"I took the SAT last spring and did okay, but I'm going to do it again and go for a better score. With this new information, I'm very sure I'll do better on the essay portion."

"Mr. Pudewa’s seminar is like the rock concert of writing classes."

"Although I've been in many of your classes before, this was awesome. I especially loved the strategies for quickly planning and outlining a short essay, and the advice about how to formulate an opinion and just go for it, even if you're a little undecided about the question. Also the TRIAC paragraph model is awesome—it makes it so easy to organize a good paragraph."

"I came to be with my son, but I actually had a lot of fun myself. I sure wish I knew some of this when I was going into college!"