In just 5 days your teen will gain clarity on what to write and expert instruction on how to write essays that go from good to WOW!
You Probably Already Know
If you are a parent of a rising senior who’s been dreaming of college for years, then you probably already know that submitting SAT/ACT test scores are optional this year, and that means that the essays will be more important than ever.
You’ve been ready for this Big Event for years, so I’ll spare you the details. I’m sure you realize how many hours your kid needs to invest in a quality, stand-out, application (I mean, it’s literally a part-time job). And your friends, colleagues, and neighbors have likely told you how the process is way more competitive than when you and I applied to college (I’m not trying to reveal my age, but it’s been a minute since I applied to college).
Just to be clear, each pool of applicants at any “dream college” ALL have similar grades and test scores (for those who submit them). I know you realize that the only way to stand out is through the essays. #IGotYOU
What if You Could...
Significantly Increase Your Teen’s Chances of Earning a Coveted Spot that Changes the Trajectory of Their Life?
At the end of the day, the question is not will your teen go to college, but where? Who will he sit with, dream with, eat with? Who will hear her and inspire her to change the world? #Dreamers
Instantly Boost Their Confidence and Yours too!
Imagine your teen walking away in just 5 days feeling confident about the essays she’s produced? He leaves proud and excited about applying to college.
Significantly Decrease the Number of Hours Spent Worrying About if it’s Getting Done.
5 Days to focus, find clarity, and be productive is the best gift you can give. Leveraging the summer means being five steps ahead in the fall. Imagine no nagging, no worry, and no added stress of deadlines.
Ensure your teen gets a YES before Thanksgiving!
“YOU’RE IN” are words that your entire family will NEVER forget. The flood of joy, pride, and relief, will result in happy tears that you’ll be talking about forever. #EmotionFloodGate
Make YOU the “Parent Of The Year.”
Your teen will be thanking you so much you won’t know what hit you.
#BestGiftEver
Imagine, Thanksgiving 2020. The Application Deadline is Four Days Away...
Where is your child? ...Sleeping in ...Why?
Her applications are completed. His essays have been reviewed and submitted. Your teen is sitting pretty with one or more letters of acceptance and possibly a scholarship to college.
Where are you? Enjoying your favorite fresh brewed coffee or chai latte. No nagging. No stress. Just the sound of silence and the relief that it is all #DONE!
Here's What Happens when You Treat Your Essays like an English Assignment.
Your teen has written essays all through their high school career, this can't be much different, right?
Parents and teens alike underestimate just how critical it is that their essays grab the attention of the admissions officer. They wait until they have time to work on it and then choose over-used topics. And what happens? Procrastination. Family. Activities. Studying for The SAT. Being a Senior. Time? What time? Exactly.
With every week that goes by, YOU become nervous. Your worry takes over and you begin nagging, even begging them to get started, “Have you created your login, do you know what you’re going to write about, did you apply for that scholarship?”
Your stress leads to tension in the house and leaves everyone waiting for this application to get done. The pressure and overwhelm become paralyzing to your teen, and they don’t even realize it. Avoidance sets in and nothing gets done.
Here's Why This is Crippling
There are No Do-Overs in this process. When it comes to the college essay, it is critical to get it right the first time.
Waiting until one week, or maybe three weeks before the deadline and then spending hours just trying to brainstorm and draft ONE essay (with many more to go) is a recipe for disaster. Distraction quickly sets in and confidence goes out the window.
And just as you are so close to the finish line, your student throws her hands in the air and says, “If it is meant to be it will be,” leaving their dream college to chance.
Wait, What? No, not you. Not your Teen.
You are resourceful and determined to ensure your child has every opportunity possible to get the guidance and encouragement they need to get across the finish line.
Very few college bound teens are lucky enough to have any guidance outside of their school counselor. Thousands of high achieving teens have a unique essay to write, but most will never discover it. Which means, your teen has the golden opportunity to leverage her strengths, highlight his gifts, and find a way to share it in a quality application and not leave that dream college up for chance.
Mistake #1: Treating The College Essay Like It’s An English or Research Paper
Thesis statements belong in a research paper. In a college essay, YOU are the research.
The College Essay is not a 5-paragraph essay nor odes it come with a thesis statement. The essay is not a test of vocabulary, it is not a novel of your whole life, and it is definitely not a regurgitation of all of your accomplishments. The college essay should reveal something about the applicant that I cannot find anywhere else in the application.
Mistake #2: Writing About Something You THINK The Admission Folks Want To Hear.
WHAT you value is common, why YOU value it makes it uncommon.
Most teens have pre-determined what they will write about. They believe (and parents do too) that they need a good sappy story or something that shows how they are saving the world. The most common topics are community service, sports, life challenges, and most influential person. While not impossible, it will be difficult to stand out with one of these topics. Whatever the topic, the question remains, what will you say? How will you share it? Why is this important to me?
Mistake #3: Underestimating the Time it Will Take to Craft an ACCEPT-IONAL essay
A good essay will take 2-3 drafts. A great one will take 4-6 drafts (or more – no joke, sista!)
It never fails, campers spend the first two days of camp trying to unlearn how they’ve been taught to write. That is perfectly normal. But you’ve got to give this process time to work out all the kinks, keep writing, and then the skies open up and here it is. The golden nugget you’ve been looking for. Teens often give up before uncovering the best part of their story.
Mistake #4: Not Asking For Help
Those who ask for help reap the benefits 10 fold.
College Bound teens are smart, motivated, and (for the most part) they are can-do teens. Many rarely ask for help and as parents, you might not be worried at all that your teen can knock this out.
The question is not, “Can they write the essay on their own?” Duh. Of course they can. Hello – she has all As and Bs, he’s never missed a deadline. I get it.
The question is this, “Should they write the single, most important piece of writing without any guidance or expert advice?”
As a parent, your only job is to ensure your teen maximizes their college choices. You are about to invest thousands of dollars for the next four years, ask yourself, “What will it cost to not ask for help?”
Few students will receive that coveted, “You’re In”
While most others are left wondering, "What went wrong?"
Your academic qualities are your ticket to the dance however all dream college applicants have similar academic qualities. Your essays are what set you apart!
You only have 600-1600 words and approximately 60 seconds to capture your audience and reveal who you are to the admissions committee.
But you can get ahead of the game, build confidence through expert guidance, and avoids the pitfalls most seniors make, the path to success is paved for you.
One that ultimately leads to a bright and happy future.
The key is writing essays that are so compelling that the Admission Officer reading it says, “YES! We want this kid!”
And, with your permission, that’s what I’d LOVE to show you how to create.
This is About Making a Choice for the Summer in Order to Maximize the Choices Your Child has for the Future. Period.
You only get one chance to get it right. Let’s get it done.
Dr. Colón and her team have read thousands of applications and worked directly with over 1000 students who have been admitted to top colleges in the country – including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cornell, Brown, Duke, Georgetown, USC, UCLA, Berkeley, Notre Dame, and many more.
Perhaps even more exciting is the over 1.6 Million Dollars the class of 2020 essay “campers” have earned in merit scholarships from colleges such as; Baylor, St. Mary’s, Seton Hall, Fordham, TCU, SMU, Boise State, U Nebraska, Loyola (Chicago), and so many more!
Students from across the country enroll in Dr. C’s summer College Essay Boot Camps to complete 4-8 essays in just four or five days. WHY? Because students realize the essay is a key ingredient in their application. Dr. C’s philosophy is to build a foundation of 4 core essays to reuse, recycle, and repurpose, creating as many as 16-20+ essays. (Yes, they often need that many. No joke.) Dr. C and her highly experienced team create a highly supportive environment and deliver personalized feedback for students to write essays they feel confident and are ready to hit send after just four days. #Done
College Essay Bootcamp is the First of its Kind with:
Step-by-Step: Clear and Guided Writing Instructions.
Thousands of high achieving teens have a unique college essay, but never discover it. That’s not an option here. Essays are my jam. #IGotYou
Focused Writing Time: Something you don’t have in fall of senior year.
The high school fall schedule is brutal. They’ve got papers, projects, homework, tests, social life, sports, clubs, community service, etc. It’s enough to make anyone crazy. Adding the college application process is like adding a part time job. Ugh. Most weeks they only have the bandwidth to get through what’s in front of them. That’s it. Plan ahead and take advantage of the summer while you have it.
NO Homework: All writing is done in class time. Only 8-10 hours of writing.
College Essay Bootcamp is all about #gettingitdone. Your teen won't be given hours of homework to complete on their own. Bootcamp students walk away with confidence and their foundational essays written.
Personalized Feedback: A personal writing coach for the most important essay you’ve written to date!
When it comes to writing your college essays, you have two choices. You can decide to take 4 months to agonize over the essays, OR – you can get it done in 4 steps with a coach.
"I not only gained amazing insight on the college admission process, but I also learned a lot about who I am as a person and what I look for in a college. I now feel that I am able to write essays much faster than before! ”
~ Brooke, Class of 2021
Brainstorm Your Topic & Start Writing
Sharpen your pencil because the writing starts today!
You will learn the step-by step process thousands of students have used to draft winning essays. With clear teaching and a proven process you will discover just how easy it is to write the first drafts of your essays.
- 2 Questions / 7 Categories.
- What-Why-Memory Activity.
- Quick Writes on 6-10 Possible Topics: Narrow to 5-7.
- The Goal: Interesting, Engaging, Compelling.
- Coaches Review Essay Prompts & Sample Essays.
Draw the Reader into Your Story
Use juicy sentences that paint the picture in your mind
You want to hook your reader and draw them into the story FAST! Some college applications aren't given any more than 60 seconds of review before they are passed over. Discover what it takes to grab the attention of the admissions officer and compel them to keep reading.
- Show v. Tell: Rich Sentences.
- Draft #2: Expand 4 topics.
- What is YOUR Message? What do you want the reader to learn about YOU?
- Draft #3: Write more of what’s relevant.
- Coaches Read all drafts, personalized feedback and offer candid suggestions.
Working Together to Refine Your Compelling Essay
Knock out drafts #4 & 5!
While many teenagers reveal their life story in interesting, engaging, and compelling photos, most do not know how to capture their story in written word. This is the day your essays really start to take shape.
- General Feedback. Small Group Sessions.
- Jump Into Action Template: Turning Point for Most Every Teen!!!
- Drafts #4-5.
- Direct students to sample essays where needed.
- Coaches: Read all drafts, personalized feedback, candid assessment of what is not working.
Make Every Word Count!
It's better to write too much and trim it back than write too little and try to fill in the gaps.
In a college application you have up to five essays to unwrap short stories about YOU. The opportunity to shed light on who you are, where you come from, and what you value comes with only 600 words – 1600 words. That’s it. That is why we edit and only keep those juicy sentences that compel the reader to keep reading.
- Answering the Prompt.
- Editing Exercise.
- Small Group and 1-1 Time as needed.
- Write. Edit. Repeat.
- Coaches: Wrap it up with a bow!
#Dreamers & #Doers #GetItDone
Your Dream College & Scholarship Essays are DONE!
Take a moment to celebrate! You have the framework to write the essays your need for your Dream College applications. And not only that, you have your foundational essays DONE!
- Clear. Concise. Correct. Compelling.
- Leave feeling Confident!
- Write. Edit. Repeat.
- Graduation Ceremony!
- #Done
In Dr. C's Live (Virtual) College Essay Bootcamp
You will follow a step-by-step method to brainstorm, draft and finalize 4 foundational essays without homework and the headache of doing it alone.
“My advice to parents - start EARLY and partner with Dr. Colon. Thanks to her insights and structure both my daughter and son nailed their essays, got done with time to spare, were accepted to their top choice schools, and were offered many academic scholarships. They both will be attending their dream schools in the fall. And I was relieved of stress. Thank you, Dr. C!”
Sydel, Parent of Class of 2020
There are No Do-Overs in this Process. When it Comes to the College Essay, it is Critical to Get it Right the First Time!
Register in College Essay Bootcamp for:
✓ Assigned Essay Coach/Counselor
✓ No Homework: All Writing Completed In Class
✓ Personalized edits and feedback
✓ Packet of 70+ Sample Essays
✓ 4 essays #DONE ready to hit send!
✓ Essays kept for 1 full year
✓ Completed UC and/or Common Application
✓ Up to 8 Application Essays completed
✓ The 4 required UC prompts (PIQs) completed (350 words each - max)
✓ Completed Personal Statement for Common Application (500-650 words)
✓ Advise and review all resume/ co-curricular portions of application
✓ Advise and prep supplemental essays
✓ Advise and research possible scholarship applications based on essay topics
When you add all that up, that’s a real world value of $9000 Enroll for only *$1497 (*2020 pricing)
Essay Camp is closed until spring 2021. Join the waitlist to be the first to hear when the limited enrollment opens up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many essays will I complete in the Essay Boot Camp?
How many essays are required for college admissions?
Do you know the essay prompts already?
Who is College Essay Bootcamp for?
What’s the benefit of completing the application during camp in addition to the essays?
How does the LIVE Stream BootCamp Work?
What can my daughter/son expect during bootcamp?
How is this camp different from other essay camps?
Can you remind me what I get when I attend College Essay Bootcamp
“I was able to write so many essays and come up with ideas for other essays that I plan to write on my own. Because of the guidance this camp gave me I feel confident to go off and write essays about myself whenever I may need.”
Osose, Class of 2021
There are No Do-Overs in this Process. When it Comes to the College Essay, it is Critical to Get it Right the First Time!
Register in College Essay Bootcamp for:
✓ Assigned Essay Coach/Counselor
✓ No Homework: All Writing Completed In Class
✓ Personalized edits and feedback
✓ Packet of 70+ Sample Essays
✓ 4 essays #DONE ready to hit send!
✓ Essays kept for 1 full year
✓ Completed UC and/or Common Application
✓ Up to 8 Application Essays completed
✓ The 4 required UC prompts (PIQs) completed (350 words each - max)
✓ Completed Personal Statement for Common Application (500-650 words)
✓ Advise and review all resume/ co-curricular portions of application
✓ Advise and prep supplemental essays
✓ Advise and research possible scholarship applications based on essay topics
When you add all that up, that’s a real world value of $9000 Enroll for only *$1497 (*2020 pricing)
Essay Camp is closed until spring 2021. Join the waitlist to be the first to hear when the limited enrollment opens up.
““Essay camp saved my life! As a full time working single parent of twins, the college app process loomed large - despite the excellent counseling at my kids’ schools. Enter Essay Camp! Shockingly, my twins wanted to go to it and off they went. One came home with four essays and one five. All were excellent! I highly recommend essay camp — it made life SO MUCH easier and my kids’ apps (total of 24!!) were out the door by mid-October. ALL EARLY. It made for a very calm holiday season, especially as acceptances started rolling in before Thanksgiving!!” ”
~ Melissa, Parent of Twins, Class of 2020
Still Not Sure This is Right for You?
College Essay Bootcamp is perfect for PARENTS who believe their child deserves to:
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Dream big dreams and have adults in their life believe in those dreams.
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Leverage their strengths & shine against the other applicants applying this year.
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Receive expert essay guidance and support so they are ready for senior year.
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Access a dream college if they so desire.
"I Get it, But I'm Not Sure My child is Ready"
College Essay Bootcamp is perfect for the College-Bound Senior Who:
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Is applying to college within the next 6 months.
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Is applying to at least one college that admits less than 50%, less than 35%, and especially less than 20%.
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Has a significant list of involvement, leadership, honors/AP/IB courses, but needs clarity on how to leverage her/his strengths in the application.
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Understands how important the college essays are and is ready to put in the effort to go from good to WOW!
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Has achieved nearly every goal s/he has ever set out and gets excited about the challenge that comes with achieving even bigger goals!
If you answered "Yes" to at least 5 of these then I can't wait to meet your teen inside of College Essay Bootcamp.
There are No Do-Overs in this Process. When it Comes to the College Essay, it is Critical to Get it Right the First Time!
Register in College Essay Bootcamp for:
✓ Assigned Essay Coach/Counselor
✓ No Homework: All Writing Completed In Class
✓ Personalized edits and feedback
✓ Packet of 70+ Sample Essays
✓ 4 essays #DONE ready to hit send!
✓ Essays kept for 1 full year
✓ Completed UC and/or Common Application
✓ Up to 8 Application Essays completed
✓ The 4 required UC prompts (PIQs) completed (350 words each - max)
✓ Completed Personal Statement for Common Application (500-650 words)
✓ Advise and review all resume/ co-curricular portions of application
✓ Advise and prep supplemental essays
✓ Advise and research possible scholarship applications based on essay topics
When you add all that up, that’s a real world value of $9000 Enroll for only *$1497 (*2020 pricing)
Essay Camp is closed until spring 2021. Join the waitlist to be the first to hear when the limited enrollment opens up.
“Dr. Cynthia Colon's college essay bootcamp and Destination Youniversity podcast have been life saving for my son and me. With the typical senior year looming, SAT prep, a part time job, full time dual credit, and an intense robotics season, applying to colleges seemed overwhelming. Dr. Colon not only streamlined the essay writing process, but also helped him understand how to relate his story in every essay. It is a skill I did not know how to convey to my homeschooled son. Now he has been admitted into all his top choices and is knocking out scholarship essays with the same techniques. Thanks Dr. Colon!”
Ericka, Parent, Class of 2020
