For the former Fearless Dragon Writers — who are starting their College Applications this Summer!
Well, you know you’ve been a writing teacher for a long time when your former 8 - to 12-year-old students are now driving! Or applying to college! While I can’t really do much to help students navigate the ‘literal’ road, I can help them navigate the ‘road-to-college’! (Ouch, sorry, I tried!) Over the last few summers, I have added a new service to my repertoire: tutoring students who are writing their college admissions essays. (Whether you’re a former Fearless Dragon Writer or not, I’m here for you!)
This has been a FUN addition to my Fearless Dragon Writers’ Writing Workshops. With over 13 years of teaching writing, I have now made it my mission to learn as much as possible about the specifics of the College Admissions Essay Writing process in a short amount of time. How did I do that? Why, by reading, of course! I have read several books by College Admissions Experts who claim to have the secret to what makes an extraordinary college admissions essay. Some of those books produce very ‘sales-y’ essays when taken at face value. (That is not what you want. You want authenticity.) So, you can imagine my delight when my FAVORITE College Admissions Expert, Jill Margaret Shulman, announced she was coming out with a new book—this one dedicated to the College Admissions Essay! Jill M. Shulman is my favorite expert because her previous book, “College Admissions Cracked,” was a tremendous help to my son as he was applying to colleges. (I recommend that book often to parents of my Fearless Dragon Writer students because it tells you ‘what to do when’ and because it is funny and adds a bit of warmth to an otherwise daunting process!) But, this new book … well, now I have another resource, “College Essay Confidence,” to help guide my tutoring, as well as another book to recommend to students.
The thing that makes Jill M. Shulman’s books so special is that they are warm, funny, and chock-full of intelligent information. Information you need when navigating the stressful process of college applications. Ms. Shulman has extensive experience as a College Admissions Expert and a College Admissions Essay tutor. If I had to pick the ‘trademark qualities’ found in her writing, I would say they are warmth and humor. (And who doesn’t need that during this stressful time?)
In “College Essay Confidence,” Ms. Shulman speaks directly to the student in a friendly yet informative way. (This book would be the perfect gift to give a high school student to help prepare him/her in navigating college admissions essay writing.) “College Essay Confidence” walks the student through the essay-writing process, step by step. Ms. Shulman has found what I have found—CONFIDENCE is the ‘secret sauce’ to writing. Throughout this book, she provides encouragement, ‘cheerleading’, and techniques students can use to minimize anxiety while maximizing word count. She uses fun names for the concepts she is writing about, which will definitely appeal to her high school audience.
She takes readers through the 10 Common College Essay Myths (fascinating); an analysis of the Common App prompts (really fascinating); great ways to brainstorm topic ideas; tips and tricks to get yourself to write; the structure of the essay; and what makes a compelling ending to an essay (spoiler alert: it’s not just a summation of everything that came before). Added to that, Ms. Shulman answers the most FAQs she hears from students about to embark on their essay writing journey. She is consistently concerned about the high schooler’s mental health and provides tips to ease tension and help the high schooler get the most out of the writing process.
If you are interested in purchasing either or both of Ms. Shulman’s books, here are some convenient links for you: “College Essay Confidence” and “College Admissions Cracked”. (These are Amazon affiliate links. Fearless Dragon Writers, LLC earns a small percentage on qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support!)
And a HEARTFELT THANK YOU to all the students who have put their trust in me during their college essay writing process. It was an honor to work with you!
If you are the parent of a former student who will be working on his/her College Admissions Essays for the Summer of 2026, and you would like to discuss in person College Essay tutoring with me, please reach out through my “Contact” page. Thank you!