The College Search Part 2:
Are Application Boot Camps Beneficial?
Many schools, local test prep centers or college counseling organizations offer their own version of an application Boot Camp, which to quote the online dictionary, means: a short, intensive, and rigorous course of training.
Parents, and even students themselves, have told me that signing up for a Boot Camp makes the I’m-going-to-college process real. Just as every student’s journey through elementary, middle and high schools varies, so does a student’s receptivity, excitement and engagement with a Boot Camp. Some students raise scores and finish their Common Application essays during the Camp days or weeks; others gain confidence in both their test-taking and writing abilities. In other words, I’ve never had a student who said a Boot Camp didn’t enhance their application experience in some way.
Here’re two Boot Camp options that I’m offering this summer:
Common Application Essay/Standardized Test Prep Boot Camp
In this combo Camp, students will both finish a draft of their Common Application Essay and raise their SAT and/or ACT scores. Deliberately scheduled right after school breaks for the summer, this Boot Camp is perfect for students taking a July test who want to “get it done” before summer internships, jobs and any travel plans distract them. I’m co-hosting Get It Done SAT/ACT Test Prep & Common Application Essay Boot Camp with Focus Tutors from June 25-29, 2018 in downtown Brooklyn.
Virtual Common Application Boot Camp
This Camp works well for students who are done with their standardized testing and now need to focus solely on their Common Application (CA) Essay. For the past few years, I’ve conducted five-day virtual CA Essay Boot Camps with students from all over the world that, regardless of time differences or busy summer schedules, manage to find the perfect balance of flexibility and structure. For the first hour-long Brainstorm session, we either meet in-person or via FaceTime or Skype. Students then submit essay drafts nightly that I line-edit and return the following day. Over these next four days of drafting and revising, we work electronically, ensuring that my muscular editorial suggestions are clear and that the students’ feelings about my comments have been fully discussed. The result? A personal essay that conveys the student’s unique point-of-view and tone of voice.
To register for the Boot Camps or for information about College Counseling/Essay Coaching, please drop me a line at Elizabeth@eecollegecoach.com or give me a holler at 917-863-2424. Also, for “news you can use,” please check out my blog and Facebook page.
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