Our Essay Services:
At ElevateIQ we know the importance of getting accepted into the college of your choice! Unforutanley, many programs require admissions essays and short answer responses that make up a large part of the college's decision.
In order give your child the best possible chances of getting into the college of their choice and save you thousands of dollars via scholarships, we have created the IQ College Scholars Program! As an IQ Scholar, your child will work with a dedicated guide to prepare their essays and short answer responses, all while you sit back and relax knowing that you are saving time and giving them the best opportunity to set themselves apart!
FAQs:
When is a good time to start the essay writing process?
Since the essays hold a large weight of the application and there are many essays and short answer responses that are required to finish college applications on time, we highly recommend that students start the brainstorming process by April of their Junior Year. Many students reach out after/during the end of summer looking for essay help but this can be too late! Most applications are due early in the school year and students only get busier when classes start.
Why work with an IQ College Guide?
Our students have many interesting experiences during their high school years and due to the short word count of the essay/response questions, it can be hard to convey everything. Since colleges only accept a small percentage of the tens of thousands of competitive applications they get every year, it is vital to write an application that not only conveys your child's skills but helps them stand out from their peers.
Our experienced IQ College Guides leverage their years of experience to not only simplify wording but show the experiences that make your child unique!
Plan:
Block 1-Discovery (1 Classes)
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Discuss prompt(s) for essay and expectations for the course.
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Discuss your child's background in order to discover some of the possibilities for details and/or experiences to feature in the essay.
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Collaborate to generate 3 possible approaches for each essay/prompt, employing exercises (such as free-writes) when helpful or necessary.
Block 2-Mapping (1 Classes)
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Collaborate to decide on the approach that would best meet the demands of the prompt. Consider:
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What are the pros and cons of each? What are the central theses of each? What details and/or experiences from the student’s backgrounds does each foreground? Once your child has chosen the prompt, begin generating ideas for which details and experiences to include, creating a kind of “map” of the essay.
Sample HW:
1. For each of the three possible approaches (the student can use the three we brainstormed or generate others) fill out a provided sheet explaining how the approach would satisfy the prompt and what the central “thesis” of each potential the essay would be.
2. Read an example Common Application essay and, on a separate sheet of paper, identify what the central “thesis” of the essay is and which details and/or experiences from the student’s life were included. Pay attention to what you were able to infer from the essay and not what was directly said.
Block 3-Reverse Outline (1 Classes)
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Discuss homework. What was the central thesis? What detail and/or experiences stuck out? How did those details and/or experiences abet the thesis of the essay?
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Collaborate to decide on which details and/or experience might be worth including the essay. Next, explain the concept of “reverse outlining” (as a way of thinking about structure).
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Begin reverse-outlining the example essay.
Block 4-First Paragraph (1 Classes)
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Discuss homework. Work together to finesse the outline for the student’s essay.
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Go through and discuss sample exemplary first paragraphs. What is being done in the introduction? What are different approaches to beginning the essay?
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Begin free-writing an introductory paragraph
Block 5-Develop Voice and Writing Style (1 Classes)
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Together read the introductory paragraph. Spend the majority of the session addressing stylistic/grammar/voice issues that arise. Next, free-write the second paragraph of the essay (or, alternately, a radically different version of the first paragraph).
Sample HW:
1. Write an outline of the Common Application essay. For each paragraph, list the “say” (What does the paragraph say?) and the “do” (What does it do? What function does it serve in the essay as a whole?)
2. Write an introductory paragraph, in polished prose, for the essay.
3. Write a complete formal draft of the essay, carrying forward insights regarding style, grammar, and voice.
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Block 6-Main Idea Revision (1 Classes)
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Read through the formal draft, focusing on the chain of reasoning, argument, and evidence.
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Engage in “radical revision” exercises as necessary.
Block 7-Structure Revision (1 Classes)
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Read through the formal draft, focusing, during this block, on the structure and lingering issues relating to reasoning, argument, and evidence. Make revisions during the session.
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Engage in “radical revision” exercises as necessary.
Block 8-Grammatical Revision (2 Classes)
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Read through the formal draft, focusing, during this block, on style, grammar, and voice.
Sample HW:
1. Write a revised version of the formal draft, carrying forward insights from Block 6.
2. Read a second/third exemplary Common Application Essay. Write a final draft of the Common Application essay.
Block 9-Final Revision (1 Classes)
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Read through final draft and attend to any issues. Look at all three exemplary essays and discuss any additional changes your child might want to make in light of this and other readings.
Block 10-Finishing Touches/Review (1 Classes)
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Read through final draft. Make any changes as necessary.
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Discuss principles and practices from the course and how to carry them forward in future writing assignments.
Sample HW:
1. Apply the discussed changes to complete the final essay