After an initial conversation, either in person or remote, I like to take time to allow us to get to know each other. What does the student love to do? What makes them lose sense of time? Do they have anything hanging in the back of their thoughts that they want to address? This is important early work before discovering a sense of the student’s academic record and extracurricular activities along with expected letters of recommendation submitted by teachers and guidance counselors. I see the application as a puzzle and we put it together in such a way that we’ll know what the final picture portray. Reviewing supplemental prompts is something I like to do early on in the process as well so that every essay chosen provides an opportunity to share a fresh value, perspective or idea.

As I develop a sense of who the student is academically, we are ready to begin and I will nudge them towards the uncomfortable: being vulnerable and using reflection while expressing themselves verbally.  We discuss the things they’ve done, the things they like, and those they dislike while trying to discover which topics and experiences are most important to them. Once comfortable talking about themselves, I watch for the light to turn on to find those topics that keep coming up and clearly hold passion. If the student is interested in telling that story, it is likely that the reader will enjoy reading it. Later, I help with the transfer of thoughts and perspectives into the written word by encouraging the use of authenticity, insight and reflection.

One of the most enjoyable things we do early on is to ask what they would put in a treasure chest. At first it feels a little curious and perhaps childlike, but I go on to explain that I want them to share and describe objects, whether they are big, small or figurative, that they either have or would put in a special box. What are those items, ideas or memories that you value from your past and what would you add today? This is important work because it marks who you have been and who you are now. Those treasures are valuable to you for a reason and this exercise could very likely inform your essay. Try to shoot for 15 items.

Examples of items in my student’s treasure chests that led to The essay: pottery, a periodic table, sea glass, Crime and Punishment, a plastic skeleton, a driver’s permit, Lego, a blue ribbon, a lawnmower, pizza dough, A. A. Milne’s Now We Are Six, a camera, a penny, a poster of a climber ascending a mountain, a chess board and more…..

What’s in my treasure chest?  Here are a few:

The most recent addition is a plastic dog figurine, yellow Labrador Retriever to be exact.  I have had two yellow labs in my adult life and still miss them terribly.  While digging in my front garden with my grandson Henry, we found the figurine; the pup was in ‘downward dog pose’ with a wagging tail, exactly how my beloved pups would greet me every morning. As a mom and now grandmother, I know exactly what unconditional love looks and feels like but what I learned from my sweet furry girls went even beyond that raw knowledge. They loved without complaint, just wanting to be by my side, with the intuition of a savant. The figurine belonged to my daughter, Henry’s mother, and it must have been buried there for over 25 years. Both Henry and the plastic pup were covered in mud…perfect! Henry placed it lovingly in my treasure chest with the old, cracked plastic spoon found at the pup’s side.

A piece of taffy that I stole from a CVS on Cape Cod when I was about 5 years old. After being told “no candy today”, I saw the taffy in a bin. Later, in the car when my father heard the unmistakable crinkle of the wrapper and sloppy chewing, he turned the car around and said nothing until we approached the curb of the CVS. I remember his loving, yet firm words: “go into the store, give them this nickel and the wrapper and tell them the truth.” The nickel and wrapper clattered on the counter as I mumbled my apology through tears and then I, horrified with shame, ran out of the store. When I got into the car, my dad simply said “don’t ever do that again.”

A Quahog shell.  I grew up on Cape Cod eating fresh quahogs and oysters as a child, dug by my grandfather who was a shell fisherman. Talk about unconditional love!! My grandfather Forest was calm, resilient, of service to all and literally had the patience of a saint; I can still feel his calloused hand in mine. In most of my memories, I was either in his truck, on his old metal boat scooping a myriad of clams, oysters and live crabs out of Prince Harbor, or on tiptoes reaching up to the burnt orange vinyl kitchen counter to steal a freshly shucked quahog. My shell has a bounty of deep purple, which in the days of trading wampum, would have held great value. I still love quahogs and my shell is priceless. 

My figure skates. This particular pair (one of many) is what I wore to do compulsory figures and specifically when I skated my 8th/gold medal test in Lake Placid in 1981. They are different from the skates I used to jump and spin because of the shape of the blade and toe picks. Unfortunately, figure skating no longer requires compulsory figures; it was the hardest and arguably most boring part of the sport but I loved it because of the challenge to create beautiful patterns, etched over and over to look like one.

A piece of paper with a #2 pencil. I don’t know why but there is something about pencil on paper that feels smooth and calming when I write.

Song C - Instrumental by Bruce Hornsby. I played this over and over and over and over again for my twelve year-old Labrador Retriever on the day that we had to say goodbye. I still can’t listen to this piece without crying.

Note: These are all quick, honest and vulnerable thoughts about each item and there are so many ways I could use these items to write an essay. I hope you get the gist.  Make your list.

I have spoken with countless parents and students who have wrestled with the idea of using an essay coach and I appreciate the reasons why.  One student shared that they believed in the process and that if their first choice college didn’t want them, with their own work, they would happily attend the college that did. I was pleased to hear this because I too believe in the process and am proud that the work I do doesn’t change the student’s voice. What it does change is how they use it.  I am a sounding board, stenographer and cheerleader, gently leading the student on a journey of discovery. 

Each student I work with will be expected to arrive with edits and an open mind for creativity in their writing because when this happens, the light turns on and the journey becomes enjoyable.  I remind my students that when they enjoy writing, the reader will enjoy reading.

One quick note: For my thoughts on AI, take a look at the recent post in FYS News on my Blog.

How To Start:

After filling your treasure chest, I encourage you to complete an exercise to explore your core values. This is important to the process because it helps to connect your treasures to your values and identify the story you want to tell. You can find the exercise in the link below.