College Essay Writing Workshops

Expert Writing Tutors

One great challenge for many high school seniors applying to college is writing application essays. The Common App essay, in particular, is a high-stakes writing requirement that can feel daunting when applicants lack the proper structure and support. There is a myth that writing is a solitary activity requiring monastic isolation and inner struggle. That is, at best, only half true.

Tutor Visions designs college essay writing workshops that make writing a social, supported, and frequently collaborative process. Writing good essays takes more than one sitting or day. It is an extended process involving various stages and acts. Our workshops provide the structure and guidance necessary to capture your unique voice and produce authentic essays.

Sign up for our Summer College Essay Workshops!

Each online workshop costs $525 and includes four sessions over two weeks. We meet Tues/Thurs from 10-12:30 (PT) each week, with a bonus session on Wednesday.

Join David Wolf, Ph.D., for an exciting online workshop that will help you craft a winning college application essay, conveying your unique value and experience. From brainstorming and outlining to drafting and revising, Dr. Wolf provides personalized feedback and guidance for reflecting your best self. Don’t miss this opportunity!

Our Process

We provide empathetic and strategic guidance as students craft drafts and, ultimately, produce completed essays.

Students use “flow writing” to generate ideas and details while suspending the impulse to edit prematurely.

They learn to honor their voice, trusting the words that come from within.

They share drafts in low-stakes meetings with peers and the instructor, who read their work with care.

They use collaborative processes to unlock and activate untapped expressive potential.

Students study narrative techniques useful for crafting their essays as stories.

They adopt intentional strategies in undertaking thorough draft revisions.

They edit for structure, clarity, and usage, taking their writing to a finished form.

Students complete the workshop with an essay suitable for college admissions.

Lead Writing Tutor

As the workshop leader, David Wolf has twenty-five years of teaching and writing tutoring experience, including eleven years at a distinguished New Jersey preparatory school where he tutored hundreds of students writing their Common App essays. David has also taught for many years at universities, including Portland State University’s Honors College where, as an Instructor, he taught successful workshops for seniors writing their honors theses. Read more about David’s teaching background and philosophy.

David spent a great deal of time with both of my kids helping them with ideas for their college essay and with the fine tuning. He's an excellent resource. The applicants still do their own work (which I find important) and David steps in with great guidance promoting self-thinking and bringing out great ideas that the applicants might have a hard time putting in writing otherwise.

Susanne Pries, Parent