Summer College Essay & Application Program for Students
A comprehensive step-by-step program to learn how to draft, outline, and write outstanding college essays and applications.
Live: June + July (Or Watch OnDemand)
Introducing My College Essay & Application Program
Updated and revised to be even more effective and more practical than ever.
What Is It?
Based on the culmination of the 18+ years I’ve spent helping students navigate the college application process, my College Essay & Application course is a live two-part course that equips students and families with the tools, skills, and resources they need to more confidently move through the college application process. It remains the most effective way I know to help students go from ‘I have no idea where to start’ all the way to a personal statement and supplemental essays that stand out.
What’s Included?
Step-by-step guidance throughout the process
Live sessions with me (Ethan)
50+ recorded videos. Watch anytime, anywhere
Tons of practical tools you can use right away
Dozens of successful colleges essays & applications
Access to my Choose Your Own Adenture essay revising tool
Q&A sessions in every live session
Additional bonus sessions for LIVE essay feedback
Featuring My Two Signature Courses for Students & Families
Take the courses live (or watch on demand)
Learn to find your deepest story, structure your essays, and craft a personal statement you are proud to submit.
Part One
Week 1: Brainstorming
Week 2: Outlining & Writing
Week 3: Revising
Week 4: Refining & Upleveling
2026 Dates:
June 23 & 30, July 7 & 14
10-11:30am PT (1-2:30pm ET) &
4-5:30pm PT (7-8:30pm ET)
Learn to create an outstanding application, develop a solid strategy, and write supplemental essays that stand out.
Part Two
Week 1: Brainstorming & The Big Picture
Week 2: Activities List, Additional Info & ‘Why Us’ Essay
Week 3: Extracurricular + Supplemental Essays
Week 4: Reviewing the Whole Application
2026 Dates:
July 21 & 28, August 7 & 14
10-11:30am PT (1-2:30pm ET) &
4-5:30pm PT (7-8:30pm ET)
2026 Session Schedule
Can’t make a session? Recordings are uploaded to the course within 1-2 business days after each session day.
2026 Dates + Times
Personal Statement Course
- Tuesday, June 23: Brainstorming
- Tuesday, June 30: Outlining & Writing
- Tuesday, July 7: Revising
- Tuesday, July 14: Refining & Upleveling
College Application Course
- Tuesday, July 21: Brainstorming & The Big Picture
- Tuesday, July 28: Activities List, Additional Info & ‘Why Us’ Essay
- Tuesday, August 4: Extracurricular + Supplemental Essays
- Tuesday, August 11: Reviewing the Whole Application
For both courses, sessions are held at 10-11:30am PT (1-2:30pm ET) and 4-5:30pm PT (7-8:30pm ET) on each date listed above.
Both the morning and evening sessions will cover the same content on each day; however, you are welcome to join both!
Take a Look Inside Part One
Week 1: Brainstorming & Choosing a Topic
Included in this module:
- What’s the Purpose of the Personal Statement?
- What are the Four Qualities of an Outstanding Personal Statement?
- 7 Mini Brainstorming Exercises
- How These Exercises Can Lead to an Essay Topic
- What Should I Do if I Can’t Decide on a Topic?
- Montage vs. Narrative Structure
- 7 Types of Montage Essay
- What Is Narrative Structure & How Does it Work?
Week 2: Outlining & Writing
Included in this module:
- Why Other People Write Bad First Drafts (And How to Not Be Like Them)
- Why You Should Create a Solid Outline Before You Start
- How to Outline Using the 7 Montage Paths
- How to Outline Using the Narrative Path
- How to Write Your First Draft
- How to Get Feedback (If You Want it) on Your First Draft
- Personal Feedback from Me on Some of Your Topic Ideas
Week 3: Editing
Included in this module:
- How to Raise the Stakes and Draw Your Reader in
- 11 Ideas for Improving the Middle of a Challenges-Based Essay
- How to Uplevel Each Paragraph in a Montage Essay
- How to Make My Challenges More Clear
- How to Make Sure Your Personal Statement “Flows”
- Personal Feedback from Me on a Variety of Your Essays-in-Progress
Week 4: Refining & Up-Leveling
In our live Session 4, you can expect:
- 10 Ways to End a Personal Statement
- The Great College Essay Test (i.e., How to Know If Your Personal Statement Is Doing its Job)
- Tips for Polishing (When You’re Ready)
- Personal Feedback from Me on (Basically) As Many Essays As I Can Get to
Take a Look Inside Part Two
Week 1: The College Application
Included in this module:
- How to Create an Inspired Application and Supplemental Essays in Half the Time
- The Overlapping Prompt Game & The Super Essay
- A Sample Super Essay & The BEABIES Exercise
- How to Create an Outstanding Activities & Awards List
- The Difference Between a Very Good Activities List and an Outstanding One
- How to Up-Level the Activities and Awards List in Three Steps
- How to Write the Additional Information Section
- And more
Week 2: The “Why Us” Essay
Included in this module:
- Six Common Mistakes Students Make on the “Why us” Essay
- How to Write the “Why us” Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide
- How To Find All the Resources You Need to Learn about a Particular School
- The Top Secret Three-Word Trick to Finding Specific Info for Your “Why us” Essay
- Approach #1: The Basic, Solid ‘Why Us’ Essay That Includes a Bunch of Reasons
- Approach #2: The “3-5 Unique Reasons” Strategy
- Approach #3: The “One Value” Strategy
- How To Write a “Why us” Essay If You Don’t Know What They Want to Study
Week 3: Common Supplemental Essays
Included in this module:
- The Difference Between a Regular and a “Super” Extracurricular Essay
- Eight Mistakes Students Make on Their Extracurricular Essays—and How to Avoid Them
- How to Write an Outstanding Narrative Extracurricular Essay: The Powerwall Exercise
- How to Write an Outstanding Montage Extracurricular Essay: The UC Exercise
- How to Stand Out on the Extracurricular Essay If Your Topic and Achievements Are Common
- How to Write a Super Extracurricular Essay
- How to Write the “Why Major?” Essay (Including: What to do When Applying Undecided)
- How to Write the “Community” Essay
- How to Write the “Diversity” Essay (to be covered live)
- How to Write the 150-Word Extracurricular Essay
Week 4: Bonus Content
Included in this module:
- How to Make the Short Answers Awesome: 11 Dos and Don’ts
- How to Make Sure the Application Is Doing Its Job
- The U Chicago Essays (in “Bonus Content” module)
- Supplemental Essays That Are Too Good to Share (And Why I Don’t Share Them)
- How to Create a Great College List
- Do interviews matter? If So, Should You Prepare?
- Demonstrated Interest: A Brief and Practical How-To Guide
- How to Turn Your Common App Activities List into an Awesome Resume
- How to Write a Great Transfer Essay
Cannot imagine going through this process without you.
The process flow is terrific with the value brainstorming at the beginning and the thoughtful essay shaping to bring out the story behind the applicant. Highly recommend.
Nira
Student
You’re an amazing teacher!
Thanks to you, I’ve been able to say what I’ve wanted to say about my life and show how it has impacted me. So from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you!
Miles P.
Student
What Can You Expect to Learn in This Program?
My approach has evolved and I’m excited to share these updates with you.
Inside the courses, you’ll learn things like:
-
The New (Updated for 2025) Brainstorming Process I Use With My One-on-one Students (Including the Google Doc I Send Them)
-
My Proven Process for Choosing a Great College Essay Topic
-
What to Do When You Feel Like You Have “Nothing to Write About”
-
How to Outline & Structure an Essay When You Have a Great Topic
-
How to Draft, Refine, Revise & Up-level Your College Application
-
How to Create an Inspired Application and Supplemental Essays in Half the Time
-
How to Write All the Major Supplemental Essays Required of Selective Colleges
-
The Difference Between a Very Good Activities List and an Amazing One
-
How to Up-level Your Activities List if You “Haven’t Done Much”
-
What You Should and Shouldn’t Include in the Additional Information Section (& How this Section Could Make the Difference in Your Application)
PLUS… You’ll Get Access to My Comprehensive Choose Your Own Adventure Essay Revising Tool
What is the CYOA tool? It’s the comprehensive curriculum I use with students to teach great college essay writing.
Inside the tool, you’ll get answers to questions like:
- What’s the purpose of the personal statement?
- What are some of the most effective exercises for brainstorming a topic?
- What if I can’t decide if my topic will make a “good” essay?
- Should I write about mental health challenges?
- How can I bring more insight into my essay?
- What are some ways that I can write a great hook/intro?
- How can I more effectively communicate how I overcame and grew from my challenge(s)?
And so much more!
The College Essay Guy reduced our family’s stress, increased my daughter’s confidence
and kept her on schedule while helping her create fantastic essays that reflected her personality and future goals—priceless!
Sarah
Parent
I came into this course thinking I was a hopeless case because I didn’t have any harrowing tales of struggle.
I tried just being really braggy in my essay, but I found a real focus in my last paragraph, where I talked about a topic that meant a lot to me. I had originally thought I shouldn’t talk about that topic because it was such a GOOD experience for me and I thought it would be too shallow. I learned that I could talk about what I loved as an essay topic if I could infuse it with my values.
Jordan
Student
Here’s What Shreya Said About the Course
Here’s What Sophie Said About the Course
SINGLE- PAYMENT OPTION
Summer 2026 College Essay & Application Program for Students
$594
$450*
*Bundle Pricing
Price for Both Courses: $594
3-PAYMENT OPTION
Summer 2026 College Essay & Application Program for Students
$594
$150/mo*
*Bundle Pricing
Price for Both Courses: $594
1-on-1 Support
1-on-1 Essay and Application Support with College Essay Guy
100% Satisfaction Guarantee Money Back Promise
We want the investment in our fall essay writing & application program to be an absolute no-brainer for you.
So if you register for the program, engage in the sessions, and still don’t find them useful, email us and we’ll refund your money within 60 days of the date you signed up.
This money-back guarantee only applies if you actually engage with the course sessions and complete the assignments.
Pay-What-You-Can:
I offer pay-what-you-can spots for students from low-income households.
It only takes a moment. Reach out below to request a spot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will CEG still offer individual live courses a la carte in 2026?
Yes. We’ll be launching our full, individual courses as we’ve done in past years at $297 each. The benefit of signing up for the full program (both courses) is that you pay a heavily discounted price.
Are the sessions recorded?
Yes, we record each session and upload them to their respective courses 1-2 business days after each session.
Note that sessions aren’t happening currently. 2026 dates will be released soon. Purchasing this now will grant you the on demand version of the courses.
Is there Pay-What-You-Can for this offer? Do you offer payment plans?
Yes to both! PWYC offers are available to qualifying students, and we have payment plan options listed on the pricing section of this page.
How long do I have access to the courses?
You’ll have access to the courses for one year following purchase. For example, if you purchase on Sept 1, 2025 you’ll have access until Sept 1, 2026.