How the course works:
This live course offers counselors a values-based approach for guiding their students to producing not only a stand-out Common Application, activities list, and additional information section, but also the supplemental essays that most selective schools require.
Each week, you’ll watch pre-recorded video lessons that cover everything I’ve learned from years of guiding students through this process.
You’ll complete a few coaching exercises (AKA homework) in between sessions.
Then, you’ll watch a recorded Q&A session to synthesize and answer questions on what you’ve learned.
Week 1: The College Application: Strategizing the Big Picture
Tuesday, April 78th
Week 2: The Activities List, Additional Information Section, and “Why us” Essay
Tuesday, April 14th
Week 3: The Most Common Supplemental Essays
Tuesday, April 21st
Week 4: More Supplemental Essays + Bonus Content
Tuesday, April 28th
Live sessions for the Advanced Track: 10:00-11:30am PT (1:00-2:30pm ET)
Live sessions for the Foundational Track: 4:00-5:30pm PT (7:00-8:30pm ET)
CAN’T MAKE SOME OF THE LIVE SESSIONS?
DON’T WORRY. THEY’RE ALL RECORDED.
YOU’LL LEARN HOW TO:
Help students discover what matters most, brainstorm essay topics, and get them inspired to write.
Help students outline and write (basically) every required supplemental essay.
Help your students articulate their intellectual interests and the ideas that keep them up at night.
Help your students craft an activities list that shows growth and impact.
Guide your students to painting a complete picture of who they are.
Help your students stay organized and manage essay drafts with a whole suite of resources.
THE COUNSELOR TRAINING PROGRAM
PART ONE:
HOW TO WRITE an OUTSTANDING PERSONAL STATEMENT
25+ Video Modules & 14+ Sample Essays - LEARN MORE
PART TWO:
HOW TO CREATE A COMPELLING COLLEGE APPLICATION + SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAYS
30+ Video Modules & 30 Sample Essays
30+
VIDEO LESSONS
You'll develop a big picture strategy, help students brainstorm essay ideas, analyze applications that worked, and get all the tools for creating a compelling application.
30+
SAMPLE ESSAYS
Read great example activities list descriptions and dozens of inspiring example essays that do an awesome job, plus a few awesome sample college applications.
6+
hours of PRerecorded Q&A Sessions
Review the course material, get answers to your questions, connect with your colleagues, and more.
300+
Colleges
We'll cover the most common supplemental essay topics required by hundreds of colleges, including those quirky essay topics required by the most highly selective colleges.
1
goal
Help students create an outstanding college application.
Here's what a few people have said:
THANK YOU! You are a wonderful teacher and your love for college essay writing is so apparent. You helped many of us connect with & write our deepest stories and for that I am very grateful. I'm really excited about the new tools I have to help my students write their essays. I loved this course so so much! :)
-Bekkah, High School Counselor
“This course provides much of what it took me 38 years to gain through firsthand experience in the business. Taking it will help anyone looking to hone an important part of their college counseling skills with the goal of truly helping students.”
- Dawn B. Independent Consultant
As a counselor I appreciate how I can replicate (or try really hard to replicate) your sessions because you’ve outlined and scripted it all. We need scripts until we embed practices and make them our own.Ethan, you are so completely thorough; I love that!
-Sunita Takhar, Counselor
“For the first time in my eight years of college counseling, I am beginning to get a handle on how to assist my students with the essay writing process. I am extremely grateful to be given tools that I can both relate to and apply with my students. I will listen to Ethan present every time I am given the opportunity — he is that good!!!”
“Ethan you are so approachable and fun to listen to. You care deeply about your work and the students. You are an inspiration. ”
“I’ve done a lot of courses, and this was the best so far. The PDFs are great, as are the links. I’m printing all of it and will make a binder for reference.”
Module 1: The College Application: Strategizing the Big Picture
What Colleges Want in 2026 (Based on an Analysis of 300+ College and University Websites)
The Nuances and Complexities of Institutional Priorities (w/Special Guest Tom Campbell)
Advanced Topics in College Application Strategy Coaching
**Advance Track will cover: How Important is a Through-Line for an Application? And How Can You Coach a Student Toward One Without it Feeling Icky or Inauthentic
A Sample Super Essay
How to Write a Super Essay
Module 2: The Activities List, Additional Information Section, and “Why us” Essay
The Activities List: A Crash Course
What Ethical AI Use Looks Like (if Students Are Using AI)
Advanced Topics in “Additional Information” and “Challenges and Circumstances” Section Coaching (wow, that is so niche):
**Advance Track will cover: How Messing These Sections Up Can Be Potential Dealbreakers for Applications (and Instances Where a Counselor Letter May Be Warranted)
Advanced Topics in the “Why us” Essay:
Module 3: The Most Common Supplemental Essays
What I Learned from Analyzing Hundreds of Supplemental Essay Prompts This Past Year
Tips for the “Identity” or “How Will You Contribute?” (Sometimes Called the “Diversity”) Essay
Tips for the “Why major” Essay: Why every major is interdisciplinary (and how knowing that can help a student write a better essay)
Additional Advanced Topics (Flex Time) According to Your Requests
**Advance track will cover: Advanced Strategy and Tone: When Shifting Voice from Personal Statement to Supplements Is Okay (And What This Looks Like When Done Well)
Module 4: Moresupplemental Essays
How to know if an application is “doing its job” + How to reassure students (and parents) if it is
Putting it all together: analyzing a final, full application
**Advance track will cover: Advanced Technique: The Subtle Art of Not Answering a Prompt Directly (And How to Do That Well)
**Advance track will cover: Additional Advanced Topics (Flex Time) According to Your Requests
Q&A Sessions: Ask Me Anything You Want
Get answers to a wide range of questions from the general to the specific, including
What timeline do you use when working with students?
Who should be accountable for which parts of the application? Who should be responsible? And what's the difference?
My student's "Why Us" essay still isn't quite "there" yet. What would you suggest?
What if someone else is giving a student advice that I strongly disagree with? What should I do?
Dozens more.
Plus, I give feedback on everything from the Activities Lists to several in-progress "Why us" essays.
The COURSE guide Includes:
Plus: 36 Sample Essays and 3 full sample applications
(3) Successful Sample Applications
(4) Great “Extracurricular” Essays
(2) Great Community Service Essays
(2) Great “Community” Essays
(2) Great “Intellectual Idea” Essays
(2) Great “Roommate” Essays
(2) Great “What Matters” Essays
(2) Great “Quotation” Essays
(2) Great “Create Your Own Class” Essays
(4) Great U of Chicago Extended Essays
(8) Great 150-Word Extracurricular Essays
(3) Great Sets of Short Answers
(3) Great “How I Spent My Summer” Examples
Bonus:
College Essay Guy’s Complete Guide to the “Why us” Essay (20 pages)
College Essay Guy’s Epic Activities Verbs List
A Dozen Brainstorming Activities, including:
My Favorite Supplemental Essay Brainstorming Exercises
Everything I Want Colleges to Know About Me
The Feelings and Needs Exercise
The Best Extracurricular Brainstorming Exercise
The Elon Musk Exercise
The “Why us” Research Chart
How to Develop a Preliminary College List
How to Organize All Your Essay Topics For Free
List of Potential “Super” Topics from Past Students
How to Write an Awesome Activities List
Activities You May Not Have Considered Including—But That Count!
How to Write the Additional Info Section
Which is right for you?
This one’s for you if:
- You’ve never taken one of my courses and aren't too familiar with my other free resources.
- You have 1-5 years experience guiding students on essays.
- You want to learn the fundamentals of how to help students brainstorm, outline, and revise their essays and application.
- You’re more interested in hearing me (Ethan) teach content.
Foundational Track Syllabus
This one’s for you if:
- You’ve already taken my personal statement course (maybe even twice).
- You have 6+ years of experience guiding students on essays.
- You already know the CEG approach; you want the latest and greatest information out there on college essays & applications.
- You like a balance of Ethan teaching & connecting with other experienced colleagues.
Advanced Track Syllabus
I signed up to take Ethan's course to learn some specific strategies in helping my students write better essays and hopefully, enjoy the process along the way. I learned amazing strategies PLUS so much more! The questions that Ethan asked us, as his students writing essays for our college applications, were invaluable in looking deep within ourselves and putting ourselves "out there" on paper, to speak from our truest selves and share our deepest stories. Ethan has a very special talent in teaching from his heart and it was apparent in every step of his class. I am grateful I had the opportunity to participate!
-Heidi, Counselor
“Whether you're new to college essay coaching or a seasoned professional, everyone can learn something from Ethan's course. As a participant, I gained so much insight into the more subtle aspects of coaching and how to really hear what students are saying -- and, even more important, what they may NOT be saying. The course is definitely worth the time and financial investment.”
- Julia B. Writing Coach
This course gave me a fresh approach for how to structure student sessions. From brainstorming to revising a first draft, the tools and resources made available during this course were invaluable to me! It's exciting to be able to put these new techniques in action in order to help my students write the best personal statements possible. In addition, the opportunity to write my own personal statement was not only wonderfully cathartic, but it helped me connect more to the struggles my students often experience while writing. Thank you so much for a fabulous course!
-Chelsea, Independent Counselor
Meet Your Guide
Ethan Sawyer is a nationally recognized college essay expert and sought-after speaker. Each year he helps thousands of students and counselors through his online courses, workshops, articles, products, and books, and works one-on-one with a small number of students. A graduate of Northwestern University, Ethan holds an MFA from UC Irvine, two counseling certificates, is certified in Myers-Briggs and hypnotherapy. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife, Veronica, and their amazing daughter, Zola.
In this online course, I distill the best and most effective resources I have ever found. I’ll personally walk you through how I guide students from "I feel totally lost" to "Wow. I love these essays."
"Listen to the Essay Guy! He has practical, useful tools for all college bound students to stand out in the crowd"
+ Supplemental Essays
Access is really important to me. In fact, it’s at the heart of most everything I do and is why so many resources on my site are free.
It’s why this course is available at Pay-What-You-Can for high school college counselors in schools, CBOs, or non-profits with small budgets and few resources for professional development.
“Wait, so if our counseling department doesn’t have a budget, we can still join?”
Yep. If that’s you, click on the orange buttons below to request a Pay-What-You-Can spot.
Want to help your students write their main personal statement, too?
TAKE Part I of my counselor training program: How to write an outstanding personal statement.
Help them find the right topic, get step-by-step guides to structuring their essay, and get tips on how to bring their essay to life.
On this course I’ll answer things like:
What’s the Purpose of the Personal Statement?
What are the Four Qualities of an Outstanding Personal Statement?
How do I help my student discover their deepest story?
How do I use the Montage and Narrative Structures to help my student outline their essay?
YOU MAY BE WONDERING (FAQ)
+ How do I access the product I've Purchased?
If you have purchased any of our online video courses or live webinars, you can log in here. Once logged in, you can access all of your products in your library. From there, select what you want to watch!
+ Can I use your materials with my students?
Absolutely! All that we ask is that you leave the logo and website on the materials. You can find more information here
+ What if I hate the course? Can I get a refund?
Sure! If you purchased the course within 30 days and feel it did not help you, you can get a 100% guaranteed, no-questions-asked refund
+ Where are the recordings?
Recordings from previous sessions are inside your CEG account, specifically inside the course modules
+ How long do I have access to the course?
You have lifetime access to this course product
+ Is this course live?
Yes, see above to learn more
+ I can't afford this. Are there any discounts available?
Access is really important to all of us at College Essay Guy. It’s at the heart of most everything Ethan does and is why so many resources on the site are free. As this is something we are passionate about, you have the option to submit a pay-what-you-can request on each of our course pages. The form for it is located right above the FAQ section.
+ What if I have another question?
My FAQ page has you covered. Or, if you can't find the answer there, shoot an email to my team: help@collegeessayguy.com.
