The Tool You Didn’t Know You Needed
What if a student really had nothing to say?
The Tool You Didn’t Know You Needed It’s rare that I get a student with no story at all. But it happens that students come to me to write their essays and have few stories that really showcase growth in a vivid way.
When I ask what they like to do, they tell me “video games” or “hanging out with friends.” Those are legitimate downtime activities—but they’re not hobbies. They aren’t activities that provide challenge and room to grow. In other words, they aren’t activities you can write an essay about.
Other students have played four years on a sports team, or spent two years doing regular community service—and somehow still can’t come up with a particular memory. Others are asked for specific stories of leadership or service—and they don’t have one.
I worry for those students. By the time they’re working with me, at the start of their senior years, it’s too late to add back in the activities they should have done or to remember the moments they’ve already forgotten.
“Why didn’t anyone tell them?” I wondered. And that’s how I found myself, late one night this December, sitting in the light of my Christmas tree and scribbling as fast as my favorite purple gel pen would write. I wrote down every prompt that students found themselves surprised to be asked. I wrote down what they would wish they had written down through high school so they wouldn’t forget—from important life experiences to books read.
I compiled them all in a guided journal designed to walk students through high school, to be the most prepared they could possibly be when application time arrived.
I’m really proud of this journal because I know it’s going to make a difference for students. College applications are inevitable for most high-schoolers. Don’t just look forward with dread! Take the time along the way and make it easy on yourself in the long run.
The journal provides ideas about how to explore the careers available in fields that interest you, as well as places to record your experiences. Writing prompts will guide you in thinking about how you’re changing and who you are becoming. After all, if you don’t stop to ask yourself who that is—how do you know you are becoming the person you want to be? Rushed, insincere “introspection” at application time isn’t really valuable to you, even if the applications require it. So why not spend some time up-front and make the process actually useful to you?
And it’s not about “worrying about college” for three years instead of enjoying high school. The journal is designed to help you get the most out of high school, with helpful tips about how to do more of what you love. It reminds you—and provides dedicated space for you!—to record your memories, so you remember all of the interesting details, providing a wonderful high-school memento, as well as saving you time trying to remember as you write your applications.
The book is laid out by month, so it doesn’t overwhelm. Twenty minutes a month will make a surprising difference!
Grab your copy here!
