College Essay Bootcamp
For Rising High School Seniors
Please click on one of the following workshop weekends to register.
This in-person, interactive workshop is designed to help your child shine in their college essays! They’ll be guided through the writing process by college admissions advisors, Joanna Belkin Petti and Vanessa Bortnick.
Your Teen will Walk Away With:
A fully-drafted Personal Statement (THE college essay)
A roadmap for UC Personal Insight Questions (PIQs)
Knowledge about supplemental essays
A take-home essay-writing toolkit
Workshop Format
2 days of in-person group workshop (8 hours total)
2 hours of additional 1:1 essay editing with instructor
Cost: $800 per student
Location:
EAST BAY COMMUNITY SPACE, 5447 Telegraph Ave, Oakland
FAQs
What will students learn in this bootcamp?
How to craft the best college essays possible
What college admissions officers look for when reading essays (and what they say to avoid!)
How to identify and answer the various types of supplemental essays
What will students do during the workshop?
Exercises to help them hone and use their unique writing voice
Read and analyze examples of successful admissions essays
Brainstorm effective essay topics
Pre-write, free-write and edit essay drafts (individually, in small groups, and with instructors)
What if I/my child has to cancel?
Here’s our cancellation policy:
If you want to cancel, it must happen 30+ days prior to the workshop in order to receive a full refund. If you cancel within 30 days of the workshop date, no refund will be given, but you’ll receive a credit of up to four hours of 1:1 support from one of our counselors.
If the dates you signed up for no longer work, your student may attend another workshop if there is room available.
When will my/my child’s one-on-one sessions happen, and how will they be conducted?
We’ll schedule the one-on-one sessions based on mutual availability of the student and counselor. They will be conducted via Zoom or Google Meet.
About your college admissions counselors and workshop leaders…
Joanna Belkin Petti has taught Humanities and English/Language Arts for nearly 20 years in various Bay Area private and public schools, including St. Paul’s Episcopal School, Oakland School for the Arts, and Julia Morgan School for Girls. She has helped kids with countless essays, and is masterful at helping students find their voice in writing and produce incredible, effective college essays. Joanna is skilled at working with neurodivergent kids and those with learning differences. She earned a JD from Northeastern University School of Law and was a competitive swimmer at Syracuse and Clark Universities. Learn more at: www.jpetticollegecounseling.com
Vanessa Bortnick has reviewed hundreds of college essays and loves to guide students through the brainstorming, drafting and editing process—resulting in essays that are uniquely them. Before college consulting, Vanessa founded and ran a Communications consultancy. She worked extensively with senior leaders from top companies, helping them write and deliver effective, impactful and meaningful communications. She majored in Journalism in college, and was inducted into her alma mater’s Journalism Hall of Fame. And while nobody would mistake Vanessa for a D1 athlete, she has won a couple of (cheap, plastic) trophies for her mad hula-hooping skills. Learn more at: www.upleveladmissions.com
CONTACT US
Email: jpetticounseling@gmail.com or vanessa@upleveladmissions.com
Phone: (510) 761-7987 or (415) 203-2907