A Simple Schedule Can Improve Your College Essay Coaching Process
You might already know that college essay schedules are one of my favorite topics.
Boring, right?
Nope. Not at all.
I’m not just talking about deadlines and due dates. I’m talking strategy. And if you know anything about me, you know I love strategy.
When’s the last time you mapped out your college essay process and determined how long each task should take? When’s the last time you tested your assumptions and adjusted your process to accommodate new insights?
Do you know what time of day an assignment should be due, so you don’t stress out checking for it?
We do: Midnight.
Why? Because if I tell a student, Send me your work before you go to bed on Tuesday, I can wake up bright and early Wednesday morning and look for it.
If it’s not in my inbox, I send a reminder. Immediately. I don’t wait to see if maybe it will show up later. I don’t check on Tuesday to see if they finished the assignment early. I stick to my schedule.
We used to say, Send me your work on Tuesday by noon, and then we’d check at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00…
If the assignment didn’t show up, we’d get distracted: Maybe they’re running late. Maybe something came up. When should I remind them? How strict should I be?
We don’t have time for that. Kim (Lifton) and I have a business to run and students to guide and colleagues (like you!) to support.
Curious? Here’s a sample schedule from our College Essay Experience training for professionals It’s nearly identical to the schedule we use with students. Check it out, then adjust it to fit your unique situation and students.
Take charge of your time! You deserve it!
Susan Knoppow is CEO of Wow Writing Workshop. Focused, incisive and creative, Susan can turn the most daunting writing challenge into a series of simple steps. With Wow’s President, Kim Lifton, she developed the Wow Method by combining Kim’s journalistic training with her own organization and instructional design skills. A former executive speechwriter and copywriter, Susan is also a published poet and essayist and holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and an MFA in Writing from Vermont College. Susan and Kim have co-authored three books – How to Write an Effective College Application Essay (The Inside Scoop for Parents, Students, Counselors). They are members/affiliates of the Michigan Association of College Admission Counseling (MACAC), the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA).
Coming Up
We cover a new topic in our Pro Chats each month – Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Click here to register for our free sessions!
January 01/12/22 – A Taste of the College Essay Experience (a special 60-minute webinar)
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And, if you’d like a free electronic copy of our book for counselors, How to Write an Effective College Application Essay, the Inside Scoop for Counselors, download it here.
