Who:
8th–11th grade students and their parents aiming for highly selective colleges
Format:
Live online workshop + Q&A
When:
MARCH 15 8-10 PM EST
Investment:
197$ per family
Most students think essays are about writing. They’re not.
Most students think college essays are about writing.
But powerful essays usually come from meaningful experiences, projects, and intellectual curiosity developed long before the writing begins.
If you’re not doing the kinds of things that lead to a great essay now, your essays won’t be outstanding later… no matter how well they’re written.
In this workshop, we’ll look at essays from admitted Ivy League students to see:
- What kinds of activities they did
- What level of engagement they had
- How they described those activities in their supplemental essays
You’ll quickly understand whether you’re on the right track… or not.
Register now →
📝What we'll cover in the workshop
In this workshop, we will look at essays from admitted Ivy League students to see the kinds of activities they did, and how they described them in their supplemental essays.
You’ll quickly understand whether you're on the right track… or not.
1. How selective colleges really read supplemental essays
- Why some essays barely move the needle, even when they’re well written
- The difference between “nice student” essays and essays that change an admissions decision
2. A simple 3-tier framework to evaluate essay strength
- You’ll learn a clear way to think about supplemental essays, including:
- The bottom tier essays that basically say: “I’m a great student, so I’ll keep being a great student in college.”
- The middle tier essays that say: “I have experience, so you can trust I’ll do well.”
The top tier essays that say: “I already operate like an expert in this area and will contribute meaningfully as soon as I’m on campus.”
3. Real examples from admitted students, mapped to each tier
- We’ll read actual supplemental essays from students admitted to Yale and other top schools
- We’ll identify which tier each essay fits into and why
- You’ll see how specific activities and levels of involvement support top-tier essays
- You’ll use the framework to start evaluating your own potential essay ideas
By the end, you won’t just know that “essays matter.” You’ll know what a Tier 3 essay actually looks and feels like, and what kinds of experiences tend to lead to that level.
Meet the Presenters
Steve Gardner
Founder, The Ivy League Challenge
- 10+ years helping students gain admission to Ivy League and other highly selective schools
- Has guided students into Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and other top programs through his programs
- Specializes in helping strong students build an authentic, compelling story that matches what top colleges actually value
Bilal Kharrat
Current Yale student & paid admissions ambassador
- Currently enrolled at Yale University
- Works for the Yale admissions office as a paid student ambassador (not an admissions officer), giving him a front-row view of how the process works from the student side
- Brings a current, on-campus perspective on what it’s like to live and contribute at a place like Yale
Is this workshop right for you?
This workshop is a good fit if:
☑️ You’re in 8th–11th grade (or a parent of one) and you’re aiming at selective or highly selective colleges, or you expect to apply for competitive scholarships.
☑️ You want to understand what actually makes an essay compelling to an admissions or scholarship committee.
☑️ You’re willing to look honestly at your current activities and how they might appear from an outside perspective.
☑️ You’d rather see real examples from successful applicants than rely on vague, generic advice.
☑️ You’d like a simple framework to tell whether a supplemental essay idea is weak, decent, or truly strong.
It’s probably not a fit if:
❌You don’t expect to apply to any selective schools or competitive scholarships, and you’re not concerned about essays as a differentiator.
❌You’re looking for someone to write or edit essays for you, rather than to learn how to do this yourself.
❌You’re hoping for a quick “copy-and-paste” template, instead of a way of thinking you can apply to any prompt.
Register now →How it works
Register for the workshop
Reserve your family’s spot using the button on this page. You’ll receive a confirmation email with the live workshop link and all the details.
Attend together as a family
Join the live online workshop on March 15 8PM EST. You’ll learn the 3-tier framework, study real supplemental essays from admitted students, and ask your questions in the Q&A.
Know exactly where you stand and what to do next
Know exactly where you stand and what to do next
Leave with a clear sense of whether you’re on the right track and specific ideas for how to adjust activities, focus, and essay strategies so future applications are stronger.
What you get and your investment
When you register, you get:
- Live access to the online workshop on Date/Time
- Teaching from an Ivy League admissions strategist and a current Yale student who works as a paid admissions ambassador
- Breakdowns of real supplemental essays from students admitted to Yale and other top schools
- A simple 3-tier framework you can use to judge how strong a future supplemental essay idea really is
- Guidance on how activities and involvement connect to essay strength, so you can make better choices now
- Live Q&A time to ask your questions
Investment:
The workshop is $197 per family.
For many families, a single insight about what to stop doing, what to start doing, or how to aim essays at a higher tier can change how competitive an application (or scholarship application) becomes.
