Professional Development for College Essay Writing
Empowering Educators to Guide Students Toward Standout Admissions Essays
Why Choose Curvebreakers’ College Essay Program?
Many essay programs focus solely on structure and mechanics. At Curvebreakers, we go beyond that—emphasizing the uniqueness, authenticity, and storytelling that make a college essay truly impactful. The admissions essay is a different beast compared to a traditional academic essay, and this course bridges the gap, providing expert guidance to help students craft compelling narratives that resonate with admissions officers.
Course Overview:
Objective: Equip counselors and teachers with the tools to help students master their Common App and admissions essays, focusing on topic selection, message clarity, and stylistic impact.
Duration: One full day of interactive training
Who Should Attend: High school counselors, teachers, and educators assisting students with college applications
Course Outline:
- Introduction: What is “the college essay” (45 minutes)
- Understand the similarities and differences between a traditional essay and a college essay (20-30 minutes)
- Review the components of a successful college essay with samples of effective and ineffective essays (30 minutes)
- Learn topics to avoid (20-30 minutes)
- Learn various brainstorming techniques to select a topic and connect that to an “intended message” for the reader (20 minutes)
- Demonstration: how to write a college essay from scratch (1.5 hours)
- Break for Refreshments / Lunch (30 minutes)
- Assess the essay using a predefined rubric
- Collaboration Exercise: Teams of two write a sample essay and present it to the class. The instructor and other students will provide feedback (1 hour to write / 1 hour to present)
- Finalizing the essay - how to polish and complete your work.
- Share essays out to another team.
- Final thoughts and tips for success
Course Materials:
Handouts will include all student brainstorming activity sheets, college essay rubrics, topic connection with intended message worksheets, and examples of essays.
College Application Essay Writing Instructors
Nicholas LaPoma
Founder & President
Nicholas LaPoma, also known as Nick The Tutor on TikTok and across various social media platforms, is the owner and founder of Curvebreakers. After graduating from one of New York’s top Law Schools and beginning a career in litigation, he discovered his true passion in tutoring.
Nick began his tutoring career working for one of the large test prep companies, where he picked up on the many shortfalls of their canned material and rigid class structures.
When Nicholas began Curvebreakers, he rolled out a different approach, creating an adaptable methodology for each student.
Mark Hellman
Head Training Instructor
Mark Hellman is a retired senior management professional with a successful second career as a College Test Prep Instructor, bringing over 15 years of experience in the industry. Mark's current roles at Curvebreakers Test Prep include Director of School Partnerships, Pro Tutor, and Master Trainer. He is dedicated to improving student outcomes through live and virtual SAT and ACT classes. Mark is also responsible for developing all of the strategies and content for Curvebreakers’ comprehensive workbooks.
Ryan Russo
Director of School Partnership
Ryan Russo spent 10 years as a New York City ELA teacher and ELA Department Leader. There he honed his curriculum development, team building, and student/teacher relationship building skills. As Curvebreakers' Partnerships Coordinator Ryan assists in the planning and execution of all school programs from instructor recruitment to scheduling and materials development. Ryan's goal is to assure that each program meets the wants and needs of each individual school community and is as effective as possible for the students.
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Contact:
Ryan Russo
School Partnerships Coordinator
516-728-1561