University Application Prep Program

Description

What is a University Application Prep Program?

This program is designed to ensure your student gets their college and university applications completed and submitted by their deadlines– not only with no panic or last-minute rush but with personalized guidance, thoughtful support, and the opportunity to build writing skills that will last their lifetime.

Your 11th grader’s college and university scholarship applications  are typically due in October and November and acceptance applications starting in January of their winter term. This may seem far off in the future, but once fall semester starts, life takes off, and squeezing in learning about, writing and planning, and submitting applications gets harder and harder until finally the deadline is looming and suddenly everything is in a spin to get it all in on time.

If your student intends to apply to several schools, each requiring specific essays of a variety of topics and lengths, and if they’re also applying for scholarships or will be called to interview, the workload can be overwhelming.

By beginning early with our University Application Prep Program, which provides a practical, measured approach and hands-on guidance from a seasoned academic writing mentor, your student will enjoy building a writing habit and seeing their skills improve, get resources and an organizational strategy for assembling and writing their application materials, and have the process broken down into steps to keep everything feeling manageable.

These efforts ensure the time leading up to submitting the applications is smooth, productive, and positive: a terrific start to a bright future!

University of Toronto

How the Program Works

This 4-month program takes U.S. and Canadian university-bound students through the learning, planning, and writing of their university and scholarship applications and entrance interviews.

In weekly meetings with their mentor, students learn and practice strong argumentation strategies and clear essay construction, develop a personal organizational plan to meet the guidelines of each application process, and receive hands-on support with interview prep and managing the various online application portals.

Students learn in a safe welcoming space, using their own ideas to develop their voices. In this “learn by doing” model, they identify how to clearly approach a topic, navigate argumentation strategies, and use best practices for clear written communication for all contexts, including effective use of examples, detail, outside research, and grammatical principles.

The resulting fluidity and comfort with articulating their ideas on the page will not only set them up for successful applications but set them apart from their peers at university and beyond.

The Program Contains:

• Weekly 45-minute virtual meetings with our mentor + live chat as needed (20 meetings total)
• Resources, readings, and prompts
• Custom writing schedule based on 3 application deadlines*
• Spreadsheets and guides
• 24/7 access to secure chat group of fellow program participants

*individual hours may be purchased to support your student with additional applications

Program Timeline & Modules

The program takes the student through 3 modules:

• Module 1 August: pre-writing, developing a writing practice, and becoming comfortable navigating personal ideas and opinions on the page.
  • identify student’s goals and writing style and explore topics
  • gather info on target universities and programs of interest
  • create a pool of relevant topics drawn from the student’s experiences and interests to draw from in the drafting stage for all the written components of the application & essays

• Module 2 September: learn the markers of a successful essay and examine other application essays to identify their structure, voice, details, clarity, and grammatical construction.
  • Organize spreadsheet with deadlines and submission guidelines
  • Begin close reads and deconstruction of other essays/writing samples (what works & why, etc.)
  • Learn best practices for argumentation, structure, purpose, and clear writing

Writing exercises:

• • • Edit and revise writing samples
• Module 3 October-December: begin drafting application essays, practicing interview questions, and gathering submission materials and deadlines into the organizational documents to ensure everything is prepared well in advance of the deadlines.
  • Drafting, editing, revising
  • Guidance with application portals
  • Sample interview questions practice

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Why This Program Is Necessary

Due dates for Fall 2023 acceptance:

• Scholarship applications- October to December 2022
• College and university applications-January or February 2023

Racing to complete applications last minute is not only a terrible feeling, it can also cause students to miss deadlines or submit sub-standard materials, which could jeopardize their chances of acceptance or receiving needed scholarship money. Waiting to prepare applications puts an enormous stress on the student and their families and sets the student up for additional stressors that may have long-reaching effects.

Starting early with a measured and clear step-by-step approach, guided by intimate personalized support, invites the student to prepare for this important time in a calm and confident manner, while incrementally gaining valuable writing skills that will give them a significant advantage scholastically and throughout their whole lives.

Higher Quality Application Materials

Gaining entrance to university is highly competitive. It is imperative your student’s application materials be their most articulate, clear, and thoughtful to best represent them to the application committee.

Beginning early allows the student to explore their topics, find their true thoughts, implement them in a solid argument, and revise the work to make sure it is clear, clean, dynamically presented, and proofread for errors.

Improved Mental Health

Being supported is highly reassuring and invites greater confidence and motivation in the young writer. Knowing they have someone alongside them throughout this otherwise daunting process whose eye is on their writing success on their behalf is a tremendous alleviation and comfort.

Moreover, having the process broken down into parts along with being given an action plan and a schedule with specific micro-deadlines makes the application process feel more manageable and attainable, particularly if the student is applying to several schools and also vying for scholarships.

Having time to experiment with ideas and form and learning to take risks in a safe format is ideal way to explore one’s voice and gain a sense of command on the page. This investment of time will pay off once the fall semester begins and the student will have far greater demands on their time.

Further, the student may determine that having a writing coach as part of a thriving, sustainable writing practice is a tremendous asset (most of our clients find this to be the case!) Nadia will be happy to carry on with your student for long-term support while they are in their program and for as long as they need.

Ethical Coaching Approach for Long-Term Gain

This program is not a quick “Essays Written for You” service you may see elsewhere. The program mentor invests in the students’ growth and overall skill-building while taking into account their particular strengths and challenges in order to help them meet their deadlines.

The mentor does not do any writing for the student; instead, the mentor guides, supports, and teaches in relevant contexts best practices for clear writing, so the student going through this process becomes a stronger writer overall.

Note: Our academic editors practice a “flag-not-fix” model, which means your student will be guided to ensure the applications and all documents are dynamically presented, cohesive, well-organized, and clear with a strong voice and intension. The editor will not substantially edit any documentation for students or provide pre-written academic essays or university applications. If the student is EAL (English as an Alternate Language), the editor may support clarity of the line with mild grammatical editing.]

Guidelines for best practices for how students should collaborate with academic coaches and editors are available HERE.

The Program Mentor

Nadia Ragbar is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s MA in Creative Writing and works as a writing tutor and coach, supporting students with literary analysis and essay writing, focusing primarily on critical thinking and helping emerging writers recognize and develop their writing voice. She helps students through the challenges of university application personal statements and statements of intent, scholarships, and entrance interviews by breaking down the process into manageable steps, providing nurturing guidance, and helping to instil confidence in the young writer that benefits them with their future post-secondary schooling and far beyond.

Her short fiction has appeared in Broken Pencil, THIS Magazine, Echolocation, and Dragnet Magazine. Her work was longlisted for the 2017 Reflex Flash Fiction Contest, and has appeared in the Unpublished City Anthology, which was shortlisted for the 2018 Toronto Book Award. She is currently finishing a novel manuscript about conjoined twins.

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What Happens Upon Registration

Your student will be welcomed to the program and invited to a secure online team where they will have 24/7 access to live chat, uploading files, and scheduling meetings with Nadia.

The student may select from available time slots Monday-Friday between 5-8 p.m. EST. Each slot is 45 minutes.

Meetings will begin upon enrollment (to be scheduled between your student and Nadia).

Between meetings, the student may reach out to Nadia with questions or to simply connect in the team. They will also be given access to a second team where they can chat, exchange files, or share resources with other program participants.

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Program Outcomes

If your student maintains a weekly mentor meeting schedule and does the writing exercises and readings, they can look forward to greatly improved writing skills, increased confidence and agility in writing, and a heightened awareness of their agency on the page. They will also have their application materials prepared prior to their deadlines for 3 universities (*more applications may be added; please see FAQs below).

The organizational tools and skills acquired during this prep program will be highly transferable, making your student far more prepared for the rigours of university life.

Let’s get your student into college!

FAQs

Is there a specific start date or can my student start any time?

Sign as early as possible to secure your spot and begin the program any time. Once your student signs up, they will receive a welcome email containing the link to their secure private team with Nadia in our editors platform. There, they will schedule their first meeting, chat, and access their files, spreadsheets, and resources.

When is Nadia available for meetings?

Nadia will take students on a first-come first-serve basis. She will begin scheduling meetings the third week of June. She holds meetings from Monday-Friday, 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. EST over Zoom. Weekend availability is also possible.

What if my student has to miss a week?

It is highly recommended that your student maintain a regular meeting schedule as continuity and consistency encourage habit formation and new skill acquisition. Also, once the deadline season approaches, it is important the student be available to work on their applications, so they can revise and proofread in advance of the deadlines.

That said, if your student must miss a week, they may make up the session by rescheduling, bundling it with another meeting, or banking that time for after the program has finished to receive further editorial guidance in January and beyond (see Terms and Conditions or the Mentor Relationship Sheet (located in your student’s private team)).

For any missed meetings, Nadia will be happy to supplement with micro assignments and readings to keep up the momentum.

The program supports students with 3 applications. If my student is applying to more schools and requires additional support, can we buy extra mentor time?

Absolutely! You may purchase as many additional individual mentor hours as you need, which are billed for students at 15% discount off the hourly rate. A discount code will be provided once the student is registered, so you can purchase as many extra hours as you need on the website.

An added feature to further support your student is they will receive this discounted rate for a full year from their program’s start date should they wish to continue working with Nadia or one of our other writing coaches. 

How does the payment plan work?

The program begins upon registration, at which time your credit card will be charged the first of the monthly program payments. Each month, your credit card will be billed until all 4 payments have been made.

If you wish to make private payment arrangements with us (to pay by e-transfer or personal check) or pay for the program in full,  please contact us. If you wish to change your payment method or credit card information, please visit this page for instructions.

What if circumstances change and my student needs to take a substantial break from the program (longer than 3 weeks)?

Please reach out if you wish to discuss how to make the program work within your given time frame- we’re happy to accommodate you!

What if I need to cancel the program entirely?

If your student is unable to carry on, you may cancel your program. Please see our Terms and Conditions and Terms of Service for details.

Can I get a refund if I cancel the program?

If you have paid for the program in full, your refunded amount will be prorated based on mentor time used and returned, less any applicable payment processing fees.

If you are on the monthly payment plan, your current month’s payment will not be refunded, but no further monthly payments will be charged to your credit card.

Is the program available in a shorter format?

Yes, the program will be adapted and offered as a 3 month option (Sept.-Dec.). Enrollment for this program length will open in September 2022. After September 2022 has passed, mentorship will be gladly offered on an hourly as-needed basis. (Please see Writing Coaching & Editing on our site for details).

Do you offer one-on-one mentorship for general writing coaching and academic skill building?

We certainly do. Please have a look at our Writing Coaching & Editing to see how we support our writers in the exact ways they need!

How do I make sure I receive all correspondence from you?

We will be sending you and your student emails, so it is very important our emails reach you.

After you sign up to the program, your student should receive a welcome email and an email inviting them to their private team on our editors platform. If you do not see either of these within a few hours of registering, kindly go to your spam/junk/promotions folders. If you find either email there,  please drag the email to your inbox and add “contact@onelitplace.com” to your contacts, which should train your email to recognize our emails as valuable and not spam.

It can happen (particularly for hotmail, yahoo, and aol) that our emails never arrive. If this is the case, please reach out to contact@onelitplace.com straight away so we can troubleshoot and fix the issue.

We are very happy to answer any questions you may have about the University Application Prep Program or any of our other writing coaching and editing services. Please reach out any time!

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Get prepared, feel confident, and grow as a writer.

We’re looking forward to writing with you.

Questions? Please reach out!

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