Collaborative College Support

For nearly twenty years, Marlborough's College Counseling Office and English Department have collaborated to help rising Seniors navigate one of the most personal, and often most daunting, parts of the college application process: the essays. The result is the College Essay Writing Workshops, an optional summer program that has quietly become one of the most valued resources the School offers. 

The workshops are structured around the major essay requirements students face. The June workshop focuses on the Common App personal statement while the August workshop hones in on the supplemental essays and the University of California applications. English Department faculty lead the sessions, providing individualized feedback that helps students put their best, most authentic work forward. Each workshop also features a keynote speaker—a Dean of Admissions from a college or university—who offers students a window into how admissions offices read and respond to the essays they receive.

All aspects of this workshop series are thoughtful and intentional, designed to provide the best support to the students. “[Through the workshops] we are trying to lessen the stress around the college application process and get a ‘jump start’ on the essay part which, undoubtedly, is the most complex part of the application process,” shares Dean of College Counseling and English Instructor Brian K. Smith. “[We hope that] reduces stress and allows students to flow seamlessly into the other pieces of the application process.” 

While Marlborough’s rigorous curriculum builds strong foundational writers, the college essay asks for something distinct: a reflective, personal voice. English Instructor Elias Johansson-Miller offers his perspective. “I see these college essays as a continuation of all the writing work we do at Marlborough,” he explains. “They are finding their voice—what they want to say to the world and how they want to communicate.”

This year, Mr. Smith expanded the program’s reach by bringing the Visual and Performing Arts Departments into the fold, recognizing that many students submit art portfolios or prepare for auditions alongside their written applications. “With so many students submitting portfolios in both visual and performing arts, there was a desire to increase the assistance we provide to our students,” Mr. Smith explains. “Unique to Marlborough, we partner with members in our Visual Arts department by providing one-on-one guidance with these portfolios during the summer months [and] Performing Arts students receive individualized faculty support throughout the school year.”

What makes the College Essay Writing Workshops distinctive is not any single element but the sum of them. It's the collaboration across departments, the individualized attention, the insider admissions perspective, and the recognition that every student’s story deserves to be told—and be told well. For rising Seniors stepping into a significant transition in their lives, that kind of support can make all the difference.