College Prep Workshops

College Prep 101 Workshop

At Tufts, we know preparing for College is a difficult task, and we are here to help! Each year, we bring in speakers and panelists — which might include real undergraduates, grad students, admissions and financial aid officers, career advisors, and more — as you discover the skills you need to prepare for college applications, college life, and beyond!

Our hallmark college prep offering, this program begins each day with a workshop during which students will explore topics like career / major planning, time management, interview skills, resume building, the college application process, and library research. Each afternoon, students will attend a college admissions session and tour one of the many leading universities in the Boston area. Schools may include Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Amherst, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, Brown, Emerson, Brandeis, etc.

The syllabus changes every year based on the availability of speakers and campuses. View the 2022 Syllabus here. Details for Summer 2024 will be available soon!

Pre-College Course Details

• College Prep 101 is offered on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during Summer Session II (July 2-August 9, 2024) hybrid (in person and online).
• Students in the Tufts College Experience are automatically enrolled in College Prep 101 with no additional costs; students in Courses at Tufts for High Schoolers are welcome to enroll in this workshop course for an additional fee.
• The first class meets on July 2, 2024.
• The last class meets on August 9, 2024.

Pre-College Course Tuition

• Tufts College Experience Students: no cost
• Courses at Tufts for High Schoolers Students: $1,300

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In this writing mini-course, exclusively for Tufts Pre-College Course students, your focus will be on producing a solid first draft of your college admissions essay.

Many students find the college admissions essay to be the most challenging part of the college application process. And most admissions offices will tell you that it's among the most important criteria for acceptance. How do you communicate everything you want your top-choice university to know about you in one piece of writing? In the Admissions Essay Series, you will learn the essentials of writing this extremely important document.

Exercises in brainstorming, pre-writing, drafting, revision along with feedback from peers and from the instructor will build your confidence in this extremely important document. Even good writers with a compelling story to tell can use this kind of coaching. Topics will include:

• Write compellingly in the first-person voice.
• Focusing on a unique personal experience.
• Telling a short but attention-grabbing story.
• Describing subtle and unexpected details.
• Reflecting on deeper meaning and themes.
• Mastering style, tone, and mood.
• Avoiding common grammar and usage problems

Lessons and readings will be mainly based on the current Common Application personal essay prompts. We will also devote some time to writing more formal Statements of Purpose. All workshop participants will finish the summer with a polished final draft, complete with personalized feedback and suggestions from the instructor.

This series will meet twice weekly, and will include assignments, workshops, and assessment from Jason Clemence, Ph.D., the series leader. Dr. Clemence has been a Tufts Summer Pre-College advisor since 2007. He is an experienced college writing instructor (at Tufts, Northeastern University, Regis College, UMass-Lowell, and the University of Vermont). He also teaches the Hallmark Writing Persuasive Prose course.

Course Details

• If you are a student enrolled in the Tufts College Experience Program or Courses at Tufts for High Schoolers programs, this workshop is open to you, free of charge
• Interested students may select their workshop of interest during the Application Process
• The College Essay Writing workshop will be offered Mon / Wed - 1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. during Summer Session II (July 3-August 9, 2024)