Welcome to THE

Choose Your Own Adventure Essay Tool

Helpful Resources

Download the Workbook

Where students complete all their brainstorming exercises, write outlines and draft their essay.

 

Counselor Resources

Guides for walking students through the Tool as well as answers to the most common problems faced by college counselors.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the most common questions students ask and the complete table of contents for the Tool.

I Have a Question About ...

What are some good brainstorming exercises?

  • Narrative (Challenges-Based) here

  • Montage (Not Challenges-Based) here

  • Still need more? here

How do I decide on a topic? / Are there things to be wary of with topics?

What if a topic is kind of cliche?

College Essay Guy's Quick Guide to Cliche Topics

 

Do I need to outline?

How do I outline my essay?

 

How does my outline turn into a draft?

 

Narrative:

  • How do I build a stronger beginning for my Narrative? → here

  • What if my challenges aren't all that compelling? → here

  • How do I better communicate what I did about my challenges? → here

  • How do I improve the "What I Learned" part of my narrative / make it more insightful? → here

Montage:

  • How do I build a stronger beginning for my Montage? → here

  • What if my topic/thematic thread is unclear? → here

  • What if my examples aren't that strong? → here

  • How do I strengthen the values part of my montage paragraphs? → here

  • How do I build better insights in my montage? → here

Both:

  • How can I make X in my essay better?

 

How do I Polish / Improve Grammar? → here

How do I make sure the essay is doing its job? And what is its job, anyway?

  • Take The Great College Essay Test → here

  • Polishing and Grammar → here

 

Where can I find great example essays? → here

 

Where can I find resources for other parts of the college application process? → here

For a few more thoughts on giving feedback in person, click here.

 
 

Feeling lost? Check out:

Looking for technical help? Check out our website FAQ page here, and then email us at help@collegeessayguy.com