FAQs you wanted to ask (but didn’t) on writing with us at Essay Intensive’s Summer Intensive
Q: I see you guys meditate in your writing intensives. That’s a little weird. Do you have to be enlightened to take an Essay Intensive workshop?
A: No. But wouldn’t enlightenment be a great side-effect of writing a successful college essay?
And relax– it’s just for about 10 minutes of each day. Treat it as an experiment.
To us “meditation” is a method of accessing what is best and most natural in ourselves, and of putting our stories in the broadest possible perspective. You don’t even have to be able to cross your legs.
But you could also choose to continue writing your college essays feeling stressed and edgy– your call. That’s just not what we’re about!
Q: And yoga? And self-defense?
Again, these are support tools for your Big Goal: Write the Essay (while feeling good). Yoga is a system of cutting through self-limiting patterns and the ways we keep ourselves small and constricted without knowing it. In short, it helps us to open up, be more ourselves, with less tension. And self-defense is unbelievably fun, which you are definitely not having enough of as part of this Serious Process— teaches us to deliver with impact, to assess our environments, to use only what we need. How perfect for producing great writing!
And as an added benefit you can kick the *** of anyone who challenges you on your essay.
Q: You guys seem smart. Will you puh-lease write my essay for me?
A: No. No! Well, wait– will you come change our baby’s poopy diapers at 3AM? Then we should talk. But barring that– no. It’s unethical and pointless (admissions officers have a special ear for crafty and overdone adult-ese). And you should run the other way from anyone who offers to do so…right to our baby’s diaper station.
Q: What if I’m not a writer, and I’m not really into getting better at being a writer? I just need to get this college essay done!
A: OK, so you’ve never sent a text? An email? An instant message? If you have, sorry– you’re a writer! We function socially and professionally through constant streams of written communication, and we’re judged on it all the time. So embrace this fact and get ready to get good. The less you’re into it, the more you make us earn our pay check, and the more fun it is when you come around and see how great it feels to put your thoughts into words. Just ask this guy.
Q: Why do you call your intensive “intensives” instead of “workshop”?
A: Our intensives are demanding, the way a great coach is demanding of athletes– it’s not just a place to go bang out an essay. Each intensive is an opportunity to push yourself and discover awesome qualities and stories you hadn’t seen before in the same way. That produces the fresh, insightful writing that sets good essays apart.
Q: Ouch– writing with you is expensive!
A: We hear you. We couldn’t afford to send our own kids at this moment (and they are too young anyway)! But here’s the deal, as they say: you get what you pay for. We’re going to give you writing tools that will make your college essay tight, compelling and effective, and your self-awareness sharp and communicable; these tools are yours to keep and use forever. FOREVER. So divide that by the cost of the workshop, and you’re golden. It’s actually even cheap.
Also– please read the not-very-small print and testimonials! We’ve always invited our families to let us know about their financial limitations privately. We do our best to accommodate all budgets and serve young people from every financial strata by offering sliding scale fees, payment plans, and scholarships– because in the end, money is not what matters to us most, nor what gets you the most. So we live the paradox and do our best. Come join us to do yours.