What’s The Draft Intensive?
The Draft Intensive is our comprehensive approach to helping students who are new to Hillside and who have already drafted an essay advance to the better draft. This program includes a live coaching session as well as feedback on a revision.
Is The Draft Intensive Right for Me?
The Intensive is a great choice if you’re new to Hillside and feel ready to work in a live session with a coach in order to discover ways to improve your essay.
How Does The Draft Intensive Work?
Q&A
Pre-Session Q&A
A week before the scheduled Intensive, the student sends the essay draft — and any related notes, questions, or reflections — to the coach for study. The coach also invites parents to respond to a set of reflective questions called Two Cents From ‘Rents. After review of all materials, the coach prepares specific questions for the student to respond to before meeting. From the materials gathered, the coach designs the approach to the Intensive session.
Coaching Session
One-on-One Feedback Session
The student reads the draft out loud and the coach shares points to celebrate and pursue alongside points to question or reconsider. Student and coach then work through the draft, exploring for needed details and uncovering points for reflection.
Following the Intensive, the coach sends the student a roadmap to the better draft, reinforcing specific revision recommendations. The coach includes availability for the student’s submission of the next draft for E-Feedback.
Know that this is a process that takes time. You do need to allow time to go through several drafts to get to the essay that really is YOUR best essay. Dickinson College admissions officer
E-Feedback
Electronic Feedback on the Revised Draft (1 hour)
Choosing from a variety of tools — Google Docs, video, and audio — to convey feedback, the coach moves from top to bottom through the submitted revision, providing editorial guidance and isolating points to celebrate, to question, and to explore further. The coach sends the feedback within a week of receiving the revision.
Options for Further Support
Following The Draft Intensive, students may seek feedback on drafting through individual Feedback Sessions or E-Feedback (coach’s schedule permitting).
What Clients Are Saying About The Draft Intensive
Thank you so much for your support and guidance throughout this process. It means a lot to hear that you’re proud of the piece, and I’m excited to share it with my family as well. Your insights and feedback were invaluable in helping me shape this story, and I couldn’t have done it without your help.Student, Wellesley, MA
The feedback was brilliant. My daughter's coach was able to hone in on exactly what was giving her difficulty and preventing her from taking the essay to the next level. It was amazingly insightful.Parent, Chappaqua, NY