Write effective essays for college and university writing prompts and research specific colleges, universities and programs for supplemental essays.
Students will be exposed to the skills necessary for personal essay writing, and they will use those skills to draft, edit and complete essays for the UC Personal Insight questions, and based on student interest and need, the Common Application essay prompts. In addition, students will learn the research and writing skills necessary to complete supplementary essay questions for specific colleges, universities, and programs. Students can use these skills to write admissions essays for colleges and universities that do not use the Personal Insight Questions or Common Application prompts. Instruction will focus on college admissions essay writing as a process that includes reading the essay questions carefully, drafting and editing drafts of essays tailored to the essay questions, learning to self-edit final drafts for common grammar and usage issues, and acquiring skills necessary to perform research on college and university websites for supplementary questions.
What You Will Learn
- Learn the skills necessary to analyze and break down essay prompts before writing.
- Implement pre-writing strategies such as brainstorming and outlining.
- Apply the skills of personal essay writing to draft and assess their own essays for effectiveness and relevance to essay prompts.
- Use research skills necessary to write supplementary essays for specific programs, colleges, and universities.
- Edit final drafts for basic grammar and usage issues, including syntax (verb tense and comma splices) and diction (varying word choice).
How to Write an Essay: Podcast
Return to the Test Prep website here.
Note: Upon successful enrollment, the student will be contacted by the instructor via email to set up the course schedule.
Course Number: WCWP-90002
Credit: 0.00 unit(s)
+ Expand All
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4/3/2023 - 9/8/2023
$400
Live Online
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CLASS TYPE:
Synchronous web-based class meetings that are scheduled to meet online at published times (time/date).
Gudas, Eric
Eric Gudas has been helping students succeed at their college admissions essays for more than ten years. He received a Ph.D. in English from UCLA, and he has taught first-year writing, American literature, and creative writing at UCLA, UC Davis, Occidental College, and Cal State Los Angeles. He is author of a book of poetry, and his own essays have appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, Raritan, Senses of Cinema, Reading in Translation , and other publications.
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TEXTBOOKS:
REQUIRED50 Successful University of California Application Essays: Get into the Top UC Colleges and Other Selective Schools 3rd
by Gen Tanabe, Kelly Tanabe
ISBN / ASIN: 9781617601521
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
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POLICIES:
No UCSD parking permit required.
No visitors permitted.
Pre-enrollment required.
No refunds after: 3/27/2023.
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NOTE:
Instructor will contact students upon enrollment to schedule the four hour long tutoring sessions which will take place live-online over Zoom. Students can enroll within the course at any point during the scheduled start and end dates. The instructor will reach out to students within five business days of enrollment to schedule coaching sessions.
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6/26/2023 - 12/4/2023
$400
Live Online
-
-
-
CLASS TYPE:
Synchronous web-based class meetings that are scheduled to meet online at published times (time/date).
Gudas, Eric
Eric Gudas has been helping students succeed at their college admissions essays for more than ten years. He received a Ph.D. in English from UCLA, and he has taught first-year writing, American literature, and creative writing at UCLA, UC Davis, Occidental College, and Cal State Los Angeles. He is author of a book of poetry, and his own essays have appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, Raritan, Senses of Cinema, Reading in Translation , and other publications.
-
TEXTBOOKS:
REQUIRED50 Successful University of California Application Essays: Get into the Top UC Colleges and Other Selective Schools 3rd
by Gen Tanabe, Kelly Tanabe
ISBN / ASIN: 9781617601521
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
-
POLICIES:
Early enrollment advised.
No UCSD parking permit required.
No visitors permitted.
Pre-enrollment required.
No refunds after: 6/19/2023.
-
NOTE:
Instructor will contact students upon enrollment to schedule the four hour long tutoring sessions which will take place live-online over Zoom. Students can enroll within the course at any point during the scheduled start and end dates. The instructor will reach out to students within five business days of enrollment to schedule coaching sessions.
-
9/25/2023 - 3/23/2024
$400
Live Online
-
-
-
CLASS TYPE:
Synchronous web-based class meetings that are scheduled to meet online at published times (time/date).
Gudas, Eric
Eric Gudas has been helping students succeed at their college admissions essays for more than ten years. He received a Ph.D. in English from UCLA, and he has taught first-year writing, American literature, and creative writing at UCLA, UC Davis, Occidental College, and Cal State Los Angeles. He is author of a book of poetry, and his own essays have appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, Raritan, Senses of Cinema, Reading in Translation , and other publications.
-
TEXTBOOKS:
REQUIRED50 Successful University of California Application Essays: Get into the Top UC Colleges and Other Selective Schools 3rd
by Gen Tanabe, Kelly Tanabe
ISBN / ASIN: 9781617601521
50 Successful University of California Application Essays: Get into the Top UC Colleges and Other Selective Schools 3rd
by Gen Tanabe, Kelly Tanabe
ISBN / ASIN: 9781617601521
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
-
POLICIES:
Early enrollment advised.
No UCSD parking permit required.
No visitors permitted.
Pre-enrollment required.
No refunds after: 9/18/2023.
-
NOTE:
Instructor will contact students upon enrollment to schedule the four hour long tutoring sessions which will take place live-online over Zoom. Students can enroll within the course at any point during the scheduled start and end dates. The instructor will reach out to students within five business days of enrollment to schedule coaching sessions.
There are no sections of this course currently scheduled. Please contact the Pre-College Programs department at 858-534-0804 or precollege@ucsd.edu for information about when this course will be offered again.