Grades: Rising 12th only, both Branson and non-Branson students.

Session I: June 15-18, 2026 or Session II: August 10-13, 2026; both sessions are identical.

Both sessions meet: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Cost: $1,330 early-bird pricing; $1,450 after March 31

Instructors: Matt Lane (Director of College Counseling), Matt Chan (Associate Director of College Counseling), Denisse Melgar (Associate Director of College Counseling), and Branson humanities faculty members.

Course Description: Acknowledging the growing number of students who are applying to colleges and universities early, Branson is excited to offer a week-long, intensive college-essay writing workshop, with a focus on the Common App essay. Comprehensive in its scope, the workshop is geared towards rising seniors who want to enter their senior year with a great head start on their college writing. Taught in conjunction by the College Counseling, English, and history departments, this highly interactive workshop will allow motivated students to finish the course with a final draft of their Common Application essay and tips for completing other college writing expectations.

The course begins with a look at the components of a successful application essay and each student proceeds through a series of individual and group activities designed to identify a strong essay topic. Each day, students are able to work with a different instructor, and at the end of the week, their writing will have received feedback from three to four instructors. In addition to the primary goal of completing the Common Application main essay, instructors will also provide tips and tricks for other components of the college application process (e.g. list-building, the role of demonstrated interest, the UC application, etc.)