Summertime and the College Essay

For high school juniors and seniors, summer can be a rush of jobs, practice, friends and needing down time to explore interests and ideas. It can also be a really generative time for thinking about college application essays.  A student’s college application checklist contains all of the obvious pieces:  grades, scores, activities, coursework. However, the overall picture, including essays, personal statements, and supplemental questions, can be challenging to pin down. Who is the student? What are their strengths and interests? What will they bring to the campus community? How will they contribute to the culture and mission of the school? Summer is a time when students have experiences they want to write about for their essay. Combining experience with navigating the application process is what our team at Liddane does so well.

Representing these more subtle aspects of a person can make writing a college application essay challenging for strong students as well as those who struggle with executive functioning skills or a less than “perfect” story to tell. Showing the true nature of oneself in a way that is compelling can be an incredible hurdle for many.

LTLS college application tutors have been trained to draw out the best elements that represent the student. Many people know how to write a good essay, but the expectations for college applications are unique. Having a qualified outside person step back and look at the entire application helps focus the writing and elevate the application toward a multi-dimensional view of the student. A trained eye can direct students toward distinctive topics and divert them from those that are overused. In an effort to tell a more complete story, college application tutors coach students to use their precious word count carefully and effectively.  We want your student to feel positive about the story they are bringing to the table. Our one-on-one tutors are here to work with them. Fall dates for our Demystifying the College Application Process webinars about the entire process are open for registration now.

GAIN CONFIDENCE IN ENGLISH THIS SUMMER

Liddane’s ESL Coordinator, Alex, used to live and teach English in Paris. The school where she worked wanted her to always use English, her social interactions were largely limited to the American expat community, and so she struggled to gain the fluency in French that would have allowed her to pursue the activities and opportunities she desired. “There were all these things I wanted to get involved with,” she says, “but I wasn’t confident enough in my speaking abilities. I was even nervous to order at my local bakery, because I was worried I’d say the wrong thing or come off as rude.”

Now, with 20 years of experience teaching ESL, Alex helps English learners of all backgrounds reach their language goals. Seattle is home to many communities of non-native English speakers, who are often here as working professionals or family members of working professionals. In Alex’s experience, these individuals often have some English proficiency, but they may not have the confidence, for example, to ask questions to their child’s pediatrician, speak to administrators at a child’s school, or join a new club. Similarly, many single professionals only date and socialize within their own language communities if they feel they can’t express themselves in English. LTLS helps to empower anyone who isn’t as active as they’d like to be because English proficiency holds them back.

Liddane’s ESL approach is 100% tailored to individual needs and desires. If spoken fluency is someone’s main goal, our tutors will design a lesson plan around oral and aural skills, with less emphasis on written grammar and punctuation. Tutors will often start by getting to know a client’s interests and strengths, and then branch out from there. For example, if someone is on a recreational sports team or is interested in attending more sporting events, that can serve as an entry point for a whole range of conversation skills. Then, as tutors get to know their clients, they will target specific areas for improvement, such as pronunciation, vocabulary, or modifying tone.

It’s difficult to express yourself if you’re not confident in the language. Our goal is to empower English learners to advocate for themselves and their families, and to engage as fully as possible with all the opportunities and communities English communities have to offer. For more information or to schedule a session with one of our tutors, please contact us at info@liddanetutoring.com. 

FEATURED TUTOR: NICOLE

We sat down with Nicole, one of our amazing tutors, as well as our Test Prep Trainer, to talk about some of her experiences tutoring at LTLS, as well as what she likes to do in her spare time! 

How did you get into teaching/tutoring?

I started my tutoring journey when I was very young, helping my peers in class. The earliest instance I can remember is a time in kindergarten where I was helping a boy to understand colors. I don’t remember any specifics, but I distinctly remember sitting with him when no one else did to help him with that. My mom was a teacher, and I went to school in her district, so if students were struggling, coworkers of my mom would ask me to help, and I began working with students younger than me. I knew I wanted to do something in education, but realized I didn’t want to be a teacher, so I focused on tutoring. I really like working one-on-one with students, and helping people find learning fun. 

What’s a favorite story you have from working at LTLS?

One of my favorite things that has happened was with one of my students in the middle of the first quarter of this school year. He’s a 7th grader, and he managed to bring all of his grades up to A’s, but he didn’t know that yet. He was sharing his screen so we could look at his grades, and when he noticed they were all A’s, he was so excited! He said, out loud, “I feel so proud of myself right now!” It makes me feel great when people can say things like that at a young age, because that kind of positive self talk is really important. I always hope it carries through to older years. 

What have you learned through your work in education that you feel is most important to share?

I think we all know (or at least we are all told) that people have different learning speeds and different learning styles, and this really gets highlighted when you get to work with people one-on-one. It’s great to get to experiment with different styles as you are trying to find the one that works for your student. It’s really rewarding to find the puzzle piece that helps things click for another person. The fact that everyone has different learning needs is something that gets repeated a lot, and can sometimes just come off as a talking point, but it's not just a talking point. Everyone has a right to learn, and to learn in a way that's not just inside the confines of what has always been done. 

What’s something we don’t know about you?

I really like mining! Not in a cave with a mining cart, but the term is sort of a blanket one referring to finding minerals. My dad is really into geology, and he has some mining claims in California, and when I still lived there I would go out with him a lot. One of those claims is a really good place to find beryls - a gem that comes in all different shades, with famous ones like emerald and aquamarine - and really pretty minerals. I not only collect minerals I find with him, but also others that I find or buy. I’m just really interested in geology and I especially enjoy finding things myself. There’s something really rewarding about using crowbars to move boulders, or digging intentionally and carefully to find really small minerals.