FREE PILOT VERSION

Build a Compelling Common App Essay in 9 Guided Steps

Students are told to be authentic. With the rise of AI, that’s even more important.

But they aren’t shown how. College Essay Plan provides the how.

No payment information required. Two short surveys required in exchange for free access.

College Essay Plan helps you find your story, shape it with purpose, and submit with confidence!

⭐ Identify meaningful patterns in daily experience

⭐ Craft a North Star sentence that orients every draft

⭐ Select the right Common App prompt

⭐ Build scenes that reveal growth

⭐ Polish each sentence with purpose

This is a complete essay-building system, not just a video library.

WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR

Ideal for students who want to:

✅ Clarify what their essay is really about

Dodge the five common pitfalls that derail otherwise strong applications

Show authentic voice, values, and growth instead of sounding like a generic resume

✅ Follow a proven 9-step framework that moves you confidently from brainstorm to polished draft

Stay on schedule without overwhelm thanks to short video lessons and a guided pace

WHO IT IS NOT FOR

This course is not the right fit if you:

❌ Want someone to write the essay for you

❌ Expect line-by-line editing of every sentence

❌ Are looking for a guarantee of admission

❌ Are not willing to put real effort into the process

WHAT STUDENTS RECEIVE

👉 Nine 10–20 Minute Course Videos

👉 Companion Worksheets and Tools for Each Lesson

👉 A Complete Framework—From Raw Ideas to a Polished Essay

THE 9-STEP PROCESS

🔍 Step 1: Discover the Story Only You Can Tell

Find the hidden thread that turns “just another activity” into a compelling narrative.

➤ Video #1 | Discover the Story Only You Can Tell

⚠️ Step 2: Avoid the Five Most Common Essay Pitfalls

Learn the simple test that keeps your voice louder than AI or well-meaning editors.

➤ Video #2 | Avoid the Five Most Common Essay Pitfalls

🧭 Step 3: Design Your North Star and Choose the Right Common App Prompt

Stop debating prompts—let your North Star pick the perfect fit in minutes.

➤ Video #3 | Design Your North Star and Select the Right Common App Prompt

✂️ Step 4: Decide What Belongs: Keep, Cut, Revise or Repurpose

Swap generic reflection for sharp insight that can’t be copied by ChatGPT.

➤ Video #4 | Decide What Belongs: Keep, Cut, Revise, or Repurpose

🎬 Step 5: Bring Meaningful Moments to Life: The Scene Workshop

Create scenes that let the reader hear your heartbeat.

➤ Video #5 | Bring Meaningful Moments to Life: The Scene Workshop

📈 Step 6: Build a Growth Arc: The 3-Moment Blueprint

Give your essay a spine: pattern, pressure, transformation.

➤ Video #6 |Build a Growth Arc: The 3-Moment Blueprint

🎣Step 7: Hook the Reader and Let Them Go: Memorable Openings and Endings

Leave admissions officers thinking, “I need to meet this student.

➤ Video #7 | Hook the Reader and Let Them Go: Memorable Openings and Endings

💬 Step 8: Implement Feedback Without Losing Your Voice: The Fine-Tuning Checklist

Spot the revision patterns that matter and ignore the noise that doesn’t.

➤ Video #8 | Implement Feedback Without Losing Your Voice: The Fine-Tuning Checklist

✒ Step 9: Hone Your Craft: The Sentence Strategy Clinic

Turn choppy sentences into a rhythm that pulls the reader forward.

➤ Video #9: Hone Your Craft: The Sentence Strategy Clinic

Happy student reading college-acceptance email.

WHY THIS PROCESS WORKS

✔︎ Reverse-engineered for admissions impact: Each step comes from essays that won offers at highly selective schools—Ivies, Stanford, MIT, UChicago, etc.

✔︎ Action beats overwhelm: Short videos end with one clear task, so students generate 1,000 + words of usable material in the first three days.

✔︎ The uncertainty and guesswork are gone—follow the 9 steps to success.

✔︎ Cut detours early: a quick pitfall check keeps drafts on the strongest path.

✔︎ Transferable skill: Students reuse portions of the 9-step process on supplemental essays, multiplying the value across the entire application.

FREE PILOT ACCESS

9-Step Course
Regular price: $399
Pilot Version: Free

Includes all 9 lessons, worksheets, and course tools.

WHY LEARN FROM CHRIS?

👉 UChicago Alum & Admissions Reader: Experience evaluating applications inside an elite admissions office.

👉 20+ Years Coaching Student Writers: He knows exactly what weakens an essay—and how to help students fix it.

👉 Premium consultant at Quad Education, a top-tier admissions firm: clients invest $15K+ for multi-year coaching, and this exact 9-step essay system is used with them too.

👉 Students he has advised earned admission to multiple Ivy League universities — plus MIT, Stanford, UChicago, and other highly selective schools.

Bottom line: You get the same private-client essay system, organized into a clear 9-step course, you can follow on your own.

FAQs

Got questions? I’ve got answers.

WHAT IS REQUIRED IN EXCHANGE FOR FREE ACCESS?

Students are asked to complete two thoughtful Pilot surveys. Survey 1 comes after Lesson 5. Survey 2 comes after Lesson 9.

Surveys require an uploaded draft, which will be reviewed only to evaluate and improve the course. Drafts will not be shared publicly. 

Each survey should take approximately 10–15 minutes. Nothing else is required.

DOES THE PILOT INCLUDE PERSONAL FEEDBACK?

No. The Pilot tests the self-guided nine-step course experience. It does not include personal essay feedback or open-ended email support.

HOW LONG WILL THE COURSE TAKE?

Most students finish all nine steps in 10-12 days, spending between 1-3 hours a day. It's self-paced, so you can move faster with a tighter deadline or space out drafts if you have more time.

HOW LONG WILL I HAVE ACCESS?

You have 20 days access for each Part of the Pilot. That means 20 days for Part 1 (steps 1-5) and 20 days for Part 2 (steps 6-9). Access begins as soon as you enroll.

WHAT IF I'M NOT APPLYING TO HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGES?

This course is still for you. The nine-step process is a blueprint for a compelling personal essay regardless of where you apply.

Course curriculum preview of College Essay Plan.

Ready for step-by-step guidance?

Enroll in the free Pilot Version and build your Common App essay before moving on to supplemental essays.

You don't have to be an exceptional writer to write an exceptional college essay—you just need the right process.

No payment information required. Two short surveys required.

Still have a question? Email Chris at CollegeEssayPlan@gmail.com — he’ll respond personally.