ESM Prep

🎉 Register for Launch 🎉

Launch Academy is part college prep camp, part leadership/entrepreneurship workshop, and part personal development experience. The week provides students with the tools necessary to be successful in finding and gaining admissions to the right-fit college and creating a path to achieve their life and career goals.

Don’t miss your chance to get ahead on your college applications! Registration closes tomorrow. Link in the bio!

📢REGISTRATION CLOSES 4/1!! 📢

Launch is our six-day, five-night summer academy for high school students that aims to prepare students to take standardized tests, write college essays, inspire students with an incredible roster of guest speakers, and have fun in and around Santa Cruz too!! 📚 ✍🏽 🏖️ 🌲

Many of our students finish the week having essentially completed their college applications. Some discover a passion they never knew they had. All make new friends and are better prepared for the upcoming school year. 🤩

Find out more at the link in our bio!

Interested in post-graduate studies? 🤔

ESM counselors and mentors are here to answer your questions about the application process, the steps of earning each degree, and the path to your chosen field!

We are here to support you if/when you’re ready to take that next step as well!

Follow the link in our bio to register for the virtual event on Tuesday, November 15th at 4pmPST/ 7pmEST.

We're hosting a College Quest next week in Sacramento!

Join expert ESM Counselor Eric Harter, who will discuss trends in the latest college admissions cycle and standardized testing, helping you navigate the college application process that lies ahead.

We welcome all families learning to navigate this process, so please feel free to bring along a friend who is new to ESM!

💫 As a thanks for introducing us to new faces, we're happy to offer 1 free hour with your test prep or academic mentor. 💫

Wednesday, September 14
6:30pm: Cocktails & Conversation
7pm: Presentation

Arden Hills Wellness Resort
1220 Arden Hills Lane
Sacramento, CA 95864

RSVP to: Leah Gilbert ([email protected])

For so many high achieving students, it can often feel like taking their first AP class is a rite of passage but AP courses are no joke and require an open-mind as to what you think you know about “acing a class” in order to succeed.

1. Your teacher will likely “teach to the test” to get through all the material that will be tested they will have to keep up with a fast pace to cover as much material as possible. You’ll need to learn how to be your own advocate and take ownership over your own studies by seeking out help, doing extra work outside of class, or working with an academic mentor.

2. You should focus on skill development in addition to content knowledge. AP exams are built to see how well you can apply concepts in new, challenging contexts. Critical thinkers look for the reasons behind their answers, rather than just for the answers themselves. This is especially important because AP content builds throughout the year, so you need to be able to connect information from Unit 1 to information from Unit 6.

3. You can learn the exam formulas by studying previous tests and familiarizing yourself with the grading rubric for your class. These are very useful as you’ll know the requirements and expectations allowing you to master the expected responses.

4. Practice is key. You can know exactly what the test expects of you, but you also need to be able to replicate success in order to go into your exam confidently. Starting your prep as early as possible guarantees the most stress-free experience possible. It also guarantees the highest likelihood of success, because you’ll likely be able to actually master the exam.

Head to the link in our bio for the full article written by ESM Mentor, Daniel McElroy:
https://www.esmprep.com/articles/5-steps-to-success-for-first-time-ap-students

Here are six steps students can follow to reduce their stress load:
‍
‍REMEMBER THE FUN:
Stay motivated and excited by finding fun events to look forward to: dances, sporting events, mathlete competitions, theater performances, or birthdays can be great reference points to orient goals around throughout the year.
‍
‍MAKE GOALS:
Set challenging but realistic short and long-term goals around that timeline of events. Upon completing a goal, recognize the achievement in some fashion – ice cream, new clothes, etc. – and immediately set a new goal. ‍
‍Take time to plan. After creating goals, many students must learn time management and how to prioritize tasks to implement them. Time each week should be devoted to planning out the completion of necessary to-do items. For students that may be spread too thin, creating pragmatic time solutions can help.
‍
‍UTILIZE RESOURCES:
Now that students have goals to reach, they need to build a path to achieve their goals. Knowing what resources are available can make asking for help easier. Everyday, students are surrounded by resources to help them with school: teachers, friends, parents, and counselors. ‍

‍FIND BALANCE:
Although school and extracurricular activities require a lot of time, it is important to realize that life requires balance. Free time with friends, sleep, and self care can help increase a student's energy level as well as attitude. This “unscheduled” time will allow them to complete their studies and activities to the best of their abilities.

‍REEVALUATE:
When things go awry, assignments go uncompleted or goals are set too high to reach, it will be difficult for a student to remain focused. This is when all long-term and short-term goals should be reevaluated as reasonable or unreasonable. It’s ok to make adjustments, and it’s even encouraged.
‍
Head to the link in our bio for the full article.
https://www.esmprep.com/articles/6-ways-reduce-back-school-stress

The University of California application offers eight different essay prompt options (from which students pick four), and they are to be no more than 350 words each. Students are multidimensional and should take the opportunity to show that here!

1. Leadership Essay:
Inspiring others has no limitations, and students shouldn’t be afraid to talk about their failures as well. As long as they present the challenge they faced with vivid detail, they can ensure their success on this prompt.

2. Creative Side Essay:
While this prompt allows students to highlight traditional examples of creativity, it also allows them to use their own personal definition of creativity. That said, regardless of what they decide to write, make sure they show off their talents. Also, remember to SDT (“Show, Don’t Tell!”).

3. Greatest Talent/Skill Essay:
The key is for students to find what they’re most proud of and (humbly) brag about it- from a traditional talent to a personal characteristic. Be sure to include the juicy details on how that skill or talent was developed as well as any challenges faced before or while discovering it.

4. Educational Opportunity/Barrier Essay:
This is a two-part prompt, which means that students can answer it in multiple ways. A story here is great as long as the students not only highlight their struggles but also include how they’ve overcome it or are working towards doing so.

5. Significant Challenge Essay:
Showcase resilience here, the proactive steps taken to address their challenge, and ultimately, what they learned.

6. Inspiring Academic Subject Essay:
If students have always had a favorite subject in school, this is the time to talk about it! Especially if it has impacted their hobbies and/or extracurricular activities inside or outside of the classroom.

7. Community Essay:
This one is a cliche trap. Students should pick a topic that they’re actually passionate about, not just one that they think will sound impressive. Describe a moment and showcase how you hope to continue making an impact down the road.

8. Wild Card Essay:
Write whatever you’d like that wasn’t covered in your other three essays!

The “Why X?” essay offers a unique means of expressing your enthusiasm for a particular school’s programs.

Here are our tips to ensure you’re correctly approaching this essay as an opportunity to apply who you are to what you want to do at a specific school.

BE SPECIFIC AND DEEP DIVE:
Consider anything unique to that school that you’d take advantage of as a student. As a general rule, if you’re writing something that could easily be said about another university, it’s not specific enough to include.

IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME:
Even though you’re using this essay to talk about the school’s offerings, you should focus on why you’re a good fit for those offerings. How do YOUR goals, interests, and experiences align with the opportunities?

THINK "VIBE":
Consider the “best fit” factors that contribute to why you’re applyin when writing your essay: the community, ethos, and feeling of the school.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid:
• Begging
• Location
• Family Ties

Don’t be afraid to bring your personality into it—to consider quirky clubs and classes that speak to your passions—and celebrate your authentic goals!

‍Head to the link in our bio for the full article written by ESM mentor and essay coach, Cameron Kraemer:
https://www.esmprep.com/articles/tips-for-tackling-the-why-x-college-essay

As more and more students apply to college, the variables seem endless: GPA and test scores of course, but also athletics and clubs, letters of recommendation, personal statements, curricular rigor and family legacy, to name a few.

Although no one can tell you with absolute certainty whether or not you’ll be accepted, it’s possible to make an educated guess on what your chance of admission is to any given school based on GPA and test scores. That information can then be used to help create a list of institutions that is diverse in terms of selectiveness.
‍
Yet, just being able to get into a school doesn’t cut it – you have to actually be interested in going there, or else it isn’t a very safe option at all.

During this season of uncertainty, it may help to reframe the question so that we’re less fixated on “will I get in?” and instead wonder “will I be happy for the next four years?”

The answer to that question goes beyond a student’s transcripts and statistics to a more holistic understanding of what kind of student you are and what you’re looking for in the next four years of your life.

Head to the link in our bio for the full article:
https://www.esmprep.com/articles/will-i-get-in