College Admissions
Workshops
Autumn 2026
Are you a high school senior?
Our College Admissions classes at Rice Village can help ensure you go into the application process prepared.
This autumn, we are offering two small-group College Admissions prep options.
Please click on the name of each, for more information! You can register here.
• Common App Composition Class: One-Day Essay Writing Workshop
• Writing Circles for College Application Essays: Three-Hour Interactive Essay Reviews
We also offer one-on-one consulting, year-round; please see here (mid-page, University Admissions)––and contact us for more information!
If you would like to participate in an event but cannot enroll for the particular dates listed on this page, please contact us and let us know! We may be adding additional workshops. Hearing from you helps us determine demand, which greatly assists in our planning.
All events are held on-site at our Rice Village location:
The Village Suites
2525 Robinhood Street
Houston, Texas 77005
in an airy, bright upstairs conference room!
Please also read these notes.
Please reach out to us if you have any questions or if you would like clarification on any topic.
We will be happy to speak with you in depth in a phone, virtual, or in-person meeting––to discuss our courses further, free of charge.
If you are interested in these courses but find our pricing prohibitive, please contact us to discuss possible discounts.
Our costs are negotiable for clients facing tight budgets or financial hardship.
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Common App Composition Class: One-Day Essay Writing Workshop
Our Common App Composition Class is a one-day structured workshop to introduce students to the Common App essay prompts; to help each draft a clear, strong, and unique Common App essay; and to provide roundtable peer and editor review for this draft.
Each workshop is capped at only four students; this helps ensure that every student receives intensive and comprehensive guidance.
Choose from one of our Saturday sessions, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., September 5 to November 14.
Saturday, September 5, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 12, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 19, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 26, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 3, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 10, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 17, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 24, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 7, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 14, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Description
The Common App (Common Application) is the primary, contemporary online college admissions platform; it has streamlined the application process so that students may apply to multiple (1,000+) colleges and universities with a single application––centered, in large part, on an application essay, written in response to a selected prompt from the Common App or on a topic that the student chooses. This workshop aims to (1) introduce students to the Common App essay; (2) offer students a quiet and contemplative environment for essay composition; (3) provide individual consultation with an editor during this creative process; and (4) facilitate essay review and feedback via discussion in a guided peer writing circle. The main deliverable of the class is each student's complete and polished draft of their Common App essay.
Price
The price is $350 per student. This sum includes:
– A full day (7 hours) of intensive Common App Composition Class (10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.)
– Guest lecture by former interim Rice University Vice President of Enrollment / Admissions
– An introductory talk on the Common App
– An introductory activity pertaining to Common App prompt selection
– One-and-a-half hours of quiet composition time, during which students will compose a draft of their Common App essay
– One hour of essay workshopping and writing reflection, in an intimate writing circle comprising three teen peers and our head editor
– A half-hour of private, one-on-one consultation with our head editor during these hours
– A catered lunch from a Rice Village restaurant (at no additional charge)
– A closing reflection wrap-up
At the end of the day-long class:
Students will hold a thoroughly edited, considered, and critiqued Common App essay that has been composed at camp, developed through one-on-one consultation with an editor, and enhanced in a guided intimate peer review process, on-site.
Students will also leave with a completed MAPS agenda––"My Action Plan and Schedule"––outlining exactly what actions they need to take for their essays and their applications, and highlighting the deadlines for these actions in a comprehensive timeline.
Please review our class schedule below.
10:00–10:30 Welcome and Introductions
10:30–11:00 Guest lecture by former interim Rice University Vice President of Enrollment / Admissions
11:00–11.30 Talk: Introducing the Common App Essay
11.30–12.30 Activity: Self, Memory, and Thought––Choosing a Prompt
12.30–1:00 Lunch break, catered on-site from a Rice Village restaurant
1:00–3:00 Students begin composing their essays independently; each has a 30-minute one-on-one brainstorming consult with editor
3:00–4:00 Writing Circle (Workshop and Critique), with three peers and an editor; students get thorough, considered feedback on their essays
4:00–4:30 Students complete the booklet MAPS: My Action Plan and Schedule, scheduling their next steps in a comprehensive timeline
4:30–5:00 Roundtable Review and Reflection
To register, please click here.
Thank you for your consideration!
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Writing Circles for College Application Essays: Thursday Afternoon Interactive Essay Reviews
Our Writing Circles for College Application Essays are three-hour interactive essay reviews, designed to help edit, polish, and fine-tune drafts of college admissions essays. Predicated on the idea that students have completed rough drafts of their admissions essays ready to workshop, these circles are designed to provide friendly roundtable peer and editor feedback and discussion for each in-process text. Students are welcome to bring drafts of Common App essays, ApplyTexas essays, or supplemental (university-specific) essays.
(We recommend that students focus only on one essay per writing circle. Please feel free to enroll for more than one afternoon!)
Each writing workshop is capped at only four students; this helps ensure that every student receives intensive and comprehensive guidance.
Choose from any Thursday afternoon, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m., September 3 to November 19.
Thursday, September 3, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 10, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 17, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 24, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 1, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 8, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 15, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 22, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 29, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 5, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 12, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 19, 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Description
These afternoon writing circles provide an opportunity to discuss, improve, and consider college admissions essays. Students will leave the gathering with constructive feedback on their essays—having workshopped them thoroughly to ensure their clarity, communication, and technical strength. These mini-workshops also offer a chance for students to ask any questions they may have about college admissions essay composition. Writing circles are intended to help each student find a clear path forward for their creative, important essay compositions, which are so primary to the college admissions process.
Price
The price is $100 per student. This sum includes:
– An afternoon (3 hours) Writing Circle for College Application Essays (4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.)
– Essay discussion and workshopping in an intimate circle comprising teen peers and our head editor
– Catered tea and snacks from a Rice Village restaurant (at no additional charge)
– A closing reflection wrap-up
At the end of the afternoon:
Students will hold a thoroughly edited, considered, and critiqued Common App, ApplyTexas, or supplemental essay (building on a pre-existing draft); which has been developed and enhanced in a guided intimate peer review process, with consult from an editor, on-site.
Please review our class schedule below.
4:30–5:00 Welcome and Introductions
5:00–7:00 Writing Circle (Workshop and Critique), with three peers and an editor
7:00–7:30 Roundtable Review and Reflection
To register, please click here.
Thank you for your consideration!
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A brief overview of our college admissions approach:
While we acknowledge the competitive, highly driven nature of college admissions in the present day, this is not the environment that we aim to create when working with students. We feel strongly that choosing a college is an individual choice; we think that a good education can be found in all settings; we want students to identify and move towards learning environments that suit them as individuals, whatever these environments might resemble to each. We try to nurture the creative spirit in students approaching the college admissions process, and we hope that they might think outside the box. We at Village Editing do not presume to know what individual universities might specifically look for in college essays nor do we encourage students to focus only on how their writing will be received and perceived by the schools to which they are applying. We aim to help students speak about themselves and explore their truths through their essays. We hope that our camp might provide an kind, exploratory setting in which composing college application essays is a reflective experience, an articulation of introspection that might light intellectual paths forward.
A note on the Common App:
While 1,000+ colleges––in the United States and abroad––accept applications via the Common App, please double-check that the particular school that interests you is among them. Some institutions use their own systems.
Disclaimer:
Please remember that working with an editor or attending this camp does not guarantee entry into a particular college, or any college. We want the best for those we work with, and we truly hope that each student finds our collaboration helpful; however, the direct impact of our services on college admissions is not predictable. Additionally, we aim to offer a comprehensive overview of the Common App, but we are an editing service, and our expertise does not extend beyond editing: Please be aware that we are not equipped to provide any information about other aspects of college admissions, such as standardized testing. Additionally, the information provided in this camp pertaining to the FAFSA, finances, and scholarships is minimal (though we do hope that we provide some helpful resources). Thank you for recognizing these limitations, which we share here so that we do not imply false connections or suggest unachievable expectations.
A reminder:
Once again, should you wish to discuss any topics further, please don't hesitate to contact us to schedule a free phone, virtual, or in-person meeting. We would be very happy to hear from you!
