College Admissions
Camps,
Classes &
Workshops
Summer 2026
Are you a rising high school senior?
Our College Admissions courses at Rice Village can help ensure you go into the application process prepared.
This summer, we are offering three types of College Admissions group prep.
Please click on the name of each, for more information! You can register here.
• College Admissions Camp: Five-Day Writing Workshop
• Common App Composition Class: One-Day Essay Writing Workshop
• Writing Circles for College Application Essays: Three-Hour Interactive Essay Reviews
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.
We also offer one-on-one consulting, year-round; please see here (mid-page, University Admissions)––and contact us for more information!
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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College Admissions Camp: Five-Day Writing Workshop
At our College Admissions Camp, students will learn what to expect entering admissions season: Our goal is to help them navigate this monumental process. Students will compose and workshop at least two significant essays; draft a résumé and recommender correspondences; and gain an overview of college admissions procedures and requirements. They will complete our "My Action Plan and Schedule (MAPS)" booklet, identifying their paths forward and creating application schedules and timelines. Our camp is intended to function as a port of embarkation for students' upcoming university journeys; as a strong step forward and as a glimpse towards the academic horizons ahead.
Each workshop is capped at only four students; this helps ensure that every student receives intensive and comprehensive guidance.
Choose from one of our three summer sessions:
Monday–Friday, June 8–June 12, Early Bird! ... 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. daily
Monday–Friday, July 27–July 31, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. daily
Monday–Friday, August 3–August 7, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. daily
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. Our College Admissions Camp gives an overview of the Common App and its processes, with an eye consistently towards the larger admissions context, the ins-and-out of application realities, and planning and scheduling.
The essay writing aspect of this workshop aims to (1) introduce students to the Common App essay, and to supplemental (university-specific) essays; (2) offer students a quiet and contemplative environment for essay composition; (3) provide individual consultations with an editor during this creative process; and (4) facilitate essay review and feedback via discussions in a guided peer writing circle. We view the main deliverables of the camp to be each student's complete and polished drafts of their Common App essay and of at least one supplemental essay.
Our camp condenses college essay consultation, composition, and review; it also includes a number of introductory talks and several guest lectures.
Price
The price is $1800 per student. This sum includes:
– Five days (30 hours) of intensive College Admissions Camp (10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday)
– Two hours of private, one-on-one consultation with our head editor during these camp hours
– Introductory talks on the Common App; college selection; and the FAFSA, financing, and scholarships
– Six+ hours of quiet composition time, during which students compose + edit their Common App essay and at least one supplemental essay
– Six+ hours of essay workshopping and writing reflection, in an intimate writing circle comprising three teen peers and our head editor
– A guest lecture by the former interim Rice University Vice President of Enrollment / Admissions (and his later feedback on each essay)
– Two guest "story time" talks by graduates describing their college selection and admission experiences
– A full Common App walk-through to familiarize students with its contents and expectations, format and interface
– Interview practice and the creation of an individualized action plan for the application process
– Five catered lunches from Rice Village restaurants (at no additional charge)
By the end of camp on Friday, students will have the following tangibles in-hand:
1) 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.
2) At least one college-specific supplemental 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.
3) A completed academic and activity résumé that can be used to fill in or supplement the Common App.
4) Written drafts of recommender requests that are ready to send to those mentors providing references.
5) A completed MAPS agenda––"My Action Plan and Schedule"––outlining exactly what actions they need to take for their applications and highlighting the deadlines for these actions in a comprehensive timeline.
We hope that students who participate in this camp will complete the course feeling that they are ready to enter the upcoming college admissions season confident, well-prepared, and optimistic.
Please review our camp schedule below.
Please note: Parents are encouraged to attend the three Monday morning panels, should they desire.
MONDAY
10:30–11:00 Welcome and Introductions
11:30–12:00 Talk: The College Admissions Journey
12:00–12:30 Guest lecture by former interim Rice University Vice President of Enrollment / Admissions
12:30–1:00 Lunch break, catered on-site from a Rice Village restaurant
1:00–1:30 Talk: Introducing the Common App Essay
1:30–2:00 Activity: Self, Memory, and Thought––Choosing a Prompt
2:00–4:00 Students begin composing their essays independently; each has a 30-minute one-on-one brainstorming consult with editor
4:00–4:30 Roundtable Review and Reflection
TUESDAY
10:30–11:00 Talk: Scholastic School Spirits––Selecting a College
11:00–11:30 Activity: "What does college mean to me?" (drafting list of desired qualities in a school)
11:30–12:30 Writing Circle (Workshop and Critique) for Common App essays, with three peers and an editor
12:30–1:00 Lunch break, catered on-site from a Rice Village restaurant
1:00–3:00 Students integrate new feedback into Common App essays; each has a 30-minute one-on-one school selection consult with editor
3:00–4:00 Activity: Narrowing the Field: "Where do I want to go?" (drafting preliminary list of possible schools)
4:00–4:30 Roundtable Review and Reflection
WEDNESDAY
10:30–11:00 Guest speaker, Story Time: All About my Admissions Experience
11:00–11:30 Talk: Academics and Activities
11:30–12:30 Activity: Students create an academic and activity résumé
12:30–1:00: Lunch break, catered on-site from a Rice Village restaurant
1:00–1:30 Talk: "Why Us?": School-Specific Supplemental Essays
1:30–3:30 Students begin composing essays independently; each has a 30-minute one-on-one brainstorming consult with editor
3:30–4:00 Group Chat: "An Essay About Me; An Essay About Me and You"
4:00–4:30 Roundtable Review and Reflection
THURSDAY
10:30–11:30 Writing Circle (Workshop and Critique) for supplemental essays, with three peers and an editor
11:30–12:30 Students integrate new feedback into supplemental essays; each has a 15-minute one-on-one check-in with editor
12:30–1:00 Lunch break, catered on-site from a Rice Village restaurant
1:00–1:30 Guest speaker, Story Time: All about my Admissions Experience
1:30–3:00 Walkthrough: "Let's go through the full Common App together, page by page, line by line"
3:00–3:30 Activity: Students draft recommender correspondences for reference requests
3:30–4:00 Talk: FAFSA, Finances, and Scholarships (an overview, directing students towards links and resources)
4:00–4:30 Roundtable Review and Reflection
FRIDAY
10:30–11:30 Final Writing Circle (Workshop and Critique), with former interim Rice University Vice President of Enrollment / Admissions
11:30–12:30 Students integrate feedback into their essays; each has a 15-minute one-on-one check-in with editor
12:30–1:00 Lunch break, catered on-site from a Rice Village restaurant
1:00–2:30 Activity: Interviews: Process and Practice
2:30–3:30 Activity: "My Action Plan and Schedule (MAPS)" (students fill in our MAPS form, charting their paths forward)
3:30–4:00 Talk: "The Gates of Learning––and Your Many Keys"
4:00–4:30 Roundtable Review and Reflection, Closing Thoughts
To register, please click here.
Thank you for your consideration!
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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 six summer sessions:
Monday, July 6, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 7, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Monday, July 13, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 14, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Monday, July 20, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 21, 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 (6 hours) of intensive Common App Composition Class (10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)
– 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 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.
Please review our class schedule below.
10:30–11:00 Welcome and Introductions
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
4:00–4:30 Roundtable Review and Reflection
To register, please click here.
Thank you for your consideration!
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Writing Circles for College Application Essays: Three-Hour 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 one of our nine summer sessions:
Wednesday, July 8, 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 9, 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Friday, July 10, 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 15, 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 16, 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Friday, July 17, 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 22, 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 23, 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Friday, July 24, 1:30 p.m.–4:30 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. 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 (1:30 p.m.–4:30 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.
1:30–2:00 Welcome and Introductions
2:00–4:00 Writing Circle (Workshop and Critique), with three peers and an editor
4:00–4:30 Roundtable Review and Reflection
To register, please click here.
Thank you for your consideration!