Summer Application & Essay Workshops for Seniors

Get a Head Start!

Get a head start on college essays and applications in our 3-day intensive workshop for rising seniors. From blank page to polished drafts, students receive personalized guidance and feedback to craft standout essays and navigate the application process with confidence—freeing up time to enjoy senior year.

It’s easy to underestimate just how much writing goes into college applications. Students applying to 12 schools typically write 20-30 essays, each requiring thoughtful responses and multiple drafts. Colleges can spot generic or repurposed essays and look for students who truly understand why a school is the right fit—not just those applying for prestige or as a backup. Beyond essays, the Activities & Honors descriptions are often a missed opportunity, where strategic wording showcases impact, intention, and leadership.

CMCA’s workshop ensures your student’s applications are authentic, compelling, and competitive, so they stand out.

Current CMCA families: Contact CMCA to reserve your date. Workshops are included in most senior packages.

Dates & Details 

  • Choose a Session

    1. Session 1 - June 9-11 (1 spot left)

    2. Session 2 - June 16-18

    3. Session 3 - July 14-16

    4. Zoom Session - June 25-27 (2 spots left)

  • Time - 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day

  • Location - In person sessions at CMCA in Laguna Niguel, CA 

  • Cost - $800

  • Learn More - Schedule a 15-minute consult

What’s Covered in the Workshop

  • Use targeted strategies to identify the experiences, values, and qualities that define you. Craft an impactful essay that showcases your unique brand and leaves a lasting impression on admissions readers. What’s covered:

    ✔️ How PIQs Differ from the Personal Essay

    ✔️ UC Admissions Checklist

    ✔️ Choosing the Most Impactful Prompts to Showcase Achievements & Growth

    ✔️ Analyzing Successful PIQs from an Admission POV

    ✔️ Outline & First Draft in Class 

    ✔️ Multiple Drafts with 1:1 Feedback (depending on student productivity)

  • Break down the 8 prompts and strategically select which 4 will best highlight your achievements and make the strongest impact. Learn how your responses to these questions should differ from traditional essays, then brainstorm, outline, and draft your answers with personalized support. What’s covered:

    ✔️ How PIQs Differ from the Personal Essay

    ✔️ UC Admissions Checklist

    ✔️ Choosing the Most Impactful Prompts to Showcase Achievements & Growth

    ✔️ Analyzing Successful PIQs from an Admission POV

    ✔️ Outline & First Draft in Class 

    ✔️ Multiple Drafts with 1:1 Feedback (depending on student productivity)

  • Add weight and legitimacy to well-crafted “Why This School?” essays through focused research. Accentuate how your personal values and academic goals align with the unique offerings and programs at each college. What’s covered:

    ✔️ How Many and What Types of Supplemental Essays to Expect

    ✔️ Key Tips for Writing Impactful Essays

    ✔️ When & When Not to Reuse Essays

    ✔️ Analyzing Successful Essays from an Admissions POV

    ✔️ Guided Research Walkthrough for Why This School/Major Essays

    ✔️ Outline &First Draft in Class

  • Tackle the most underestimated section of college applications. Brainstorm your extracurriculars, involvement, and achievements, and learn how to transform them into compelling, powerful descriptions for both the Common App and UC App.

    ✔️ Differing Requirements for Common App & UC App (and Templates for Both)

    ✔️ Brainstorming Activities & Honors

    ✔️ Helpful Hints for Maximum Impact

    ✔️ Powerful vs. Forgettable Descriptions

    ✔️ In-Session Drafting 

    ✔️ 1:1 Guidance & Feedback

  • Learn what to expect throughout the entire college application process from start to finish. Delve into the overall timeline with key elements for completing applications successfully and on time.

    ✔️ Important Dates andDeadline Management

    ✔️ Avoiding Pitfalls 

    ✔️ Time-Saving Tips

    ✔️ Review of Common App, UC, Cal State Applications

    ✔️ Next Steps After the Workshop

    ✔️ Valuable Resources

Thank you so much!

My daughter said the workshop was really good today, which is high praise from a teenager who would definitely rather be at the beach. AND, she's currently writing more! I appreciate you.

More Information

How It Works

  • Students gather at Cindy’s home (CMCA) for a 3-day, classroom-style workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • Featuring detailed instruction, guided exercises, and personalized feedback, the workshop provides dedicated in-class writing time, evening draft submissions as homework, and individualized support to refine and strengthen student work.

  • Through 1:1 breakouts with Cindy and essay specialists, students dive deep into their essay topics to uncover their most authentic and unique stories

  • Students will get out of this workshop what they put into it. With active participation, they’ll make significant progress on their essays and leave with a strong second draft of their personal statement, PIQs, and Activities & Honors—laying the foundation for continued momentum in the summer.

Support Beyond the Workshop

After the workshop, families new to CMCA can opt for additional one-on-one coaching to refine essays and sharpen applications. Consult prior to purchase.

  • Essay Intensive Package - Four 60-minute sessions with a CMCA Essay Specialist and remote editing between sessions

  • Single Session - 60 minutes with a CMCA Essay Specialist

  • Strategy Session - 30 minutes with Cindy to refine application strategy

  • Hourly Remote Essay Editing - 60 minutes of virtual feedback via Google Docs from Cindy or a CMCA Essay Specialist

Workshop Testimonials

  • It was fantastic the amount of work I got done in 3 days. The workshop forced me to start a process I would have procrastinated on, making it much less stressful, and now I have such an advantage.

  • The workshop covered everything. I was clueless when I first came in, and now I am a lot more confident. It kept me accountable and put me on the right track for the rest of the summer.

  • The topic finding activities really helped me see what’s most important and connect different stories and concepts together. My conversation with Cindy prompted lots of memories and details I had forgotten and also helped me relate my life to my major and what I could write about. I feel good that I got a jumpstart on my essays.

  • I think seeing what each prompt is really looking for, from an admission reader's point of view, was very helpful and difficult to find elsewhere.

  • I really liked how Cindy took the time to read all of our writing and give valuable feedback, especially for me to cut down words because I tend to go overboard. The difference from my first to my 3rd draft is like night and day.

  • The way Cindy explained how to go about writing the UC PIQs was so clear and concise. Her examples showed how it was a different type of writing than the Common App personal essay and what the UC colleges look for. I finished drafts of all 4 during the workshop, which shocked me.

  • Learning how to describe our activities and honors was super helpful and got me thinking about the ones I wasn’t even aware I had done or could add.

  • The workshop gave me insight I did not have before about the supplemental essays and how to approach them. I would not have thought to research so much, and I have a much better idea of how to start and portray my enthusiasm for the school.

  • I was very productive. Before the workshop, I was unsure of how to begin, but now I feel like the fog has lifted and everything is doable.

  • The topic finding exercises were one of the best parts of the workshop and made me dig for ideas I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of, very helpful. I went from not having any idea of what to write about to having multiple ideas that I felt confident and strong talking about.

  • I feel emotionally connected with my essay and I am excited to write more.

  • The activities and honors part helped me stay organized and think back over everything I have accomplished. I finished them the first day which made me feel good about the things I’m getting done.

  • I am honestly really proud of my essay. Finding a topic at first was difficult for me because I could not piece together enough ideas to create a flowing essay. However, once Cindy and I talked about a couple ideas, I put them together and wrote an essay I love.

  • The workshop was great. Amazing opportunity to ask specific questions about what to do. Could not have done it alone!