The blank page is not the problem. Not knowing what to say is.
Most students sit down to start their personal statement and immediately hit a wall. They reach for the most obvious topic — the sport, the mission trip, the big achievement — or they convince themselves they have nothing interesting to say.
Neither of those is true. The problem is that finding a college essay topic is a specific skill, and almost no one teaches it.
That is exactly what this course was built to do.
The College Essay Starter Kit
A self-paced digital course built on the same process Summit uses with every 1:1 student. Your student works through six focused video lessons and a guided workbook at their own pace — and walks away with real material to write from.
What We Cover:
✓ What the college essay actually is — and what it isn't — A reframe of the whole assignment, so your student stops approaching it like every other essay they've written in school
✓ What makes an essay stand out — Why the topic matters less than most people think, and what admissions officers are actually looking for
✓ What to avoid (and why) — The cliché topics, the common structural mistakes, and the voice pitfalls that make essays blend in.
✓ Two real student essays, broken down line by line — One in progress, one finished — so your student sees the revision process in action before they write anything
✓ 12 brainstorming activities — Specific, personal prompts that become their idea bank for the personal statement, supplementals, and scholarships
✓ Self-Paced Format — No sessions to schedule, no deadlines to hit. Your student works through it on their own timeline.
✓ Credit Toward 1:1 Support — Your purchase applies toward any Summit package if you decide you want more support
Who Built This
The College Essay Starter Kit was built by Maggie Finn and Jacklyn Angell, the co-founders of Summit Academic Support. Both are current high school teachers with 25 combined years in the classroom.
Before starting Summit, they were the teachers students came to when it was time to write college essays. That meant years of sitting with teenagers through the brainstorming sessions, the wrong turns, and the moment something finally clicked.
They've taught the college essay writing process to real students for years. This course is built around the exact process they use with every student they work with at Summit.
What families who used the starter Kit have to say…
— Jessica, Class of 2026 Parent
— Abby, Class of 2026 Student
— Aaron, Class of 2026 Student
— Jake, Class of 2027 Student
One Flat Fee. Immediate Access.
$147, one time. All six modules, the guided workbook, and the sample essay breakdowns. No subscription, no expiration, no add-ons.
If your family decides you want 1:1 support after completing the Starter Kit, your $147 applies towards any of our packages.
FAQs
How long does the College Essay Starter Kit take to complete?
1
Most students finish all six modules and the workbook activities in three to four hours. It is completely self-paced, and students do not have to complete it all in one sitting. They can pause and come back to it when they’re ready.
What essay(s) does this help with?
2
All of them! The brainstorming work your student does in this course creates a personal idea bank — a collection of stories, values, memories, and details they can draw from across every application they write. That includes the Common App personal statement, University of California Personal Insight Questions (PIQs), school-specific supplementals, and scholarship essays. The self-reflection is the foundation. Everything else builds on it.
Can we add more support later?
3
Yes. Many families start here and decide they want expert guidance all the way through a finished essay. If that's you, the Personal Statement Sessions are the natural next step — three private 1:1 Zoom sessions, unlimited written feedback, and a structured five-stage process that takes your student from their brainstorming ideas to a submission-ready essay. Your Starter Kit purchase applies directly toward that package.