The Write Start, a Greenwich-based non-profit organization, will host its first College Essay in a Day event on Saturday, September 27, 2025. The goal of the workshop is to teach students how to approach the Common App Personal Statement and write a first draft of the essay — all in a day.
The Write Start was created to increase access to higher education by providing high-caliber, easily accessible college essay guidance to students, according to Michele Turk, who launched the non-profit after owning a college essay tutoring business called A Bloc of Writers since 2014.
“After coaching students one-on-one for more than a decade, I am excited to share my knowledge and expertise with a broader audience and make high-quality college essay guidance affordable for as many families as possible,” said Turk.
College Essay in a Day is geared toward students who are unsure where to start or what to write about and want help figuring out what their story is and how to shape that story into a strong college essay.
During the workshop, Turk and her colleague, Daisy Florin, a veteran essay tutor and bestselling author, will offer instruction on the ingredients of an effective college essay, how to choose a topic for the Common App personal statement (a 650-word narrative essay required by more than 1,000 colleges), hook a reader with a catchy introduction, and organize and focus essays.
Students will also learn how to avoid common mistakes when writing essays, get expert feedback on their ideas, perform in-class brainstorming and writing exercises, and read and review successful college admission essays.
They will leave the class with a first draft of their Common App Personal Statement.
“Most of the students I have worked with over the years have written few, if any, personal essays during high school, which is one reason the task seems so daunting,” said Turk.
“Students will not only improve their ability to write compelling college essays, but they will feel less stressed about their college applications and more informed about the increasingly complex college admissions process.”
The first College Essay in a Day workshop will be held on Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Reading Room, 5 Suburban Avenue, Cos Cob, CT. The fee is $175 and includes all class materials, lunch, and beverages. Scholarships are available. Space is limited.
Economically disadvantaged students, especially those in underserved areas, often have a difficult time navigating the college admissions process, and as a result, some don’t attend college or end up dropping out, according to Turk.
“The Write Start aims to give all teenagers similar tools for success,” she said. “Our services and digital products are designed to educate, inspire, and build confidence in teenagers so they can pursue their educational goals.”
In addition to the upcoming workshop, The Write Start offers students access to additional products and services, including Essay Rx, which helps students polish and perfect their essay before they hit send by providing feedback on the topic, content, theme, tone, and grammar — all within 48 hours.
Students taking the College Essay in a Day workshop are invited to join a weekly Zoom meeting every Wednesday night this fall. A college essay coach will answer questions, troubleshoot, and steer you back on course if you are stuck.
The Write Start will roll out its signature product, a 20-page interactive guide that teaches students how to write a strong Common App Personal Statement, in October, and additional tools will be added in the coming months.
For more information or to sign up for College Essay in a Day, visit thewritestart.org or email [email protected]. About the teachers: Michele is the founder and owner of A Bloc of Writers, Inc. She has worked as a professional writer and editor for the past two decades, and she has published articles on a wide range of topics, including health, education, parenting, and business.
Her work has appeared in many national publications and websites, among them BusinessWeek, Parents, U.S. News & World Report, Shape, Glamour, Elle, The Washington Post, and USA Weekend. She is the author of What Makes Him Tic? A Memoir of Parenting a Child with Tourette Syndrome (Woodhall Press, 2024).
Michele also worked as an adjunct professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University. She is an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). She earned a B.A. from Boston College and a master’s degree in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Daisy Florin has worked with students on their college essays since 2015. She is the author of My Last Innocent Year (2023), which was a New York Times Book Review Editors’s Choice as well as a Washington Post Staff Pick.
Her articles and personal essays have appeared in many publications including Literary Hub and Cup of Jo. Daisy is a recipient of the 2016 Kathryn Gurfein Writing Fellowship from Sarah Lawrence College and was a 2019-2020 fellow in the BookEnds Novel Revision Fellowship. A former book editor at a New York publishing house, Daisy has worked as a teacher and tutor for children of all ages. She holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an M.A., from Columbia University, and an M.S. Ed. from the Bank Street College of Education.