What to Do Before Senior Year: College Application and Essay Advice from Dr. Coppi

A Conversation with Dr. Kellie Coppi

Dear MJTP families,

Every spring I tell rising seniors the same thing: the summer ahead of senior year is not a break from the work, it is the work. The single best window you have to get ahead of the college application is the eight or so weeks before your last first day of high school.

This week, to touch on that very subject, and in an effort to bring new voices, value, and information to the MJTP network of families, I am handing the newsletter over to someone who lives and breathes college applications.

Dr. Kellie Coppi is the founder of Say Yes to the Essay with Dr. Coppi, where she works with students asynchronously to craft authentic college application essays. I asked her to walk our families through what a rising senior should actually be doing this summer, and why waiting until the fall costs more than students think.

Her answers are below, lightly trimmed for length. Yes, she addresses the "ai" concerns towards the end.

Meet Dr. Coppi

How did you end up coaching college essays?

I've always supported students with applications to private schools, programs, colleges, scholarships–you name it–since my own college days on a freelance basis. My own undergrad is from NYU Tisch in Acting and when I transitioned into the professional world of theatre management, I needed something else to do during the day (since Broadway shows are more often than not in the evening!). So I pursued my Masters and Doctorate in Higher Education, in conjunction with college tours, professional developments and conferences in college admissions and college prep. While I'm both a professional member of the IECA and a certified educational planner with the AICEP, doing college consulting full-time and comprehensively, I find the most joy in matching students with best fit narratives.

"Say Yes to the Essay" — where does the name come from?

Say Yes to the Ess-ay is a play on 'say yes to the dress'. I'm silly and love a good pun, I wanted something a bit catchy and parent-friendly…but I also wanted something that stuck as a brand. And, I love when students finally can say "Yes, I'm done!"

You work asynchronously. What does that look like for a family, and why did you build it that way?

I offer free 20 minute consults to families via zoom so we can establish that 'best fit' feeling early on. In my comprehensive package, I offer another zoom, if needed, for students to get their footing. The rest is done via a very structured Google Docs process taking students from brainstorming through finalization with me every step of the way–but on their own time and terms. 11th grade spring comes with rehearsals, sports games, homework, APs/IBs/DE courses, Jr. Prom, class trips, work, needing a break, family commitments, etc. Writing is such a fluid process, and a personal process. I give them the tools/activities/instruction to get started with the thinking element (since admissions essays require a different way of thinking and writing), and then circle back with me when they're ready.

Why Summer Is the Window

Why is the summer before senior year the most consequential window of the cycle?

Summer is a break in action from the daily high school grind. But for a rising senior, summer is the last time there's a big window of free time to get some things done before senior year comes on too quickly. Admissions essays are the first thing to get pushed to the back burner once senior year resumes because there are so many other pressing, time sensitive demands. Once junior year ends, you have a long enough window to work on your Common App essay, or main essay(s), before supplementals are released! Many students forget/don't realize they can get upwards of a few dozen, additional, shorter essays to also balance completed applications. So taking time during the summer to work on what one can will ease the stress down the line.

What's the domino effect of pushing essays into the school year?

November 1st is an ED deadline for many schools. Halloween is the evening before. Do you want to skip Halloween events to proofread/finalize, or even write, your admissions essay(s)? Do you have Thanksgiving travel plans? If so, December 1st can be a tricky deadline. I had many students unable to work on their essays while on holiday travel so they had to reevaluate their timelines to get everything done on top of mid-terms. Work now, play later!

If a rising senior does only one thing this summer, what should it be?

Get at least a substantial draft of their Common App essay. I mean, ideally, finish the essay, but if life gets in the way, at least know solidly what you're writing on and feel comfortable and confident in a beginning, middle, end and strong message. Your Common App essay can be the foundation for scholarship essays, as well, so having a strong essay in your back pocket can help you apply to other things without putting in as much effort on a time crunch later on.

The Pre–Senior-Year Checklist

Walk us through your ideal summer timeline.

AP season is over by end of May. Finals come beginning-middle of June. So what can you do in June? Brainstorm. Think of any and all ideas that may be good values-based narratives for your main essay. What can you do in July? Add the nuance, perspective, and write it down! What can you do in August? Finalize and be ready to submit a completed essay. Know when your first day of senior year is and give yourself a 2 week prior deadline to having your essay done or almost done.

What should a student do before they ever try to draft a Common App essay?

Understand the purpose of an admissions essay. It is to put a claim to action. It is to emphasize values, messages, lessons learned. It is not a place to reiterate accolades and grades. It does not even need to be a place to associate your future major/career intentions. Students need to understand the Common App questions–how vague yet open-ended they can be. Sometimes the Common App essay prompts can overwhelm students because there are so many possibilities to write on. Understanding that these essays are geared towards values at the core can help situate how to think about these essays so they can easily understand how to write them.

Where do most students get stuck, and what unsticks them?

Brainstorming is often the longest part of the process–figuring out what topic and what approach. Outlining comes with the challenge of how to open and how to close–students get stuck on that 'hook', and I tell all my students to work on the meat of the essay first and worry about the creative elements afterwards. I find myself more often telling students to refrain from comparisons to the essays on TikTok and essays from peers–essays that sound more dramatic, funnier, more interesting. The only thing that an essay needs to be is authentic. Remember, there are only 650 words to play with in a Common App essay. Since reflection is the key element of the essay, you need no more than 100-200 words of setting the stage, then then the rest devoted to reflection.

Supplemental essays — start in summer, or hold off?

This depends on your deadlines and schedule. If you have ED/EA/REA or even rolling admissions, getting completed applications (which include supplementals) done before those Oct/Nov deadlines, often during the summer, can be a huge sigh of relief. The good thing is that many supplemental essays overlap so the sooner you gather them, the easier it will be to repurpose/edit across all of the questions. 30 supplementals boil down to 20 or less very quickly when a handful of colleges all ask the same question about community or career intentions.

Outside of essays, what else should be wrapped up before Labor Day?

In all honesty the best time to ask for letters of rec are after spring break of junior year. Summer is the perfect time for teachers to write these letters, letters they love writing to support their students but letters they are by no means obligated to write. Testing, while I'm not a test prep expert by any means, I would want my students to at least have a score under their belt before senior year just at least to understand their baseline/not have to add too much prep during senior year. The activities list is a great complement to the admissions essay writing process over the summer. This way you can really gauge what you're highlighting on that list of 10 (where quality trumps quantity). An activities list heavy in STEM would have a nice essay complement of a narrative not about STEM, rather, a supporting value.

Where should parents be involved, and where do they need to step back?

Parental involvement is truly case by case, a personal choice. What I ask of all of my families is that they provide their teen with complete agency over the essay writing process–mom and dad cannot be editors on my Google Docs, they can be viewers and ask me questions, but no commenting from mom and dad. I'm a parent, I know there is parental bias, experiential bias. I'd recommend parents to take a step back with the actual crafting of materials–let your teen write their essay(s), activities, supplemental question answers, resumes. But teach your teen how to advocate and be proactive, reaching out and doing what they need to do at this time–including asking you for help if they need. The only wrong aspect of parental engagement is misguided direction: forcing certain colleges on a best fit list for prestige's sake, forcing a fit because of perception, overwhelming students with too much at once.

Mistakes & Misconceptions

What's the single biggest essay mistake you see year after year?

I'll give you a newer 'mistake' that can change depending upon how AI progresses, then I'll give you a mistake-mistake. A good number of students this cycle who 100% did NOT use AI to write their essays put their essays through an AI detector to get a surprisingly high similarity rate. Then, they start to panic and want to change/dilute their essay out of fear it will be tossed away because it 'sounds like AI.' This is not the case. Even the best teen writer does NOT sound like AI. I can tell. Admissions can tell. Do not worry about AI if you didn't use AI.

Regarding a 'mistake-mistake,' too often do teens believe they're writing an essay about something that happened to them and they're getting into it because the story was dramatic or shocking or powerful. It's the reflective element that colleges are looking for that counts. An essay about experiencing a house fire and getting displaced, written with descriptive language and a creative flair, exploring that tragic night, is not the right direction for a fully formed essay. However, using a few sentences in the intro about this transformative night and how it taught you resilience and how that resilience now guides your day to day in X club is the direction to go.

It's not the before that matters, it's the after.

Any "conventional wisdom" you actually disagree with?

My plea to all students who ask for others to review their essays is this: whoever you choose–parent, friend, teacher, counselor, CEP, IEP, specialist, community leader, etc.--make sure you give them your list of colleges as well. An English teacher can often review an essay for flow and conventions of writing but if they love your super liberal essay but don't know it's going to an incredibly conservative school, it's not a good fit, even if it's an excellent piece. A well written essay does not always equal a well written admissions essay. Essays read and reviewed out of context are often misunderstood.

How should students be thinking about AI in the essay process?

Trust your gut, trust your own abilities before turning to AI. Don't risk using AI to misguide your sentiment. Authenticity is key. While I don't use AI with my students in any part of our process of working together, I can note that NACAC supports AI used for the brainstorming component of the process in some of their webinars. But that's where it ends.

Working with Dr. Coppi

What does the process look like from first contact to finished essay?

Families reach out on my site and fill out a JotForm. I respond with a welcome video that explores some of my comprehensive essay writing processes, and I offer a free 20 minute zoom or phone consult for additional questions and to have a little chat. A contract gets signed, fee is paid, and then my schedule is your schedule. We work as often as you need in the document and we don't finish until you're happy with the product. Should you want to work on supplementals, activities lists, resumes, other services, etc. as well, I help construct that document accordingly and even offer a bulk rate discount for 5+.

What kinds of students do you tend to work best with?

Most of my students are high achievers. I always attract students with lofty ambitions and a story to tell. I work with many students each cycle applying to the Ivies, New Ivies, selective programs (direct-admit nursing, performing arts, etc.), schools with low acceptance rates…but I also work well with students of any abilities and intentions. My goal is to find best fit families who appreciate the process and how it can both showcase growth for college admissions committees and help their students grow into self-aware, authentic individuals.

How should someone reach out to lock in a summer slot?

• Website: sayyestotheessaywithdrcoppi.com
• Say Yes to the Ess-ay on Substack
• Say Yes to the Ess-ay on Facebook
• kjm366@nyu.edu / 631.626.8572 (an initial text is preferred)

And if you can't work on these things over the summer, don't count yourself out. I work with students comprehensively beginning in September/October all the time, too.

About Dr. Coppi: Dr. Kellie Coppi, CEP is an independent educational consultant/certified educational planner who works with families from 9th-12th grade on college prep, particularly focusing on work with 11th and 12th graders in crafting their best fit essay narratives and best fit college lists. As an MBTI and Strong Inventory practitioner, the extended credentials offer more nuanced support and guidance to both undecided and high achieving students.