College Writing Workshop

Case Western Reserve University medical students guide CSSM seniors through the process of writing their college essays.

The College Application Writing Workshop is a medical student-driven program that uses a mentoring approach to assisting seniors at the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine (CSSM) in the process of writing their college essays. This component of the Robbins Bridge Program was inititiated in 2011 amongst a team of motivated individuals including Dr. Robert Haynie, Asha Talati (CWRU School of Medicine Class of 2013), Kevin Shiue (CWRU School of Medicine Class of 2014), Brian McDonald and Arthur Evenchik, assistant to the dean for special projects in the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. The goals of the program are:

  • To encourage students to complete their college application and scholarship essays early
  • To provide tools to organize and write any essay even after completion of the workshop
  • To provide mentorship and guidance through the transition from high school to college
  • To create a forum for open, non-judgmental, honest discussion of stories, goals, and pieces of writing

Each fall semester roughly 25 CWRU medical students volunteer their time once a week to work with around 50 CSSM seniors through a curriculum of eight structured sessions designed to brainstorm, formulate, sculpt and perfect their college essays. Through this process the students bond over shared experiences and the frustrations and victories of writing an essay.

Enrollment for the Fall 2021 course has concluded. 

Please return on August 2022 for information on the Fall 2022 course.