At Story To College we teach students 12 Tools to
- Find essay topics from their own experience;
- Shape their stories in response to essay and interview prompts; and
- Perform confidently in writing and speaking.
Story To College is a community of students, teachers, counselors and parents who believe that every high school student has a unique story to tell.
Stories tap into our shared human experience, creating a bridge from our past to our future. Your stories show colleges who you will be as a member of their community.
Founded in 2010 we have helped over 1000 students – from over 30 high schools around the world – explore the parts of their character that go beyond grades and test scores, awards and achievements.
We help students become a force for positive change in their communities and explore the difference they will make in the future. We teach students how to use their unique stories to help them discover who they will be in college.
Why storytelling?
Long after we’ve forgotten facts and figures, we remember stories. Simple stories connect us across continents and across generations. That’s why storytelling serves as the foundation of successful college application essays and interviews. That’s why Story To College teaches students a storytelling tool kit to reduce stress and conquer their college application essays and interviews.
Students who have completed our courses report feeling more ready for college, flexing new skills that include persistence, self-confidence, collaboration, meta-cognition (thinking about thinking), and sense of belonging. Students also report improved writing skills for high school and college course work (planning, organizing, and editing). We believe this so much that we are collaborating with Dr. Nadia Ward and Dr. Nathaniel Mohatt of Yale University’s Yale-Bridgeport Partnership are currently studying the overlap of social-emotional learning and improved writing outcomes in the Story To College Story Up! curriculum.
