ACT’s American College Application Campaign (ACAC) is partnering with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) to offer a FREE Personal Statement Boot Camp for students and counselors this spring.
Designed for high school juniors (Class of 2027), these sessions will help students get started on their college essays with confidence.
Choose one session (same content):
- May 28, 2026 | 11:00 AM CT
- June 16, 2026 | 11:00 AM CT
Students will learn how to choose a topic, brainstorm, and start their essay. Counselors will gain strategies to support students at scale.
All registrants will also receive the recording.
Hi, Colleagues. Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) here.
A few years ago I had a conversation with a friend and admissions colleague who oversees a large number of college counselors in one of the largest districts in the country. She described what counselors’ days actually look like: hundreds of students, back-to-back meetings, and a filing cabinet doing its best.
I’d already had some counselor-facing resources, but that conversation inspired me to pull them into one place and fill in a few gaps. What you'll find below is a selection of resources from the hub we created specifically for school counselors, including everything from email templates and presentation slides to financial aid guides and essay support. Most are editable Google Docs or Slides you can brand with your school logo. All of them are free.
If you're a counselor with a large caseload and not enough hours, this is for you.
Counselor Email Templates for Every Stage of the College Process
This is one of the most useful things on this list. A Google Drive library of pre-written emails you can copy, paste, and send, covering everything from what to send your juniors in April to how to reach all four grades in September. No more starting from scratch every season.
Editable Google Slide Presentations for College Nights and Workshops
Covers everything from college list-building to paying for college. And every deck is editable so you can customize it for your student population. Just scroll down the link to browse the full library.
A Family's Handbook to the College Admissions Process
A comprehensive, editable overview of the entire college process. Put your school logo on the front, tweak it for your students, and share it. Especially useful for first-generation families who may not have a roadmap for what to expect. Click the link, then click "Copy" and it downloads straight to your Google Drive.
How to Write a College Personal Statement: A Free Video Crash Course
Assign this as homework. Walks students step-by-step through brainstorming, picking a topic, and structuring their essay. It's 20 minutes and free. Send it to your English teachers too; it works great in the classroom and helps you scale essay support when you can't meet with every student individually.
How to Create a Balanced College List
A step-by-step guide for juniors just starting their college search or seniors who need to add more target and likely schools. It walks students through how to research schools and find real fits, not just reach for names they've heard of.
Paying for College in Four Steps
Walks families through everything from scholarships to FAFSA, CSS Profile, and more. Great for financial aid nights, parent workshops, or as a standalone resource. If paying for college feels like a wall to your families, this helps break it into something manageable.
The Values Exercise
Helps students identify their core values before they write a single word — which means their essays actually sound like them. Works as a classroom activity or a take-home assignment. Counselors tell me it's one of the most effective pre-writing tools they use.
Sample Student Questionnaire for Large Caseloads
A downloadable questionnaire that captures student interests, goals, challenges, and what they want colleges to know about them. Designed for counselors with 200, 300, or 400+ students who still want to give personalized support.
How to Create an Effective School Profile for College Admissions
Your school profile is one of the most important documents you send to admissions offices, and one of the most overlooked. Walks you through what to include, how to format it, and how to make sure it gives readers the context they need to understand your students' achievements and circumstances.
College Application Fee Waivers: Who Qualifies and How to Get Them
More students qualify than you'd think, and a lot of them never find out. Breaks down eligibility, how to request waivers, and which colleges offer their own. Cost shouldn't be the reason a student doesn't apply. This helps make sure it isn't.
Know a counselor who could use these? Pass it along.
