English composition assistant Jenn Schorr helps a student with their essay.

by Makenna Babcock ‘28

With college application deadlines arriving as soon as next week on November 1, seniors are in the middle of a busy time. One of the most stressful aspects of the process is the one or more essays that are a requirement for submitted applications to most colleges and universities. Sherwood’s two English composition assistants, Jenn Schorr and Jean Arthur, are readily available to help seniors, especially with personal essays.

Arthur, before becoming a comp assistant at Sherwood, was a lawyer and then a substitute teacher at schools across MCPS. Schorr is currently in her fourth year at Sherwood and worked in the past as a technical editor and public information officer. They saw a need in that a lot of students are intimidated by the general idea of writing an essay that can show their strengths in full.

“For content, many students do not reveal much about themselves,” said Arthur. “Many students write essays about a subject they like but do not talk about how it impacts their lives.”

Schorr also sees this problem in which students are reluctant or unsure to reveal more about themselves, which is what colleges want to see in an essay. “[Students] don’t focus on who they are now, instead focusing on their early childhood. College admissions officers want to know your current personality, and this essay is the best place to show it,” explained Schorr.

Both Schorr and Authur are available through email to set up an appointment. Arthur also takes walk-ins and is free during lunch, advisory, or free periods. By going to the English Writing Center in room E256, students can also schedule appointments with Schorr. After initial meetings, a lot of work can be done on Google Docs as well as through emails in which a student will get feedback and suggestions. Schorr and Aurtur both stated that grammatical errors are fairly common in students’ essays, and they can help as proof-readers.

Schorr noted that often, students are recommended to start their essays around spring of their junior year and over the summer into their senior year. It’s a period where there’s more time to focus on it, and students have enough growth to start thinking about topics.

“Meet with me in spring of junior year to figure out your best topic,” Schorr recommends. “By that time, the Common App questions are out. Then you can work on it the summer before your senior year and we can meet up in the fall to edit and finalize.”