College Bound Mentor: "Putting the Wow in Your College Essays with Susan Knoppow"

Date: August 13, 2025
Host(s): Lisa Bleich, Abby Power, Stefanie Forman
Guest: Susan Knoppow (CEO & Co-Founder, WOW Writing Workshop)

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the art—and psychology—of writing compelling college essays. The hosts interview Susan Knoppow, developer of the "WOW Method," a 10-step process for guiding students (and their advisors) through the college essay journey. Susan shares why lowering the stakes leads to more authentic work, explains essential components of a great essay, and offers practical strategies for students, families, and counselors. The discussion also tackles common myths, parental involvement, and the emerging role of AI in essay writing.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Origins of the WOW Approach

• Guest Introduction & Backstory (01:48–04:09)

  • Susan has a longstanding career as a writer and educator. In 2009, she co-founded WOW Writing Workshop with journalist Kim Lifton.
  • The motivation: “When you’re a writer, people ask you to look at their writing” (01:48). She developed a method to teach—not do—the work for students.

• Success = Calm, Clarity, and Completion:

  • “For us, success meant the students were calm. They weren’t freaking out. They were finishing their essays. They were understanding what they were doing.” (02:47)

2. The WOW Philosophy & 10-Step Process

• Guiding Philosophy (04:24–10:27):

  • Students can make their own editorial decisions with the right tools. The goal is not to tell them what to write, but to give them a framework and teach observation-based editing.
  • The essay ultimately belongs to the student.

• Key Steps:

  1. Understand the Prompt: Not just reading the words, but why the essay is required, who is reading it, and what the reader already knows. (04:24–07:36)
     • Memorable Quote: “Most students start brainstorming ideas. ...We say, no, no, no, slow down.” (06:07)
  2. Brainstorming: Only after truly understanding the purpose.
  3. Theme: A crucial intersection of what happened (“the story”) and why it matters (“the characteristic”).
     • The “anchor story” grounds the essay.
     • Don’t draft until theme is developed.
  4. Content before Structure: Focus on storytelling and meaning; structure and polish come later.

• Revision as Discovery:

  • "A writer doesn’t think of revision as fixing broken things. A writer thinks of revision as trying to find a way to see the essay new." (09:37)
  • Exercises outside the essay help strike new insights before actual revision.

3. Greatest Challenges for Students

• Two Top Difficulties (10:32–12:16):

  • Bringing four (imperfect) ideas to the first session—students overthink originality.
  • Planning the second draft (step 7), which requires trust in themselves, not just following instructions.

• Notable Quote: “That’s where things click...our job is to remind them that they already have everything they need.” (11:44)

4. What Makes a Successful Essay?

• Key Elements (12:59–15:35):
  • From Admissions: “If they want to stand out, tell them to answer the question.” (13:13)
    • Most students try too hard to impress rather than directly answer prompts.
  • Structure isn’t prescribed; it should emerge naturally.
  • Avoid formulaic tie-ups (“in conclusion” paragraphs waste words).
  • Anchor stories help prevent essays from losing focus.

5. Case Study: A Student Finds His Voice

• Transformation Story (15:59–21:05):
  • Student perceived as an average writer, initially picked “impressive” stories suggested by his parents.
  • Breakthrough moment (17:06): When asked, “Tell me about a time you were curious about someone,” he described a conversation in driver’s ed.
    • Quote: “That’s it. That’s who you are. That’s what they want.” (18:29)
  • Lesson: When students own their process, authentic, effective essays emerge—even if the writing is simple.

6. Shifting the "Be Impressive" Mindset

• Parental Roles and Reframing (22:28–28:10):

  • Parents often think their job is to “elevate” or edit.
    • Advice: “Your job is to ask them, what are some of your best traits?...Ask them, what were you trying to communicate here?” (24:22)
  • Editing by parents makes essays sound inauthentic.
  • Instead, parents should observe, ask questions, reflect—and then “go do something else.”

• Reading Your Child’s Essay (26:12):

  • Step away from the computer; offer positive feedback first; consider how it reflects your child, not an ideal; trust their voice.

7. Overwhelm and the Blank Page

• For Overwhelmed Students (29:52–33:38):
  • Do not try to write a full draft at once; start with the theme: “What are you going to write about and why?”
    • Quote: “Momentum is your friend. Keep moving, don’t stop and say, well, maybe I have a better idea...” (30:35)
  • Free-writing for details (step 4) precedes drafting.
  • Keep returning to the prompt and theme to catch gaps, avoid tangents, and maintain focus on content before structure.
  • “I want you to write me a really bad first draft,”—advice to reduce pressure. (33:38)

8. On ‘Hooks,’ Structure, and the Myth of Perfection

• Students too often fixate on “having a hook” or nailing structure before content (34:45–35:12).
  • Quote: “We need the content before we figure out the structure or the hook, the conclusion.” (35:12)

9. Applying the WOW Process to Supplemental Essays

• Supplements as a Package (35:36–39:29):
  • Look at supplementals in relation to the personal statement—together, they tell a coherent story.
  • Analyze prompts closely; distinguish each school’s nuance.
  • Why Us essays = “the dating essay.” Get specific: “What stories can I tell you that show that we really go together?” (38:38)
  • Don’t just start drafts; make sure ideas are well conceived.

10. Artificial Intelligence and Essay Writing

• AI’s Limitations (39:48–43:21):

  • Current AI tools mainly do things counselors shouldn’t: telling students what to write, or editing their essays.
  • “It’s not your job to mine for gold. It’s your job to teach students how to think about the essay...” (41:10)
  • AI misses reflective, personal growth; it can speed up the wrong parts of the process but not replace self-discovery.

• On Self-Reflection (43:21–43:58)

  • “So much of the writing process, there’s a process that goes through of self-reflection, of understanding what drives you, making these connections that you wouldn’t have otherwise. ...It’s almost like sending an LLM to therapy and saying, okay, go to therapy.” (43:21)

11. Myths & Truths about College Essays

• Myths & Truths (44:45–46:29):
  • Truth: “You will be impressive if you answer the question.” (44:45)
  • Myth: Colleges don’t read essays; colleges want essays with certain characteristics; you “can’t” write about certain topics (sports, religion, mental health, etc.).
  • Topics aren’t the problem; it’s whether the essay has a meaningful “why.”

12. Final Tips & Messages

• Trust Yourself (47:04–47:36):

  • “You’ve already done the hard things. You are good enough. Your writing skills are good enough. You don’t have to turn yourself into something that you’re not...Trust yourself. And parents, trust your students.” (47:04)

• Beware the Editing Trap:

  • When outside feedback changes the essay’s voice, it becomes different, not necessarily better. Students should retain ownership and pride.

• Authenticity Is Everything:

  • “Your story, told in your voice and in your words, is what your readers are looking for.” (48:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Lowering the Stakes:
  “We found that if we lower the stakes and lower the heat, we actually get better results.” (00:04, 26:54)

• On The Purpose of the Essay:
  “It doesn’t say you need to be unique. It doesn’t say you need to be outrageously special...Normal kids get to go to college. Normal kids graduate from college.” (29:52)

• On Parental Involvement:
  “Your job is to ask them, what are some of your best traits?...Don’t change words, don’t move paragraphs, don’t suggest a different topic.” (24:22)

• On Process Over Perfection:
  “I want you to write me a really bad first draft.” (33:38)

• On Authenticity:
  “Your story, told in your voice and in your words, is what your readers are looking for.” (48:42)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:48 – Susan Knoppow’s background and founding of WOW Writing Workshop
• 04:24 – The WOW Method & philosophy explained
• 10:32 – Hardest steps for students
• 12:59 – Key elements of a successful essay (content & structure)
• 15:59 – Student story: from ‘impressive’ to authentic
• 22:28 – Advice for parents and shifting the “impressive” mindset
• 29:52 – Tips for overwhelmed students and how to start
• 35:36 – Applying the process to supplemental essays
• 39:48 – The impact (and limits) of AI on essay writing
• 44:45 – Myths and truths about essays
• 47:04 – Final tips: trust and authenticity

Bottom Line

• The strongest college essays come from deep self-understanding and a clear focus on theme—answering the prompt honestly, rather than impressing the reader.
• Students, trust yourselves and your voice.
• Parents, offer support but don’t take over.
• The “WOW Method” offers structured, practical steps that can reduce anxiety, encourage authentic writing, and lead to better, more personal essays.
• Don’t get hooked on myths or trends (or “hooks”): substance trumps flash.