A few years ago, I used the Essay Rockstar online high school writing program with Lindsey and wrote a detailed review then; I recommend reading that post because I go into more depth on the actual course. In short, I liked it because:

A) it’s a great program
B) it gives a homeschooled student constructive criticism from someone other than mom.

Earlier this year, I decided to use this program with Kathryn, but rather than doing the full Essay Rockstar course, which includes 4 complete essays, we opted to do a “short course” with just one essay. Kathryn chose the Personal Statement because this type of essay will be useful for things like college applications.

Disclosure: I received this course in exchange for writing a review, but all opinions are my own. Also note: this post contains affiliate links.

Writing the “Personal Statement” Essay

The Personal Statement essay course includes seven lessons that teach students a 5-step writing process they can apply to any future writing project. Typically, this is a four-week program, but could be done a bit faster or spaced out a bit. It ended up taking Kathryn longer because of unexpected life happenings, plus a vacation in the middle.

Kathryn has learned to give a balanced opinion of what she thinks of any curriculum or programs we use. She knows a vague complaint won’t get my attention, but when she explains what she dislikes, I sometimes decide she’s right and decide to discontinue or switch to something different. When she likes a program, that’s high praise — and Essay Rockstar earned that.

Each lesson features a video presentation, but also a written version of the lesson, which is great for people like Kathryn (and me!) who usually prefer to read rather than watch lessons.

I appreciate how encouraging the teacher, Lily, is with feedback. She responds quickly to questions, and reviews assignments in a timely manner; on the rare occasions she could not, she always sent an email ahead of time to let us know.

The only thing Kathryn disliked was her own writer’s block, which of course had nothing to do with the assignments. At her age (14), she works independently in most subjects and was determined to do so with this essay; although she did ask me questions and pick my brain for ideas, she didn’t want me to read anything until she was 100% done. I was fine with that since Lily was providing helpful feedback.

Satisfaction guaranteed.

Fortuigence has a 100% satisfaction guarantee: If you realize this course isn’t a good fit for your student — or if the instructor finds that your student isn’t ready for this course — they will issue a full refund. (Please ask Lily for details to clarify specifics.)

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Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »