Essay Busters is a non-profit educational organization that gives underprivileged high school students the essential writing tools to tackle the college admissions process. Essay Busters uses the college personal statement to teach economically disadvantaged college-bound students how to communicate “Who I am” through the written and spoken word. And no less important, EB saves overworked, underpaid guidance counselors hours of work, giving them the time to effectively guide their students to the right college.

Upon completion of the EB program, all students will have mastered the most difficult part of the college admissions process—the personal statement. Additionally, EB will assist with supplemental essays, and the students will participate in an interview skills workshop. Throughout this experience, the students are encouraged by mentor role models, empowered, and exposed to a supportive and caring environment that will solidify lifelong personal and even professional relationships.

• Essay Busters connects about 30 young-professional mentors (per partner school or program) to work with 1 to 3 students each
• Students find us through their high-school guidance counselor or an after-school program
• Students sign up through their high-school guidance counselor or an after-school program
• Work takes place at the school or after-school program office
• The mentors meet with the students on-site only and meet for approximately two hours each session over ten different sessions

ALL UNDERSERVED STUDENTS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

The top and bottom students of a class typically receive help from many sources, which target these at-risk students as either “promising” or “in desperate need of help.” This leaves at-risk students in the middle without the proper guidance that they deserve. Essay Busters serves those “mid-range” students: average college-bound students, unqualified for programs that place them at the top or bottom of their academic peer group, who do not have the money to hire test-prep services or private educational consultants. Half of the students in each program must have federal Title I status—which refers to those students who are eligible for free lunch due to their family’s economic status. Almost all of the students who participate will be “First Gen”—the first in their family to go to college. Since 2008, Essay Busters has worked with underserved students at many different schools and/or after-school programs in New York City and Westchester County, including:

Essay Busters currently operates at a handful of schools. Expanding our reach should be easy, given the need, but there’s a problem: outreach, growing the program, and recruiting mentors for each school takes time and, of course, money. We are in need of your help so that we can afford to continue our programs next year at our current schools, as well as expand to others.

Our program is free for the students, and we would like to keep it that way. It costs approximately $125 per student, or $7,500 per school.

Our 2014 fundraising goal is $50,000. This will cover our current operations & our expansion efforts.

To find out what your gift will do for us, or if you have any questions about our operations and funding needs, please contact us.

Essay Busters is actively looking for potential corporate sponsorships & partnerships. If interested please contact us at james@essaybusters.org.

Essay Busters is a New York State not-for-profit corporation.

Our volunteer mentors work closely with our college-bound seniors for approximately 10 sessions. During this time, mentors partner with 2 to 3 students. They help them write college essays, finalize college applications, and create long-lasting bonds with their students. Mentors are an integral part of the college admissions process that teaches what accountability and commitment really mean. Mentors might start in order to build a resume, but always return a second or third time—they get as much as they have given. Every mentor is required to attend a training session at the Essay Busters office before the program begins.

Our Mentors:

• Mentors are typically graduates of top-tier colleges
• Mentors are young yet seasoned professionals working in a wide array of industries from top financial institutions to public education

Why Become An EB Mentor?

• Have an opportunity to show what’s possible by serving as successful role models to underserved students who need to “see” how to get to college
• Empower and change the course of your mentee’s life while teaching the students how to communicate “who I am” through the written word
• Lower the burden on overwhelmed, underfunded high-school guidance counselors

Since 2002, Forster-Thomas, Inc, a NYC-based educational consulting firm, has been dedicated to helping at-risk youth gain access to first-rate colleges and universities. In 2008, Evan Forster, founder of Forster-Thomas, was asked to speak for 45 minutes about writing compelling college admissions essays to 40 low-income, underserved high school seniors at a Brooklyn, NY charter school. As he closed what had turned into a two-hour, interactive discussion about topic choices, “telling the truth,” and “digging down deep”—now the hallmarks of Essay Busters—the students, some high achievers, but mostly mid-range achievers, began to ask, “So, when’re you coming back?” and so did the overworked guidance counselors.

These underserved students wanted and needed more help. But what was clear that day was that it was not merely the top performers who were asking for “more.” The stunning part of that afternoon was that the middle-performing, academically average students were the ones asking for more help—but unlike their high-performing classmates, they had nowhere to go. They simply weren’t academically strong enough to get help from The Posse Foundation or wonderful organizations like it, nor were there dedicated guidance counselors to give them the necessary focus in and on the college application process.

Two months later, Forster-Thomas enlisted the support of that school’s overworked and overwhelmed guidance counselors and 30 young professionals who returned to lend a hand and became part of the first Essay Busters program. In 2012, our extraordinary mentors began the process of transforming Essay Busters into a non-profit entity.

With your help, we literally are The Little Engine That Can.