You’ve heard all the advice before: “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” don’t leave things to the last minute, all good things take time, effort, and patience to complete…
Well, hypothetically, let’s say that ship has already sailed. The clock is ticking. Suddenly, you’ve got seven days left before your college application deadline, and your essay is still only an idea in the back of your brain.
Don’t panic. You don’t need a miracle — you need a method.
The traditional essay writing timeline stretches over weeks or even months. Students might spend as many as 80+ hours drafting, revising, and perfecting their essays for a single college application. But sometimes, life doesn’t leave you that much time! Whether you procrastinated, got swamped with school, or only just realized how important your essay is, you can still write something strong.
That’s where the essay sprint method comes in.
A sprint won’t make your essay perfect, but it will get you a polished draft you can submit with pride. Remember, most great writing starts out messy — the magic happens in focus and momentum, not endless tinkering. So, this is a focused, no-fluff approach to writing a high-quality college essay draft in just seven days. With structured daily tasks, writing sprints, and smart revision tactics, you’ll bypass perfection paralysis and finally make progress.
It’s not about cutting corners. It’s about writing fast, with intention. So let’s break it down, step by step.
What does a “typical” college essay process look like?
Let’s take a closer look at the task at hand. We analyzed real student data from previous Empowerly classes to better understand the writing process.
What does the ideal essay timeline look like? What really takes up most of your time?
Significant investment in homework time
No matter how you slice it, college essays are a lot of work. With enough time to create essays they were happy with, we found that most students invest over 80 hours in essays alone.
Yep, that’s right. On average, Class of 2023 students submitted around 33-43 essay drafts and had 23-28 counseling sessions between April and December or January and December. The majority of time spent on essays and applications is dedicated to homework, indicating a strong emphasis on independent work and preparation.
- Total time spent on all tasks is 4,825 minutes (just over 80 hours).
- Homework time accounts for 78.34% of the total time.
- Counselling time accounts for 21.66% of the total time.
Common App personal statement dominates time allocation
The Common App personal statement is by far the most time-consuming task, highlighting its importance and the effort invested in its completion. Not only that, at a whopping 650 words, it’s one of the longest college essays you’ll write.
- The Common App personal statement consumed 22.07% of the total time.
- Other significant time investments: UC Prompt 4 and Harvard Supplement 1.
“Revising” and “Drafting” are the most time-consuming stages
The “Revising” and “Drafting” stages require the most significant time commitment, suggesting these are critical phases in the essay and application process. There’s no way around it.
- “Revising” accounts for 31.71% of the total time.
- “Drafting” accounts for 24.04% of the total time.
- “Ideation” and “Editing” also require substantial time, with 12.44% and 12.33% respectively.
What is a sprint? And how can it help me with college essays?
The essay sprint method, also known as “writing sprints” or “word sprints,” is a powerful and efficient strategy to write a full essay draft in just a few days. It breaks down the writing process into manageable daily steps, promoting focused bursts of writing and overcoming common hurdles like procrastination and perfectionism.
What do I need to do?
For our purposes (college essays), there are three main phases to the method. Pick the essay you need to write and gather your materials:
- Comfortable seat
- Good lighting
- Water and/or snacks nearby
- Headphones or earbuds
- Your calendar for planning
- Computer or writing supplies
- Timer or clock
Make a plan.
- First, break down the essay. Divide your essay into sections (introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion) and each section into smaller, manageable tasks as outlined (like drafting a paragraph or outlining key points for a specific section).
- Set daily goals. Establish realistic daily writing goals, such as a specific word count or completing a particular section, to maintain consistency and track your progress.
Write efficiently.
- Utilize focus techniques while you’re drafting. In other words, engage in short, focused writing sessions dedicated solely to writing without distractions or editing, says Research Rebels.
- Prioritize tough tasks. Tackle the most challenging sections or tasks first, a strategy sometimes referred to as “eating the frog,” to avoid procrastination and build momentum.
- Resist the urge to edit. Focus on generating words and ideas during the sprint, saving editing and revision for later stages.
Revise quickly, if at all.
- Track your progress. Monitor word count or completion of tasks to visualize progress and stay motivated, according to The Creative Penn.
- Embrace imperfection. Remember that the goal of the draft is to get ideas down, not to achieve perfection, so allow for messiness and trust in the revision process.
Are you ready to start your college essays? Check out our Essay Readiness Quiz to find out!
The 7-day essay sprint method
Hey, even the Earth took seven days, right? If you’re looking at a mere week before you need to have a draft in your hand, here’s what your schedule might look like.
Day 1 – Brainstorm and outline
Goal: Set your topic, audience, and structure. Expect to spend at least 90 minutes on brainstorming and outlining — one 45-minute session to generate ideas, and one to organize your story.
- Use these brainstorming techniques to find your story.
- Ask: What story shows growth, values, or challenge? What’s not already obvious from the rest of my application?
- If possible, outline the structure you’ll follow for the rest of your essay: intro, 2–3 key scenes or paragraphs, and a takeaway.
Day 2 – Write the first paragraph
Goal: Start with the heart of your story.
- Focus on a vivid moment or turning point. Show, don’t just tell.
- Use the Pomodoro method: set a timer for 25 minutes, write without stopping, then break for 5 minutes. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
Day 3 – Finish the body
Goal: Build on your momentum.
- Add reflection and connect the dots. Why did this matter? What changed in you?
- Don’t worry about perfection, just get the scenes down.
Day 4 – Draft the introduction and conclusion
Goal: Open and close strong.
- Intro tip: Start in the action, with a hook. Again, don’t worry too much; you can polish it later.
- Conclusion tip: Reflect without repeating. Show how you’ve grown or what you now believe. Leave us with a new image of you.
This video gives you some additional tips on how to improve your intro and conclusion sections of the essay:
Day 5 – Review for flow and clarity
Goal: Read the whole essay out loud. Highlight anything that feels off.
- Use Empowerly’s 10 Tips for Editing Essays to check the major elements.
- Ask: Is my voice clear? Does this sound like me?
- Focus on flow, sentence variety, and paragraph transitions.
Day 6 – Get feedback
Goal: Share your draft with someone you trust (mentor, counselor, Empowerly coach).
- Choose your peer-editors carefully, and don’t ask a dozen different people for input. You’ll only get pulled in different directions.
- Ask for feedback on clarity, tone, and emotional impact.
- Don’t get stuck here; choose 1–2 changes to focus your energy on.
Day 7 – Final revisions and proofreading
Goal: Polish your draft. Fix grammar, typos, and formatting.
- Read it aloud again. Cut anything that sounds forced or repetitive.
- Double-check that you answer the prompt and fit the word count.
- You did it!
Tips for success
Remember, done is always better than perfect — and even professional writers rely on many, many invisible drafts you never see.
- Create a distraction-free environment: Minimize interruptions by turning off notifications and finding a quiet space.
- Set realistic intentions: Clarify your goal for each sprint, whether it’s a word count or a section to complete. This helps you set clearer expectations.
- Incorporate regular breaks: Short breaks between sprints prevent burnout and maintain focus. Remember to take care of yourself throughout the process, too!
By implementing these steps and embracing the core principles of the essay sprint method, you can make significant progress on your essays. It’s not magic, or a miracle! You’re just transforming the daunting task of writing into a manageable and even enjoyable journey towards a finished draft within a week, with good old-fashioned hard work.
What’s the end goal (a good essay)?
If you have the time, we highly recommend reading Empowerly’s Guide to Essays for a full, comprehensive guide to writing your personal statements for the college application.
A great college essay should:
- Showcase your authentic voice
- Highlight personal growth or insight
- Reflect your values or character
- Connect to your broader application narrative
- Tell your story, honestly!
Your story is waiting for you
Need help getting started? Empowerly’s expert counselors can guide you through every phase of your essay — from brainstorming to final polish. Whether you need to see other successful essays for inspiration, talk to an expert, or just get a final check on your submissions, Empowerly can help. Book your free consultation today to learn how we can help you soar.
