Junior High & High School teens (7th-12th graders): What UNIQUE personal story will you share with COLLEGES in just a few years? ** IMPORTANT NOTE ** This “guided workbook” is a special ESSAY PREP TOOL for college-focused teens/tweens — it is NOT a textbook. Authored by an experienced essay evaluator who reviews freshman + transfer scholarship applications for the competitive public university in Berkeley CA. Each year she helps the university evaluate essays to award scholarships to incoming students. With a story-capturing system in place, the author's teen had strong success with college applications for both bachelor’s and master’s degrees — and won multiple scholarships to help pay tuition at the competitive campus in Stanford, CA. Brag Books were the GAME CHANGER! WHAT is a Brag Book? A guided space to collect key moments of growth and progress over the years. Fill-in-the-blank templates will guide you step-by-step to gather the stories, data points, experiences, and insights over time that college essay evaluators look for. WHY use a Brag Book + Why start NOW? Time flies — will you remember ALL of your past noteworthy moments? College essay prep quickly ramps up by 11th grade — for 7th-10th graders, this is only a few short years away. The ideal essay shares your unique story — this Brag Book creates the personal story library you’ll need (and wish you had). Can ESSAYS really "tip the scale" in college admissions? Absolutely. Admission essays paint a picture of WHO YOU ARE outside of grades & test scores. Sharing your unique story — including meaningful moments of strength, resilience, improvement, creativity, leadership, and personal awareness — can be a key factor that opens the door to your dream schools. WHAT'S INSIDE? Step-by-Step Guidance — capture up to 49 personal stories. FILL IN THE BLANKS to turn a noteworthy experience into a Growth Story to remember. Helpful tips and questions will guide you. - Create your own Story Index to easily find key stories later - College prep Insider Tips! - Why not just use a blank notebook? See image chart below. __________________________________________________________________ SOLVE 5 BIG PROBLEMS with this BRAG BOOK! Problem #1 - I can't remember every important event before 12th grade. SOLVED > this workbook captures relevant data each year so future college essays are much easier — and leveled up with personal anecdotes. Problem #2 - What details should I collect now that colleges will ask me about later? SOLVED > this workbook guides you to collect specific data points needed for most college applications, essays and scholarships. Question prompts will help you remember key highlights of an event or experience (a goldmine for college essays). Problem #3 - Writer's block: What is my unique story? SOLVED > a completed Brag Book is a story library! Collecting stories in one convenient place empowers you to write compelling essays highlighting long-term personal growth & maturity over time. Problem #4 - I can't find old papers to help tell my story. SOLVED > this workbook can also help you keep paper artifacts with each story. Keepsakes like photos, awards, congratulatory/thank you notes, event flyers: you’re collecting gems to fill a valuable treasure chest over time. Problem #5 - Most teens are stressed out over college essays. SOLVED > this workbook boosts confidence & lowers stress when college applications become the focus of 11th-12th grade — with a library full of growth stories, teens will be essay-ready early! J. Steele is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Berkeley essay reviewer residing in Silicon Valley. Each year she helps the university evaluate essays to award annual scholarships to incoming freshman & transfer students. With a story-capturing system in place, the author's teen had great success with college applications for both bachelor's and master's degrees — and won multiple scholarships to help pay tuition at the competitive campus in Stanford, CA. With college admissions more challenging than ever (and most tuitions rising annually) — young college hopefuls and their families will find the unique story-building tools and valuable insider pro-tips contained inside this user-friendly guide to be sanity-saving problem solvers applicable to any dream school on the list. An author-inventor in search of simple solutions to common problems, J. Steele's past innovations have been featured in the local and national media including The San Francisco Chronicle, Better Homes & Gardens publications, a cover story in The Costco Connection magazine, national radio, and network TV's "ABC News Now" and "CBS The Early Show".