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Writing You

Writing Workshop

Writing Skills, College

Grades 10-122 weeksSummerNomination-based
Students: Rising 10th-12th grades
Dates: June 9-13, 2025
Format: Residential
Move-In (for residential students): June 8, 2025
Cost: $25, includes housing, meals, and supplies.
Deadline: May 1
Registration: Invitation only. If nominated, students will receive registration instructions via email.

Ready to make your college and scholarship applications stand out? Join our week-long workshop at the University of Mississippi and learn how to write compelling personal essays that showcase your accomplishments and goals. You'll gain insider tips from faculty, staff, and administrators on what university committees look for in standout applications.

Work hands-on with trained writing consultants to craft and refine a personal statement you can use for college or scholarship applications. Review examples of successful essays, hear from undergraduates who’ve nailed their own applications, and receive expert feedback to polish your writing. This is your chance to build confidence, sharpen your skills, and tell your story like a pro!

Eligibility

  • Be in good academic and conduct standing at the time of admission.
  • Be nominated by a college preparation program. The school can be public, private, parochial, or home educated.
  • Complete the online application.

This program is nomination-based, and registration is by invitation only. If your school has nominated you, you may begin your admission process!

Scholarship/Financial Aid Available.
Find more scholarship information and the Summer Financial Aid Application.

A Typical Day

The day starts with breakfast, followed by morning sessions and lunch. Afternoon activities lead into work time, dinner, and evening free-time, including group projects. The night ends with counselor-led activities and room checks at 10:30 pm.

A detailed schedule and more information will be provided before the program begins.

Learn about a typical day

This program is nomination-based, and registration is by invitation only. If your school has nominated you, follow the steps below to begin your admission process.

1. Create an Account

Use a personal (non-school) email to register. Within 3 business days, you'll receive an email from umprecollege@myschoolapp.com with instructions to set up an account in our Admissions Portal.

Create Account

2. Pay to Secure Spot

Once in the Admissions Portal, follow the steps for payment to confirm your student’s place.

3. Complete Registration Checklist

In the Admissions Portal, complete your assigned registration checklist within 14 days or by the program deadline. This includes contact info, academic history, agreements, and medical forms.

Each student must have their own MySchoolApp account. Parents and guardians with more than one student can manage all of their students' application checklists from a single Parent account.

Students entering 1st-5th grades DO NOT need to have their own MySchoolApp account.

After Registration

  • Parents will receive an email with program details two weeks before the start date.
  • All middle and high school SIPS require an online mandatory orientation. The email will include the date and link to the session. 

Need to register more than one student?
Our system only allows one student registration per transaction.Complete one student’s registration, then start a new registration for the next student.

Before the program begins
You’ll receive a detailed pre-summer logistics email and a pre-arrival checklist on your MySchoolApp account.

Incomplete or Late Registrations

  • After payment, please complete all steps within 2 weeks.
  • Our team relies on this information to plan and schedule for the summer, so any registrations left incomplete or applications that are inactive after 3 weeks will incur a $20 late fee unless an extension is requested.

Refund Policy

  • Cancel at least 2 weeks before the session for an 80% refund.
  • Refunds are not available for cancellations made less than 2 weeks before the camp.
  • Full refunds will be issued if the camp is canceled due to low enrollment.

Dr. Ellen Shelton
Dr. Shelton is the Interim Director of the Writing Center along with a few other duties on campus. She also is the Director of the University of Mississippi Writing Project. She has taught all things writing from middle school, high school, undergrad, and graduate classes for 33 years. Dr. Shelton earned an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Mississippi. She is Nationally Board Certified in Adolescent/Young Adult Language Arts and a 2003 winner of the Milken National Educator Award. She was named to the University of Mississippi’s School of Education Alumni Hall of Fame in 2018.

Sponsoring Department: UM Office of Pre-College Programs and the UM Writing Center

Supervision of Minors
The University of Mississippi and the Office of Pre-College Programs value the safety of all our students. Our staff and counselors undergo extensive training and complete background checks before our summer camps and programs begin. Our office has policies and guidelines set in place to effectively supervise and ensure the safety of all students under our care. The University’s Supervision of Minors policy can be found online.

Summer Medical Form
All students participating in a camp or program offered by the Office of Pre-College Programs must complete and return a Summer Medical Form with required documentation (e.g. shot records, insurance card, parent’s driver’s license).

This form grants our office the ability to seek medical treatment for a student that is sick or injured. Students lacking this form by the first day of a program will not be able to participate until full documentation is submitted – no exceptions will be made to this policy.

Medical Care
Due to their age, students are not allowed access to the V.B. Harrison Student Health Center on campus. Students requiring non-emergency medical care between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. will be transported to an urgent care facility with parent’s approval.

There is not an after-hours medical clinic in Oxford. Students requiring medical care after 7 p.m. and before 9 a.m. are transported to the emergency room at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi with parent’s approval.