EMERGING WRITERS INSTITUTE Academic Camps by Education Unlimited®

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My daughter's experience at Emerging Writers was beyond her expectations. She came back with so much enthusiasm for the written word — her self-confidence and understanding of her strengths and weaknesses only serve to make her a better writer. The quality of the staff was superb. Having such wonderfully educated and enthusiastic teachers made this program such a success.

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Rosalba G., parent of an Emerging Writers Institute participant

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The best feature of the camp was an open creative environment that allowed its students to really step beyond any fear and doubts they had when concerning writing. The staff members were wonderful, interesting people to engage with in and outside the classroom. I liked going out into surrounding cities and events (Poetry Slam!). It really exposed us to new and amazing things. The most important thing I learned was that practice makes perfect: don't let your muse tell you when to write, but rather sit down ten minutes everyday and swim.

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Ana G., Emerging Writers Institute participant

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Watching my students present their work on the last day of camp made me well up with sadness and pride — sadness because I was saying goodbye to students I came to genuinely care about and pride because all of my hard work creating a cohesive and meaningful summer program paid off. Directing the Emerging Writers Institute was a true pleasure, and it reminded me that an academic program can indeed change student lives.

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Director of the Emerging Writers Institute

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I give this camp a 10/10. I loved having so much time to focus on my writing! My classmates were great, and the staff was super nice. I have participated in other creative writing programs, but I enjoyed Education Unlimited more because there was more freedom in terms of my writing. This camp also helped me to not be as shy about letting others edit my work, and I really enjoyed this camp!

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Christina B., Emerging Writers Institute participant

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My 15 year old son attended a creative writing camp based on the UC Berkeley campus last summer. It was a great experience for him, both in terms of developing his skills and interest in writing as well as giving him a taste of college life. Education Unlimited provided a good balance between giving the students a lot of independence while still providing plenty of supervision and support. The teachers were engaged and engaging and the field trips were all well thought out. Highly recommended!

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Mary Anne C. (San Anselmo, CA)

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Our 16-year-old daughter has been attending academic camps each summer since she was 10 years old. For parents with kids who love to write: Education Unlimited's Emerging Writers Institute (which our daughter attended at Yale) was the best of the bunch! Our daughter had a wonderful time, learned more than any of us had imagined possible, and walked away with a polished & publishable piece of writing. The camp director was available day and night, smoothed away every bump in the road (daughter's cell phone needing replacement, early airport departure time, etc.), and was extremely responsive each time we called with a question or concern. I cannot say enough good things about this summer camp! Our daughter has also attended Education Unlimited's Science Camp for Girls (which, contrary to other reviews I've read, included an excellent dissection component). And she reported learning "tons" when she attended Education Unlimited's Speech & Debate camp. The camps are structured to be safe, educational, and fun. Although we were nervous about sending our child off to camp on a plane (from Oregon), the folks at Education Unlimited have each summer managed all of the details flawlessly. They are always there at the airport, providing seamless transfers to and from camp, and somehow managing all aspects of the camp in a way that even my disorganized child is always where she needs to be, when she needs to be there.

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Lucille S. Salem, OR

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I attended the creative writing summer camp through Education Unlimited at UC Berkeley a few years ago, and it was an amazing experience that I will never forget. Every day there were different activities, like going to a live poetry slam and doing a photo scavenger hunt. There were so many options for what you could write, as well. I wrote one of my first memoirs, and I think it has definitely impacted the way I write to this day and what I will do in the future. There was also a found poetry, science fiction course, etc. It gave me a chance to look into genres I never thought I'd be involved with. The instructors utilized the surrounding campus and San Francisco area with the course. They were also great people and friends, supporting the students whenever possible. They did a great job in creating an overarching environment of encouragement and openness. They also gave great feedback for my writing as well, making sure everyone completed a writing piece they would love — not like an essay for a high school deadline. Everyone was happy to be there at every moment, and I loved that. I'll never forget my experience with EU! Thank you so much.

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Erin K. (Issaquah, WA)

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My daughter has been to three Education Unlimited summer camps on college campuses, and they were all fantastic. During middle school, she attended the Science Camp for Girls at Stanford University. She stayed in the Stanford dorms and met girls from all over the U.S. She loved it so much that she went back the following summer! She built a rocket, a robot, and did other science projects, plus went swimming and on field trips to San Francisco, all while being supervised by female adults in science careers.

Last summer, just before her senior year, she went to the Emerging Writers Institute at UC Berkeley for two weeks. It was a life changing experience for her. She always loved to write, but in this setting, surrounded by other young writers, talented and just-published young authors, and amazing instructors, she found her true path. She is on the quiet side but could NOT stop talking on the ride home after camp. She led off with, "Mom, when I met the other kids they asked me what BOOKS I like to read. They were all just like me! They read all the time!" She was able to choose what kind of writing she wanted to do at camp — short stories, plays, poetry, whatever. The workshops were run like a real writers group: they wrote, they shared, they critiqued each other's work. The critiquing was hard for her at first, but on the way home she was pulling out all the critiques of her own work and LOVED reading them. She looked at one and said, "Oh, Luis made such a good suggestion for this one part of my story." Anyway, if your son or daughter is at all interested in writing, I HIGHLY recommend this camp. Because of it, my daughter has decided to major in Creative Writing and Communications in college, and she is enthusiastic about getting started. She and the other campers still stay in touch through a Facebook group. Absolutely the best camp ever.

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Marilyn D. (San Jose, CA)

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We were looking for camps that would be highly engaging to our 13-year-old daughter (so you can imagine what a nightmare that can be) and came across the Emerging Writer's course offered by these folks. We dragged her to the Stanford campus kicking and screaming, but a week later, we were thrilled to watch as she engaged with the new friends she had made, as she read poems and stories she had written, and as she described the complete transformation she had while at the camp.

First, leading up to the camp, the materials provided and the thoughtfulness through the process were excellent. It was well-organized, and I always felt that my questions were answered quickly and thoroughly. At orientation, we were blown away by the professionalism of the counselor and instructor and felt certain there would be a ton of opportunity for her to grow both her writing and socialization skills.

As we left her with the counselors, we felt very safe and secure that she would be given structure (and fun) throughout the week. But the real reward came at the end when we saw the result of real engagements and relationships that were built (which are still active now, months later). While I realize not everyone will experience the same major results, I can say (having spent thousands of dollars on worthless camps) that our entire family would recommend this organization and their camps without hesitation.

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Cari J. (Morgan Hill, CA)

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My 15-year-old son attended the creative writing camp based on the UC Berkeley campus last summer. It was a great experience for him, both in terms of developing his skills and interest in writing and giving him a taste of college life. Education Unlimited provided a good balance between giving the students a lot of independence while still providing plenty of supervision and support. The teachers were engaged and engaging and the field trips were all well thought out. Highly recommended!

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MaryAnne C. (U.S)

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My 11-year-old (entering 7th grade this fall) did the Emerging Writer's Institute at UC Berkeley. At the last minute, during orientation, he decided he wanted to stay in the dorms all week rather than be a day camper, and the program was incredibly helpful, accommodating this change with excitement. He had a fantastic experience, did a slew of writing — poetry, fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting — and enjoyed all of it. One reason he decided to stay was that the evening activities included opportunities for one-on-one support of their writing projects, and he didn't want to miss that. It was also a lot of fun; local excursions helped them bond as a group. His teachers were engaging, supportive, and smart. In the short time he was there, he was known, challenged, and encouraged. The result is not only that he has the tools to do more writing, but also the desire.

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Daniel E. (Los Angeles, CA)