How can Luxembourg students prepare effectively for the Proctored Writing Sample requirements at top US boarding schools?

The good news? Your Luxembourg student already has some serious advantages going into this. The multilingual juggling act they do every day has given them mental agility that many students don’t have. The challenge? They need to learn a completely new way of writing that is fast, focused, and final.

Here’s what actually works: First, they need to get comfortable being watched while they write. It sounds weird, but having someone observe you think through a problem in real-time feels different than regular test-taking. Next, they should dive into understanding how American students are taught to write. It’s often more direct and structured than the nuanced approaches common in European education.

The real game-changer is developing what we call “writing templates” which they can quickly adapt to any prompt type. Whether they get a “tell us about a challenge you faced” prompt or a “what would you change about your school” question, they need a reliable framework to organize their thoughts quickly. Practice sessions should cover everything from personal stories to current events to ethical dilemmas. And here’s a crucial tip: they should practice thinking in English from start to finish during these sessions. Mental translation eats up precious minutes they can’t afford to lose.