Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Writing for Life Institute is an overnight pre-college writing program for current 9th–12th grade students. The program is part of Wake Forest University’s Summer Immersion Program and is designed for high school students who want to become stronger, more purposeful writers.
The institute is not only about grammar or polished sentences. Its central idea is that good writing “works.” A strong essay can help a student apply to college. A clear memo can support a future career. A powerful article can bring research or ideas to the public. Students explore how writing can inform, entertain, persuade, move people, and help them reach personal, academic, and professional goals.
The atmosphere is academic, thoughtful, and workshop-driven. Students engage in the full writing process, from brainstorming and drafting to revising and final proofreading. They also participate in participatory workshops, practice audience analysis, explore public writing, and talk with people who write, teach writing, or use writing in their professional lives.
This institute is best for teens who enjoy writing, want to improve their college-level communication skills, or have stories, arguments, ideas, or future goals they want to express more clearly.
Sample daily schedule:
8:00 AM — Morning meeting and breakfast
9:00 AM — Welcome and program introduction
9:30 AM — Introduction to writing for the public
10:30 AM — Workshop: audience analysis
12:00 PM — Lunch
1:00 PM — Visit the WFU Press
2:00 PM — Tailoring writing for intended audiences
5:00 PM — Debrief for next day
5:30 PM — Dinner
6:30 PM — Evening activities
7:30 PM — Free time
9:00 PM — Prepare for bed
10:30 PM — Lights out
| Ages: | 14–17 |
| Type: | Overnight |
| Month: | Summer |
| Gender: | Co-Ed |
| Setting: | City |
| Lodging: | Dorm |
| Academics: | Academics, Liberal Arts, Writing, Learning, Pre-College |
| Address: | Wake Forest University, Wake Forest Road, Winston-Salem |
| Winston-Salem | |
| USA |
You won’t be charged yet. The camp will contact you to confirm all terms first.
| Dates | Days | Price | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7 - Jun 12, 2026 | 6 | $3,500 | |
| Jun 14 - Jun 19, 2026 | 6 | $3,500 |
Writing for Life Institute helps students understand writing as a tool for action. Students explore how writing can inform, entertain, persuade, move people, share research, tell stories, support applications, and communicate ideas in public life.
The program includes a mix of academic discussion and hands-on practice. Students learn how to craft stories that matter to others, build persuasive arguments, and use writing to enter the public sphere. They also practice personal essay writing, audience analysis, drafting, revision, proofreading, and workshop participation.
The institute gives students a realistic taste of writing beyond the classroom. They may talk with people who write for a living, teach writing, or depend on writing in their careers. They also explore writing “in the wild,” which helps connect classroom skills to real-world communication.
Writing for Life Institute is an overnight residential program. Students live on the Wake Forest University campus during the institute week, from Sunday through Friday. This gives participants a fuller pre-college experience than a short day camp. They attend academic sessions, eat meals, join evening activities, have free time, and follow a residential schedule with lights out at night.
The sample daily schedule starts with a morning meeting and breakfast, followed by writing sessions, workshops, lunch, afternoon learning, dinner, evening activities, free time, and bedtime preparation. This rhythm helps students experience the structure of campus life while still having a supervised summer program schedule.
Because the program is residential, students should be ready to stay away from home, manage a daily routine, participate in group activities, and live in a campus environment with other high school students. Families should view this as a pre-college institute, not a traditional sleepaway recreation camp.
Meals are built into the residential schedule. The sample day includes breakfast after the morning meeting, lunch at midday, and dinner in the evening. These meals support the full-day institute structure, which runs from morning academic programming through evening activities.
The daily schedule includes breakfast at 8:00 AM, lunch at 12:00 PM, and dinner at 5:30 PM. Students then continue into evening activities, free time, and bedtime preparation. Because this is an overnight campus program, meals are part of the student’s daily residential experience.
Writing for Life Institute is held as part of Wake Forest University’s Summer Immersion Program, a structured pre-college experience for high school students. The program has a set daily schedule that includes academic sessions, meals, evening activities, free time, bedtime preparation, and lights out.
The sample schedule shows a supervised residential rhythm, with students moving through morning meetings, workshops, campus-based activities, meals, evening programming, and nighttime routines. This structure is important for teens living on campus during the institute week.
The academic environment is designed for current 9th–12th grade students. Participants should be mature enough to attend workshops, contribute to discussions, manage writing assignments, follow residential expectations, and participate respectfully in a group of high school peers.
Writing for Life Institute follows a writer’s rhythm: think, draft, share, revise, polish, and try again. Students are treated less like kids doing a school assignment and more like young writers learning how to make words do real work.
The institute’s tradition is rooted in process. Students brainstorm ideas, write drafts, join small-group writing workshops, revise their work, and practice proofreading. They also explore how writing changes depending on audience and purpose. A personal essay, article, argument, college essay, memo, or public-facing piece all ask different things from the writer.
Another key tradition is learning from people who use writing professionally. Students may connect with authors, journalists, poets, writing teachers, and others who rely on writing in their personal and professional lives.
The sample daily schedule is subject to change.
The program does not provide secondary school or college credit.
Students receive a Wake Forest University Certificate of Completion after finishing the institute.
