College Essay Consulting
Let's do this.
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Together, we'll work through my proven step-by-step approach to help you explore who you are, identify your most notable experiences and strengths, and then write the sort of memorable admissions essays that can help you stand out.
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Because every student has a story.
What's yours?
Testimonials
College Essay Consulting
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Admissions Results
(a partial list)
Barnard
Bowdoin
Columbia U
Dennison
George Washington
Harvard
Loyola/Chicago
Michigan State
Northwestern
Oberlin
Pitzer
Princeton
Reed
Santa Clara
Scripps
Stanford
Tulane
U Chicago
U CO/Boulder
U IL/UC
U MI/Ann Arbor
U Toronto
U WI/Madison
Wellesley
Process
Listening comes first. I tailor my approach to suit each individual. Some students come to me early, in the spring or summer, for a complete months-long immersion in admissions essay writing. Other students come to me later, in the fall or winter, for some targeted feedback on a working draft just days or weeks before it's due. No matter where you are in your journey, I can help you showcase your best self while, at the same time, guiding you through my proven step-by-step process of discovery, feedback, and revision.*
Step One
We'll review what you already know about admissions essays and fill in any gaps.
Step Two
I'll use my journalistic skills to ask you questions about how you came to be who you are. Then, we'll do some structured brainstorming to further uncover your most intriguing stories and profound personal insights.**
Step Three
We'll engage in a series of outlines, freewrites, drafts, and focused revisions to help you find your voice, discover your most telling details, and produce the sorts of application essays that can make all the difference.
* Certain steps can be skipped to accommodate advanced writers or tight deadlines.** Many students worry that, if they haven't overcome some hardship, they won't have anything to write about. Rest assured, overcoming hardship is not a prerequisite for writing a great admissions essay.
Pricing
Because some students require more guidance and some require less, I’ve landed on a standard summertime rate of $195 per hour on an as-needed basis.
Later, in the fall and winter, to accommodate crunch-time demand, I’ve occasionally had to raise my rates for new clients who come to me after Labor Day. But for all my pre-existing summer clients, the rate is always the same, save for the sliding-scale rates I offer to clients in need. If you’d like to be considered for sliding-scale pricing, please send me a paragraph or two explaining your circumstances.
Calendar & Timing
Ideally, I like to have students begin regular weekly sessions with me in June so that, by the end of summer, they’ve completed (or nearly completed) their main personal essay and as many school-specific supplemental essays as possible.
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For most students, it takes roughly 4-5 drafts and 12-15 hours worth of my editorial guidance to write, revise, and complete a polished 650-word admissions essay, though those numbers can vary depending on each student’s skills and work ethic.
As for school-specific supplemental essays, requirements vary, and so the time it takes to complete them largely depends on the list of schools each student applies to.