college essay advisor

Our Approach

Time-tested methods:

Our Uncommon Essay Approach is a step-by-step process that teaches students to brainstorm, freewrite, sculpt and polish their final drafts to a high shine. We know it works because we have been using it for over a decade. Also, these people say it does !

Continuous Support:

We work to accommodate busy schedules, providing ongoing support for both students and parents to help them better navigate the essay writing process and maintain their sanity.

Strategic Personalization:

A stellar essay begins with a strong topic that speaks to who an applicant is at his or her core. We work with students to unearth their best stories and put fresh spins on classic subjects. We refuse to let you hand in a bland essay.

Deadline Setting and Mediation:

When you are juggling a full academic schedule along with a mountain of application essays, time management is key. We serve as the liaisons between student and parent and are the evil deadline setters and expert nags. You will still love us in the end.

Active Stress Management:

We help students proactively combat writer’s block and manage admissions-related stress. Sometimes this involves writing exercises. More often it involves ice cream.

Lifelong Skill Building:

Students who work with CEA exit the advising process with sharper writing, research and organizational skills, which will come in handy on campus and beyond. We will prepare you for challenging coursework whether you like it or not.

High Ethical Standards:

We advise, students write. Though our process is thorough and intensive, students are responsible for getting the words on the page. When filling out their applications, all students know their work is their own.

This process can be time-consuming and challenging, so we have to make it fun – both for you and for us. We will make jokes. We might send you videos of cats jumping into boxes. We will probably Skype you while eating ice cream at some point.

Meet the Founder

Stacey Brook

Stacey Brook is an accomplished writer and admissions expert who has spent almost two decades helping students conceptualize, edit and refine their college essays. During her college years, Stacey discovered she had both a knack for consistently reinventing the creative personal statement and a perverse love of bridging the gap between stressed-out teenagers and their parents. She received her first exposure to the admissions process in the Dean’s Host program at Boston University’s College of Communication, serving for two years as the program’s coordinator. She was also the ’04 commencement speaker for the College, winning a coveted scholarship from Burson-Marsteller Public Relations.

Stacey has since spoken at schools around the world on the subject of the college essay and has advised thousands of students on their admissions essays. She is a member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and is on the faculty at nytEducation: The School of The New York Times, teaching students to wrangle their school-specific supplemental essays. Her writing has been published in numerous publications including  The New Yorker, Money Magazine and  USA Today  and she pens a regular admissions column for The Huffington Post . Stacey also honed her branding skills, personal and otherwise, as copywriter for world-renowned ad agency, Cline Davis & Mann. She lives in New York, NY where she spends most of her spare time eating her way through the city like it’s her (second) job.

Stacey’s favorite children’s book is Strega Nona , which taught her at an early age that pasta is magic, and her favorite YA book is King Dork , which prepared her for a life of music fandom and proud nerddom.

Meet the Team

Rebecca Myers

Rebecca Myers is a poet and creative nonfiction writer who thinks it doesn’t get more exciting than the essay: immediate, personal, variable, challenging. Rebecca graduated with Honors from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in English and Creative Writing, then earned a Masters in English from The University of Georgia. She went on to study with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Sharon Olds and receive her MFA in poetry from New York University. She has taught composition, literature, and creative writing courses at both large universities and small liberal arts colleges, and is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Wells College in upstate NY.

Her published personal essays have covered subjects as diverse as that summer she spent working food service at Disney World (purple polyester is about as breathable as you’d imagine) to her toddler’s refusal to sleep (he’s fond of waking her up by banging two puzzle pieces against her face like a defibrillator). Most recently, her poetry and creative nonfiction have been published in Creative Nonfiction ,  Best New Poets 2015 , The Rumpus , The American Literary Review , Gulf Coast , and featured as part of an NPR Radiolab segment on the periodic table.

Becca’s favorite children’s book is Goodnight Gorilla which in retrospect, might be why her son refused to sleep for three years, and her favorite YA book is The House on Mango Street , whose moving vignettes were an early introduction to the space between poetry and prose.

Kat Stubing

Kat Stubing is a writer and operations specialist who has worked for grassroots and nonprofit organizations, theaters, newspapers, magazines, and digital publications reaching audiences all over the world. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a BA in Media and Communication Studies, where she received an Award for Academic Excellence from the College of Arts and Humanities. As an undergraduate, Kat studied Journalism for a semester in Leicester, England, where she discovered her passion for narrative writing and travelling. Kat has explored the streets of Cardiff and Chirk in Wales, Rome and Mirabella Eclano in Italy, and Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand. She believes travelling is the key to self-discovery and a broader mindset.

Her poetry has been published in Beyond Words Literary Magazine , Allegory Ridge , Hare’s Paw , The Closed Eye Open , and Wingless Dreamer .

Kat’s favorite children’s book was Coraline , since she, too, was a curious child with an affinity for the mysterious and spooky. Her favorite YA book was The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants , which underscored the power of open hearts and minds.

Carolyn Balbo

Carolyn Balbo is a client relations specialist who has worked with clients for over 30 years. Carolyn has vast experience working with people as a group sales associate, retail sales assistant, parent liaison/association officer, executive function coach, occupational therapist, and college admissions specialist. Carolyn is passionate about helping families navigate the college essay and admissions process, and enjoys speaking with parents as they assist in their child’s journey.  As a graduate from Franklin & Marshall College, Carolyn majored in History. She continued her education at Columbia University with a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy, earning an academic award for Excellence in Pediatrics.  As an occupational therapist, Carolyn worked in a school setting with children with Autism. Carolyn is a proud mom of two children in their twenties. 

Carolyn has guided many high school students through the undergraduate college process, including her own children. She understands firsthand the stress that high school students and their families face as they start the college application process. Carolyn is an avid spectator of competitive swimming and loves to travel. You will likely find her driving numerous hours on a weekend to watch a swim meet! Carolyn currently lives in Virginia, but is originally from the New York Metropolitan Area. Carolyn would describe herself as fun and energetic while maintaining a calm demeanor when working with others. She loves a funny story, a good laugh, taking long walks while listening to books on tape, and spending time at the beach.

Carolyn’s favorite children’s book is Ookpik The Arctic Owl , which taught her at an early age the love of travel, and her favorite YA book series is Harry Potter , which prepared her for life’s adventures and finding “All is well” in the end.

Rachael Fendrich

Rachael Fendrich is a communications specialist and has worked as a copyeditor for over 10 years. She earned her BA in English with a minor in Philosophy from Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo. While studying there, she realized her passion for literature and the power of the argumentative essay. She went on to earn her MA in English at Cal Poly, teaching Rhetoric and Composition during her studies and continuing as a lecturer after graduating.

As an editor, she loves the structural world of grammar and linguistics, but also has an eye for rhetoric and how word choice and tone affect the reader. Rachael spent two years writing and editing textbooks for children with learning disabilities at Lindamood Bell’s Gander Publishing. Her experience there taught her that language is not merely text on a page; language can create images in the reader’s mind that persuade them to believe a story’s purpose or argument—this is especially true in the college entrance essay.

Rachael’s favorite children’s book is Miss Nelson is Missing! It taught her to appreciate teachers and all their talents. And her favorite YA book is Abel’s Island ; the titular character’s adaptability and inner life helped her escape into a world of imagination (also she had a pet rat, so that makes sense).

Josh Hawkins

Josh Hawkins has nearly 20 years of academic, professional, and freelance experience as an editor-from college essays to college textbooks and everything in between-with a special place in his heart for making complicated or convoluted material consistent and easier for everyone to read and understand. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Georgia with a BA in Journalism and worked for a time as a freelance writer and magazine editor before embarking on a career in book publishing. During extended stints in the editorial departments at McGraw­Hill and Oxford University Press, Josh acquired new titles and developed projects in the areas of communication, journalism, film, and television. Since 2010, he has worked full time as a medical editor and group supervisor in the world of pharmaceutical advertising; he has been the Lead Editor at CEA since 2013.

Josh’s favorite children’s book is The Big Tidy-Up by Norah Smaridge, which led to a lifelong love of cleanliness and funky ’70s design, and his favorite YA book is Husky by Justin Sayre, which reminded him what it felt like to grow up feeling “different.”

Caryn Schwartz

Caryn Schwartz has been an editor—of school assignments, newspaper articles, college applications and more—for eight years. She earned her BA from Vassar College in English and Chinese, and then promptly took off to join the college consulting industry in Shanghai. She has worked with high school, undergraduate and MBA applicants. After five years in China, which included stints editing for the  People’s Daily  and Penguin’s North Asia office, she has made her way to NYC to work in book publishing. These days she reminisces fondly about Chinese breakfast foods and tries to read everything.

Caryn’s favorite children’s book is Half Magic by Edward Eager because she’s never met a “magic gone sideways” tale she didn’t love. Her favorite YA book is E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars , which she proudly discovered BEFORE it blew up on TikTok.

Melanie Ashkar

Melanie Ashkar is a freelance editor and opera singer from the Washington, DC area who received her BA in music and linguistics from the University of Virginia (Phi Beta Kappa). A lifelong lover of words, Melanie is a creative writer whose curiosity about language led her to earn a Master of Science degree in linguistics from Georgetown University, specializing in syntax. She went on to complete a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from Mannes College, The New School for Music, and continues to sing professionally.

A natural explorer, Melanie has lived across the U.S. from New York City, NY to Salt Lake City, UT, and has visited 38 states and four continents. Her keen editorial eye emerged as early as her elementary school years, when she began editing newspapers, essays, resumes, and more. She has worked for five years as an academic editor, and is passionate about helping writers find the best words to convey their ideas while maintaining their unique voice and style.

Melanie’s favorite children’s book is Little House on the Prairie , which awoke her adventurous spirit, and her favorite YA book is The Golden Compass , one of many fantasy novels that has sparked her imagination.

Michael Ventura

Michael Ventura is a freelance designer, animator, and illustrator with a love of all things creative. He graduated with Honors from Northampton Community College with a degree in New Media Design, and graduated Cum Laude from Lesley University with a degree in Animation and Motion Media. He has six years of freelance experience working on websites, promotional materials, short films, and mini-series. Michael likes to bring his creativity and love of design to the CEA team, and his work can be seen around this website; as well as in our college essay writing tip videos and our College Essay Academy YouTube series!

Michael’s favorite children’s book is Stellaluna , which taught him that it’s okay to be different (and that bats are super cool); and his favorite YA book is The Hobbit, or There and Back Again which sparked his imagination and his love for fantasy and adventure.

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14 Best College Essay Services for 2024 (40 Services Reviewed)

Research conducted by Emily Kierkegaard , PhD, and expert-reviewed by Kevin Wong, PrepMaven Co-founder

Not sure which college application essay coaching and editing service is the best? We compared the top 40 services, created in-depth reviews for 14 of them, and narrowed it down to the 4 best that will help guide you through the process of writing amazing college application essays.

What is the Best College Essay Service?

• PrepMaven  – best college application essay service overall
• College Essay Mentor  – best for individual consultants
• The College Essay Guy  – best for unlimited essay assistance
• College Vine  – best of the big platforms

The best of the rest:

Individual essay consultants:

• College Essay Editor  – small editing team
• Allison Karpf  – former English teacher helping students
• Your College Vision  – former journalist with more affordable rates
• The College Guru  – good on paper but unresponsive
• Sofia Zapiola – budget-friendly application assistance

Mid-size teams:

• Lotus Learning  – focus on health sciences

Large platforms:

• Study Point  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Ivy Select  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Empowerly  – larger platform with mystery editors
• BeMo  – expensive and aggressive with wrong expertise

Schedule a college essay consultation

Best College Application Essay Services in 2024

#1 – prepmaven.

Our Verdict — Best College Essay Assistance Overall Price: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package) PrepMaven’s one-on-one college essay assistance is the best option overall. Founded by brothers and Princeton grads Greg and Kevin, almost all of PrepMaven’s essay coaches have Ivy-League experience, primarily from Princeton and Harvard. All essay coaches also undergo a thorough training program in PrepMaven’s methods, developed by professional writers with deep understanding of the college admissions process, for helping students to discover the most compelling stories for their essays. Unlike other services, PrepMaven offers college essay assistance at several different price points. At the most accessible rate, students can work with current Ivy-League undergraduates who specialize in writing and have recently aced the college application process. At higher rates, students can work with coaches who are both Ivy-League grads and professional writers (screenwriters, journalists, editors) with many years of experience helping students to craft compelling essays. Interested students can even work directly with founders Greg and Kevin, who have over 15 years of experience helping students through the entire essay-writing process. PrepMaven’s services combine many of the best features of other good options into one, and it’s hard to beat their experience.

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help now

Any student wanting college essay help, at any point in the process, with a range of budgets.

At a glance:

• Cost: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package)
• Writing coach qualifications: Princeton graduates and professional writers (or current Princeton students); all trained

What we like:

• Ivy League experience —most of their writing coaches are Princeton grads or current students, with some from Harvard and other Ivies
• Different pricing options to meet different families’ circumstances
• More flexible and greater capacity to take on new students compared to individual consultants

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help

#2 – College Essay Mentor

Our Verdict — Best of the Individual Consultants Price: unknown but high Some college essay consulting services consist of just one expert. Of these individual essay consultants, Chris Hunt at College Essay Mentor is our favorite. He combines writing experience as a journalist for the Economist and the Wall Street Journal with personal experience as a graduate of Dartmouth. However, he only works with a small number of students each year, and students need to apply to work with him — he only accepts students with top grades and test scores who are already strong applicants for top schools. Chris offers the option for one-time written feedback, but this only gives big-picture generalizations. (And written-only feedback is always limited.) In order for help with the essay process, students need to purchase a complete essay package.

Students with top grades and test scores who want to work with a one-person business, who have a sizable budget, and who are ready to get started early.

• Cost: $210 for a one-time written essay feedback (big picture only), then $110 per draft feedback; pricing for essay process packages unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: professional journalist, Dartmouth grad
• Professional writing experience as a journalist
• Extensive experience working with college applicants
• Partners with Debra Felix, former Director of Admissions at Columbia, for full application review

What we don’t like:

• One-on-one work is limited to very high-achieving students, who need to apply with a resume : “I limit my one-on-one work to students who I believe will be strong applicants to elite universities. As a rule, this means having high grades in challenging classes, a test score of ACT 34+ or SAT 1500+, and substantial activities outside of the classroom.”
• Works with a limited number of students (60 per year), so often no availability
• All-or-nothing packages don’t allow students to work with Chris for just a few hours or for part of the essay-writing process
• Secretive about pricing (he’ll only give pricing details once he’s reviewed the student’s resume and agreed to work with them), but we expect the minimum cost of working one-on-one to be several thousand dollars

#3 – The College Essay Guy

Our Verdict — Best for Unlimited Essay Assistance Price: $4900 for application to 3 schools, $8050 for application for 10 schools We’re fans of Ethan Sawyer, the original “college essay guy”— his book, College Essay Essentials , is a great guide to the essay-writing process. Ethan doesn’t work directly with many students these days, but he now has a team of consultants who help students follow his principles. Their assistance is really all-or-nothing — they prefer to work with students from the very beginning of the process, and their minimum package is $4900, which includes assistance with essays for three schools. If students are applying to ten schools (a more realistic number for students aiming at competitive colleges), the fee is a hefty $7400.

Students who want unlimited help through the entire process, who have a sizable budget.

• Cost: $4900 (supplemental essays for 3 schools) – $7400 (supplemental essays for 10 schools)
• Essay coach qualifications: mix of Ivy grads and former teachers, some writers/screenwriters; all trained
• Great free resources about the essay-writing process
• Their Matchlighters Scholars Program gives back to the community by providing admissions consulting for select qualifying students
• All-or-nothing packages have a high minimum fee and don’t work for students who want just a few hours of feedback or help with just part of the process

#4 – College Vine

Our Verdict — Best of the Big Platforms Price: $140–180/hour There are plenty of large platforms with large stables of part-time tutors and coaches available to work with students. Of these big platforms, we think CollegeVine has the best offerings. Compared to other large companies, CollegeVine provides more information about their tutors, and students can pick individual tutors to work with from their roster. However, this model is really just a way of finding individual tutors to hire. Tutors don’t receive any training and don’t share a common approach, so it’s a mixed bag. Their rates are fairly high for part-time tutors who don’t have specific expertise and training in college essay consulting. Because CollegeVine is really just a marketplace where individual tutors can find students, the quality and price will vary widely.

Students who want to work with a big company, or those who want a quick session or two to go over their essays.

• Cost: Typically $140–180/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: no specific qualifications, but a few are Ivy League graduates
• Possible to select individual editors to work with from their roster.
• Easy to schedule ad-hoc sessions with a tutor through the website.
• No training or common approach for tutors
• Editors are part-time , with no option to work with full-time college admissions experts
• Relatively expensive for this level of expertise

College Essay Editing Alternatives (that Didn’t Make the Cut)

Individual essay consultants, #5 – college essay editor.

Our Verdict — Small Editing Team Price: Roughly $5,950 for applications to 10 schools College Essay Editor comprises two graduates of Stanford. This means that they have personal experience applying to highly competitive schools. One member of the team also has a college counseling certification, which is a good background for college essays. Based on their website, they appear to focus on the editing and proofreading phase of the essay-writing process. This can be helpful to students, but we recommend working with a service who can help students to uncover their values and brainstorm really great material that allows them to really shine—and if this doesn’t happen at the beginning of the process, it’s much harder to add in later on.

• Cost: $195/1000 words for proofreading, $495/1000 words for 3 rounds of editing and proofreading, or $595/1000 words for unlimited rounds of editing and proofreading; for the purposes of comparison, complete applications to 10 competitive colleges would be around 9,650 words, or $5950.
• Writing coach qualifications: Stanford graduates, one of whom has college counseling certification
• Editors are graduates of Stanford University , and one is a member of NACAC, the national association of college counselors
• They focus on editing and proofreading only , not on the crucial earlier steps of brainstorming and strategy
• Small team with very limited availability
• All asynchronous editing so you won’t be able to cultivate a real relationship with your essay coach.

#6 – Allison Karpf

Our Verdict — Former English Teacher Helping Students Price: $385/hour or $3850 package for application to one school Another option for students looking to hire an individual consultant is Allison Karpf. Allison is a former high school English teacher and a graduate of UC Berkeley who also holds a Masters of Education from Stanford. Her rates are definitely on the higher side, especially for someone who doesn’t have a professional writing background, but she does have extensive experience working with students to craft their essays.

• Cost:  $385/hour or $3850 unlimited counseling (includes supplemental essays for one college)
• Essay coach qualifications: former high school English teacher; Berkeley grad, Stanford MEd
• Lots of experience helping students improve their college essays
• Very quick to respond to client requests
• No professional writing experience or Ivy-Plus undergraduate experience
• High rates relative to other options
• Limited availability , since she works alone

#7 – Your College Vision

Our Verdict: Former Journalist with More Affordable Rates Price: $180/hour, or packages starting from $3500 Laurie Lande is another individual consultant who helps students through the essay-writing process. She comes recommended by other consultants like Chris from College Essay Mentor . Laurie did not herself attend a highly competitive school, so she doesn’t have that personal experience of going through the selective admissions process, but she does have a professional writing background as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong.

• Cost: $180/hour or packages starting at $3500
• Essay coach qualifications: journalism background
• Affordable pricing , relative to other options
• Not a graduate of a highly selective school

#8 – The College Guru

Our Verdict — Good on Paper but Unresponsive Price: unknown Yet another individual essay consultant is Geanine Thompson from The College Guru. Geanine attended Dartmouth as an undergraduate and also holds an MBA from Duke. She also has a professional writing background as an assistant book editor at Berkley Publishing Group. Like Greg and Kevin at PrepMaven , she combines experience in the business world and at Wall Street firms with experience in education.

• Cost: unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: former assistant book editor; Dartmouth grad, Duke MBA
• Dartmouth graduate and former book editor
• Not responsive to emails and client requests

#9 – Sofia Zapiola

Our Verdict — A budget-friendly, personal essay editor. Price: $80/hour Yet another individual essay consultant is Sofia Zapiola, who offers a mix of essay editing and college application counseling services.

• Cost: $80/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: M.A. from Harvard; certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego.
• Individual approach, budget-friendly rates, commitment to working within families’ budgets.
• Very few testimonials, so it’s difficult to evaluate how effective she is.

Mid-size Teams

#10 – lotus learning.

Our Verdict — Expensive for Tutor Background Price: $165/hour Founded by a Harvard grad who is a former teacher and veteran of the publishing industry, Lotus learning offers college essay help in the Boston area. They have a small team of tutors, mostly recent grads from good but not Ivy-Plus colleges, and mostly with focus in health sciences.

• Cost: $165/hour (minimum 8 hours)
• Essay coach qualifications: tutors are recent grads, but not Ivy-Plus schools
• Reasonable pricing with flexible packages
• Essay editors aren’t graduates of Ivy-Plus schools and don’t have professional writing experience

Large platforms

#11 – study point.

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: Rates Between $60 and $120/hr Study Point is a larger essay editing service. They claim to have several decades of experience helping students to craft their college essays, but they do not give information about who their essay coaches are and what qualifications they might have.

• Cost: $60-120/hr, depending on tutor experience
• Essay coach qualifications: unknown
• Larger company with several decades of experience
• Unclear who the essay coaches are
• Lack of statistics about their results

#12 – Ivy Select

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: unknown Ivy Select makes a lot of big promises on their website about having the best college essay consultants in the business, but they offer no information on who these consultants are, or on their backgrounds. They also brag that each consultant “only” works 20 students in one application cycle, but in our experience, that’s quite high.

• Long list of impressive (but anonymous) testimonials
• Only work with “top students”
• No information on their website about who the editors are
• Each essay coach works with up to 20 students at one time

#13 – Empowerly

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: High, from $6000/year Empowerly has over 60 college counselors who each work with an average of 5 students per year, in order to have more time to devote to each student. Their counselors come from “different educational backgrounds,” and while they do not provide specific biographical details we can assume that most of their essay coaches did not attend highly selective schools.

• Cost: typically from $6000/year
• Essay coach qualifications: college counselors
• Counselors work with just a few students per year
• You have to upgrade to “Empowerly Elite” to guarantee a counselor with a more selective educational background
• No professional writing experience

#14 – Prepory

Our Verdict — Expensive but with Good Expertise Price: $325/hr Prepory is a college application and career counseling service that offers a comprehensive program for college applications at any stage of the process (including as early as 9th grade). They make a lot of impressive claims about the expertise of their coaches, but it’s quite difficult to actual find much information about their essay coach qualifications.

• Cost: $325/hr
• They have a comprehensive college application program that begins as early as 9th grade.
• Limited information about essay coaches
• High prices

Top 40 College Essay Services Considered

• College Essay Editor
• The College Essay Guy
• College Vine
• College Essay Mentor
• Study Point
• Allison Karpf
• The College Guru
• Lotus Learning
• Summit Prep
• Sofia Zapiola
• Ivy Global / New Summits
• College Essay Solutions
• Your College Vision
• Essay Edge*
• ServicEscape*
• PapersForge*
• QuickWriter*
• JustEditMyEssay*
• JustDoMyEsssay*
• ExpertWriting*
• SpeedyPaper*
• GradeMiners*

* A number of services will edit essays directly for students, or even write portions of the essay for students. We do not condone this. Admissions officers can tell when essays have been written or edited by adults and this can have severe consequences. We have excluded these services from our reviews.

Why are college application essays important?

Can a great college essay alone get you into Harvard?

No. You’ll need your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities (as well as letters of recommendation and interview) to be outstanding.

But can a mediocre essay be the reason you didn’t get into Harvard?

Yes. There are thousands of amazingly-qualified students who graduate from high school each year. Great grades and test scores might be a prerequisite for admission to a competitive college, but they alone aren’t enough.

College essays are a key component of a student’s application . When done well, they transform a collection of numbers—GPA, class rank, SAT or ACT scores , number of AP classes taken, AP scores—into a glimpse of a real, individual person.

Essays do many things. Good college essays can highlight extracurricular achievements which otherwise would be overlooked in a sterile list. Strong essays often indicate the student’s future plans —how they plan to leave a mark on their college campus and on the world. They can shine a light on unique challenges that a student may have had to face on their journey.

College admissions officers only have a few minutes to spend on each application. College essays need to be original, interesting, and memorable . They need to grab the attention of the admissions officer and persuade them that this is the student out of hundreds or thousands of other similarly-qualified applicants who should be admitted.

College admissions essays are usually unlike any other kind of writing that students have done before. They’re a combination of memoir and marketing pitch, and they need to be creative but also highly strategic. That’s a tough assignment!

What’s more, students are left to figure this assignment out on their own. A thoughtful and generous high school English teacher may provide guidance or offer to read essays and give feedback, but these teachers are responsible for many students, and they’re (usually) not experts in admissions strategies.

There’s another reason college essays are especially important from 2024 on. After the recent Supreme Court decision, the application essay has become one of the main ways that you can communicate how your racial identity has affected your life.

In fact, the New York Times published an article about how important it can be for students to discuss race in their college application essays!

Why work with a college essay service?

You may want to consider a college essay service if:

• You have no idea where to start in order to write your college application essays
• You feel overwhelmed by all of the different ideas you have and don’t know what would be the most strategic for college admissions—and what topics to definitely avoid for college essays
• You don’t know how to craft a compelling stor y
• You’re not sure how to edit and refine what you’ve written
• You have a hard time keeping yourself on track and want an external structure to hold you accountable
• You’re tired of conflict between students and parents about college essays
• You’re aiming at a competitive college (not just the Ivy League!) and know that you need your essays to be outstanding
• Your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars aren’t exceptional, so you need your essay to make your essay stand out from the pack
• You’re unfamiliar with the US college admissions process (a common situation for international students and first-generation families in the US)

Any of these are strong reasons to consider working with a college essay service!

It’s also worth remembering that a lot of the free advice on college’s website isn’t always very clear. For example, NYU’s admissions Senior Assistant Director of Admissions says that “There is no right or wrong way to answer as long as your answer is genuine to you.”

While that’s true, that doesn’t offer much guidance on how to actually write the essay!

Though many college applicants might not mention it, more and more students are using professional college application consultants. Research at the University of Chicago has shown that over a quarter of high-achieving seniors employed private specialists to help with the college application process.

In fact, according to NPR , some companies are even offering college admissions counseling to their top employees as an incentive–that’s just how important professional help can be in the current landscape of college admissions.

It’s important to note that a good college essay service will not write your college application essays for you . This is unethical and illegal. That’s not just coming from us: take it from a school like Princeton, whose website insists on the importance of writing your own application essays.

A good college essay service will guide you through each step of the process , teaching you how to self-reflect and write well while sharing insider insight about admissions strategy .

What makes a good college essay service?

We strongly believe that students need to write their own college essays , and we do not condone plagiarism or “buying” a college essay.

However, writing college application essays requires a completely new set of skills that is rarely taught in high school!

Writing a personal essay is much more creative than simply writing a good paper for English class. It requires a compelling narrative and a great deal of writing craft . A good essay service will teach how to do this kind of writing.

There are many college essay services that will provide only written feedback to students, usually in the form of comments added to an essay draft. (Remember, it’s important that students write their own essays, so avoid any college essay service that will make edits directly to an essay document .)

Written comments can be an effective component of good essay coaching. However, writing college essays is a deeply personal process , and it’s incredibly difficult to guide a student through the process of self-reflection, brainstorming, and planning purely through written comments.

In addition, a great college essay coach will teach students how to do this entire process of brainstorming, planning, outlining, writing, and revising . It’s difficult to learn why an essay coach is advising certain changes through written comments alone.

For these reasons, look for a college essay service with live, one-on-one services , not just written feedback. These days, it’s easy to work with the best college essay consultants in the country over Zoom!

Students need to reflect on their goals, their passions, and what drives them to be the person they are. This requires a great deal of self-awareness and self-analysis . An experienced college essay coach can help draw these ideas out of students through tested introspection techniques and brainstorming exercises .

On top of all of that, students need to be cognizant of which traits and accomplishments will be most appealing to colleges , and which stories will be cliche and boring. Personal statements and supplementary essays need to fit together to tell a cohesive story, and they need to work together with the rest of the student’s application (extracurriculars, grades, and other accomplishments).

In other words, there’s a great deal of strategy here! An experienced college essay service can help students decide how to present themselves in the best possible light .

Furthermore, most students don’t know how to edit effectively . A really top-notch college essay service will also teach students how to edit their own writing —how to reorder sections for better flow, cut unnecessary words to meet a word count, eliminate passive verbs, and make their writing vivid and exciting. Our students are routinely amazed by how transformative this step can be, and how much they learn by doing it together with the essay coach.

Finally, the best college essay services can also help students to make a writing plan and keep them on track , so that parents don’t have to be involved directly.

Ready to work on your college essays? Schedule a free 15- to 30-minute consultation with Jessica or one of our founders.

Best overall: PrepMaven’s tutors offer the highest quality at the best price. With three tiers of tutors, they make it easy to work with an Ivy League undergraduate for as little as $79/hr. Or, families can work with education professionals or Ivy League graduates from $150/hr. PrepMaven’s track record means that you can be sure every hour is being spent productively, so that you can expect real results from the work.

Best for individual consultants: College Essay Mentor. In theory, College Essay Mentor would offer an unparalleled level of individual attention and guidance: his website boasts of some very impressive results. You might find it hard to actually schedule with him, however, since he’s very selective about his clients.

Best for unlimited essay assistance: The College Essay Guy might not offer that personalized attention you get from live, face to face essay coaching, but they do offer unlimited essay editing for up to 10 schools (if you’re comfortable paying a hefty package price).

Best of the big platforms: College Vine will always be a bit of a gamble. Because it’s a tutor marketplace, your results (and costs) will really depend on how lucky you get with your consultant. From our research, however, many of their essay coaches look to have solid track records.

Ready to work on college essays with one of our experienced writing coaches? Schedule a free test prep consultation with Jessica (Director of Tutoring) or one of our founders to see what would be the best fit for your family.

It’s always best to start early and not wait until the last minute to write your college essays! Remember that essays can be used to earn scholarships as well as college admission, so a few months of writing now can pay off with up to $300,000 in tuition saved later. 

We work with students at all stages of the writing process, from I-have-no-idea-what-to-write to final edits. To start working with an Ivy-League writing coach today, set up a quick free consultation with our team.

Schedule a free college essay consultation

Top College Essay Posts

• 14 Best College Essay Services for 2023 (40 Services Reviewed)
• Qualities of a Successful College Essay
• 11 College Essays That Worked
• How to Answer the UC Personal Insight Questions
• How Colleges Read your College Applications (A 4-Step Process)
• How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays
• The Diamond Strategy: How We Help Students Write College Essays that Get Them Into Princeton (And Other Ivy League Schools)
• What is the College Essay? Your Complete Guide for 202 4
• College Essay Brainstorming: Where to Start
• How to Write the Harvard Supplemental Essays
• How to Format Your College Essay

Emily graduated  summa cum laude  from Princeton University and holds an MA from the University of Notre Dame. She was a National Merit Scholar and has won numerous academic prizes and fellowships. A veteran of the publishing industry, she has helped professors at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton revise their books and articles. Over the last decade, Emily has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay. 

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Ultimate Guide to Writing Your College Essay

Tips for writing an effective college essay.

College admissions essays are an important part of your college application and gives you the chance to show colleges and universities your character and experiences. This guide will give you tips to write an effective college essay.

Want free help with your college essay?

UPchieve connects you with knowledgeable and friendly college advisors—online, 24/7, and completely free. Get 1:1 help brainstorming topics, outlining your essay, revising a draft, or editing grammar.

Writing a strong college admissions essay

Learn about the elements of a solid admissions essay.

Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes

Learn some of the most common mistakes made on college essays

Brainstorming tips for your college essay

Stuck on what to write your college essay about? Here are some exercises to help you get started.

How formal should the tone of your college essay be?

Learn how formal your college essay should be and get tips on how to bring out your natural voice.

Taking your college essay to the next level

Hear an admissions expert discuss the appropriate level of depth necessary in your college essay.

Student Stories

Student Story: Admissions essay about a formative experience

Get the perspective of a current college student on how he approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about personal identity

Get the perspective of a current college student on how she approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about community impact

Student story: admissions essay about a past mistake, how to write a college application essay, tips for writing an effective application essay, sample college essay 1 with feedback, sample college essay 2 with feedback.

This content is licensed by Khan Academy and is available for free at www.khanacademy.org.

• College Application

College Essay Advisors: 5 Reasons You Need One

How can college essay advisors help me boost my chances of getting into my dream school and succeeding once accepted? This is a common question. Whether you are trying to get into one of the best undergraduate business schools or you're unsure of what you want to study in college, you will most likely need to write a personal statement or a common app essay for your application. Essays are a challenging part of the college application process, and they play a significant role in the admissions committee's decision. This post will go over everything you need to know about college essay advisors and how they can help you through this difficult process and beyond.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 6 min read

As colleges become more and more selective, being an intelligent, well-rounded student is no longer enough to guarantee college admission. SAT scores, IB or AP classes, GPA, and extracurriculars still matter, but college essays and letters of recommendation have started to carry more weight for many schools. In other words, the college essays portion of the college application is now more important than ever, so hiring a college essay advisor is worth considering.

Essentially, they are college advisors who can help you with as little or as much as you want when it comes to writing your personal statement or college essays . That can include, but is not limited to the following:

Helping you grow your skills as a writer, researcher, and critical thinker "}]" code="timeline1">

Some people are able to write a good essay by themselves or with the help of friends and family, so you don’t need one to get into college. Still, we highly recommend that you get one for a variety of different reasons that we explain better below:

College is competitive

We’re probably not the first ones to tell you this, but we’re going to mention it again because that’s what this really boils down to. The college admissions landscape is getting more competitive every year, so students need a strong application that stands out from the crowd to gain an admissions letter—especially from top colleges. Even the easiest Ivy League schools to get into are seeing an increase in the number of applicants they get every year, but their acceptance rate is either the same or lower. There is even more pressure to have a great application when you consider the fact that most colleges in the US have a rolling admission system.  

That’s where college essay advisors come in handy. They have an in-depth understanding of the world of college admissions. Not only have most of them gone through the process themselves, but they have helped other students go through it. They actually know what schools are looking for as opposed to just assuming what’s competitive. They are also trained to decipher all the “admissions talk” on college websites. Advisors are simply better suited to help students put their best foot forward, especially for college essay writing.

Do you need to write a common app essay? Here are some tips to write one that will impress admissions committees:

Writing college admissions essays is challenging

Writing these essays is a challenge for people who have done it before, let alone a prospective college student who’s still trying to figure out how to create their high school resume . Unfortunately, we are very rarely taught about writing academic essays or personal statements in school, so even gifted writers or A+ English students don’t automatically have the tools needed to write an essay that will impress the college admissions committee.

If you’ve ever watched a show with high school seniors getting ready to apply to colleges, you’ve probably watched the scene where an admissions expert comes to give a talk about college applications and mentions that they’re tired of reading the same kind of personal essay. We’re trying to say that, unfortunately, without guidance, students are just not that original when it comes to college applications. They are often too focused on writing what they think the admissions board wants to hear, which shows in their final essay.

On the other hand, good college essay advisors have gone through this process multiple times. They will have the tools and strategies necessary to brainstorm great, original topics for college essays and the experience needed to make the final essay as strong as possible.

Learning lifelong skills

The personal statement or supplemental college essay is the first in a string of many academic papers that students will have to write while they complete their degree. After gaining admissions, students can start learning how to write better essays as time goes by, but working with a qualified college essay advisor will give students a solid basic knowledge of essay writing. A good advisor will not write the students’ essays for them. Instead, they will walk them through the entire process – from brainstorming to drafting and polishing - and give the students strategies that they can use to strengthen their essays. Thus, giving students the tools to be better critical thinkers and writers. These abilities will come in handy during college and beyond.

Additionally, writing a college admission essay is more than writing a regular school paper because it requires a lot of self-reflection. Writing a personal narrative with the guidance of an expert can allow students to stop and think about themselves as a person and what they want from college and the future.

Advisors save you time, stress & money

Applying to colleges is a long and complex process. A big part of that process is essay writing. Not only is it time-consuming, but it can get overwhelming, really fast for the student and those around them. During this time in a students\u2019 life, emotions are typically at an all-time high, and arguments may erupt at any point. Working with a professional will help alleviate the enormous pressure on their families by allowing them to share the burden with somebody else who has a lot more experience with this particular kind of load.  ","label":"Stress","title":"Stress"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

Personalized feedback

Often, students rely on their own skills and the help of high school guidance counselors, but while those are valuable resources, they’re simply not enough. High school guidance counselors work incredibly hard and do their very best. Still, they simply cannot prioritize individual students and provide the same kind of personalized feedback that a private advisor can. A private college essay advisor will be able to spend more time with individual students and guide them through the process in a way that is specific to the students’ needs and goals, instead of general assumptions or the school’s best interest. 

Would you like some more advice on how to write a stellar college essay? Check out this infographic:

Much like any other valuable service, college essay advisors cost money. There is, unfortunately, no way to get around that. The cost of a college essay advisor will depend on many different things. Like the exact services you need, your location, and the advisor themselves, of course. On average, advisors charge about $150 per hour, and comprehensive package fees range from as low as $1000 to a high of $10,000.

Hiring a college consultant can be a significant cost, especially for students with limited resources. However, the right college essay advisor is worth every penny for all the reasons that we mentioned above. You have to keep in mind the fact the fact that the services of a college essay advisor can also save you money. The skills that you learn while working with them will come in handy throughout college and afterward as well. Furthermore, it is far more expensive to apply to multiple colleges a second time. 

Tip: College Admissions consulting firms will typically offer this college essay drafting and reviewing as part of an application review bundle. The bundle would include help with college admission essays and other parts of the college application, which can get tricky for prospective students and their loved ones. Furthermore, the companies may have different payment options for these bundles, like installments or payment plans.

Looking for some additional advice on how to write college essays and personal statements that will help you stand out? This video is for you:

Tips for choosing the right college essay advisor

If after further reflection you decide that a college essay advisor is a good investment, you should take the time to search for the right one for you. After all, you will be paying them your hard-earned money and trusting them with helping you while you take a crucial step in your academic journey. So, to help you, here are five tips to help you choose the right college essay advisor:

Most good advising firms or private advisors will offer a free initial consultation to determine if the service they provide is right for you, especially if their fees are relatively high. These initial consultations are as much for them as they are for you. It's your opportunity to ask as many questions as you need and determine if they can do what you need them to do. They also get a chance to tell you if and how they can help you. Thus, you both walk away from the conversation, knowing if you are a good fit. You should check if they offer this first strategy call and take advantage of it. Find out what their service will consist of and set the expectations right from the start. "}]">

Applying to college is a lengthy, complex, and often overwhelming process. One of the main reasons for that is that students are not taught how to write personal statements or admissions essays in high school. With college admissions getting increasingly competitive and essays becoming a more important part of the application process, the cost of a college essay advisor could be worth it for you. Make sure you follow the guidelines outlined above to find the advisor for you.

College essay advisors are admissions specialists who guide and advise students to write personal statements or college admissions essays.

They help applicants brainstorm topics for college application essays. They also help them draft, edit and polish those essays to make them as compelling as possible. In doing so, they teach students to be better writers.

You do not need one, but we highly recommend getting one as they will significantly improve your essay, thus increasing your chances of college admission.

The average is around $150 an hour. Package deals can cost anywhere from $1000 to $10,000 depending on the services required.

We do not doubt that you are a great writer, which will make this process easier for you, but college admissions essays are about more than just good word choice. You need to know your audience, and no one knows admissions committees like admissions consultants and college advisors.

Guidance counselors can provide a lot of great advice. Unfortunately, they usually don't have the resources to give individual students the personalized feedback needed to write the best essays possible. On the other hand, college essay advisors can actually prioritize individual students and help them write a compelling admissions essay.

Take the time to research the advisor. Check their website for their qualifications, success rate, and success stories. Check their Trustpilot reviews as well to find out what past students have to say.

Yes, you may, and we do recommend that you do. We offer our services online to help you from almost anywhere in the world. Reach out to our team to discuss how we can help you.

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My name is Maureen C. Scudder, and I am an independent college counselor specializing in college essay advising. From strategy to submission, I help students get accepted into their dream schools.

I work with undergraduate and graduate applicants on their written materials, including personal statements, activities lists, resumes, supplemental essays, and all other communication sent to colleges. Throughout the application process, I help clients feel at ease, stay on track, and develop their writing skills.

My superpower is showing clients how to write their very best application essays, but my college counseling services extend beyond writing instruction and editing. Free with all essay packages, I provide the following services:

school list development 

school mission matching

application planning calendar

demonstrated interest & campus visits consults 

SAT/ACT analysis & tutoring

majors/minors advisement

honors colleges & signature programs evaluation

career coaching

interview prep

In addition to this independent venture, I work as a master writing advisor with MedSchoolCoach © based in Boston, helping med school applicants get into med school and match for residencies. I am a member of the professional organizations  Higher Education Consultants Association and New England Association for College Admission Counseling  as well as communities on the cutting edge of the ever-changing admissions landscape.

During my 30-year career in education, I  have taught high school English, directed a university writing center, worked as a boarding school dorm parent, and served as a school communications and marketing director.  Today, in addition to being an independent college counselor, I am an adjunct professor of English and Communications, freelance writer, and educational consultant.

I earned my B.A. in English, M.A. in Africana Studies, and a second M.A. in English. I'm certified to teach English, social studies, and ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages). I have taught in public and private schools both at home in Connecticut and abroad in Asia and Africa. My clients have gone on to colleges and universities such as Amherst, BU, Columbia,  Cornell, Emory, Fordham, Georgia Tech, Howard, Northeastern, Notre Dame, Penn State, Skidmore, UVA, UMich, and many more.

Do you want your college application to showcase your best self? Do you want your essays and activities descriptions to cut through the crowd? Do you want an experienced writing instructor and expert editor with decades in the field as your sounding board? Most important, do you want a writing coach who will personalize the college application process, keep you on schedule, while teaching you how to become a better writer?

Then explore my site and  contact me today to schedule a consult.

Find my college essay writing tips here and what my clients say here .

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We’ve launched our new book: The Empowerly Expert’s Handbook to College Admissions!

The Empowerly Expert’s Handbook to College Admissions is here to answer your burning questions about how to navigate and maximize your outcomes in the American higher education system. Data-driven, up-to-date, and packed with insights and case studies, this book is an easy-to-understand look into the complex and competitive college admissions landscape.

Empowerly navigates your journey to top colleges with a 98% success rate.

• Up to 11x improved college admissions rates
• 98% of our students got into a top 50 school
• 25x more time spent with student

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During Empowerly’s free 30-minute consultation, an expert college admissions counselor will conduct a full review and offer you some valuable college application counseling. Then, they’ll show you a customized, designed-for-success college application consulting package that matches your goals and needs. It’s the risk-free way to see what our college admissions counselors can do for you.

How it Works

Overwhelmed by the college admissions process? Our team of experienced college admissions counselors make it easy, with personalized support that cuts through the confusion. From college search to application submission, you’ll have a dedicated college admission counselor keeping you on track.

We get results: Empowerly students are 11x more likely to get into their college of choice. Using data-driven technology and one-on-one consultation with former college Admissions Officers, our customized programs help you and your college application consulting stand out during the fiercely competitive U.S. college admissions process.

EMPOWERLY STUDENTS HAVE RECEIVED ADMISSION TO:

98% of Empowerly's Class of 2022 got admitted into a top 100 U.S. college

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Discover your Empowerly Score®. Based on a comprehensive evaluation of your academic record, extracurriculars, and college essays, this proprietary data analysis helps our college application counselors customize a student’s path to college admissions success.

Analyze Impact

Empowerly’s college admissions counselors analyze each aspect of a college application package to determine its impact. This analysis helps them assess a student’s competitiveness at top U.S. colleges, and highlights areas for improvement.

Our college application consulting includes an expert review of the subjective admission factors, including essays, extracurriculars, and personal statements. The result is a holistic, actionable, and proven plan that ensures Empowerly students stand out from the competition.

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Hear from our students and counselors.

Our Mission

To guide and empower students as they navigate the complex U.S. college application process. Empowerly’s college admissions counselors are passionate about helping applicants build confidence, stand out from the crowd, and gain access to their top colleges. We achieve this through our proprietary college application counseling that emphasizes data-driven success.

Empowerly Students

Our customized college admissions counseling packages get results. 98% of Empowerly Students with a 3.6 GPA or higher get into a top 50 U.S. college and enjoy 25% more time with their college admissions counselor than students who use other application services.

Students often feel overwhelmed by the college admissions process. Cut through the college admissions counseling confusion, build confidence, and increase your chances of getting into your top schools by 11x when you team up with the college admissions counselors at Empowerly. From start to finish, you’ll have a dedicated college application consulting expert keeping you on the path to success.

WHAT FAMILIES ARE SAYING

Student, Columbia University

Empowerly helped me get accepted to MIT Launch summer program (<10% acceptance rate), start my own environmental nonprofit, and intern with Dr. June Flora at Stanford University. I worked with Empowerly on over 50 essays and finished all of them by November. I was accepted to Columbia, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, USC and more. I also have a deeper insight about my career and the impact I want to make in the world.

Parent, Harvard University

Thank you for helping SM over these last 2 years in his formative high school years, finding summer internships, and helping him get accepted to Harvard, UPenn, MIT, Yale, Johns Hopkins University (Hodson scholar), USC (full ride), and many others. With 70+ essays across 15+ college applications, SM wouldn’t have finished so many applications with such high quality without Empowerly.

Parent, UC Berkeley

I interviewed many college admission counselors and Empowerly stood out with its innovative, fresh approach. Our college admissions counselor was very helpful and a great fit, helping my son with the entire process. The AdCom Review was incredible, giving valuable brutally honest feedback. My son applied to competitive CS/EECS programs and he was accepted early to UC Berkeley (his top choice!) as a Regent’s and Chancellor’s Scholar.

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When my daughter started with Empowerly in 10th grade, she immediately connected with her counselor Brooke, who helped her build her resume for the pre-med track. We can’t say enough good things about Brooke! Additionally, the awesome Empowerly team helped immensely with finding a UCSF research internship and editing essays. If you’re a parent unsure which counselor to pick, look no further and contact Empowerly.

Student, UCLA

Empowerly counseling was a very personal experience where I was encouraged to pursue my interests. If you’re wondering about how effective the process is, I would say that I accomplished more than I expected and got into schools that would have been out of my reach otherwise.

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Empowerly’s College Admissions Counseling

We know that the U.S. college admissions counselor process can be complex, confusing, and even overwhelming. You need someone in your corner, to cut through the confusion and ensure success. That’s why Empowerly’s team of experienced college admissions counselors use proprietary data and genuine connection with applicants to give personalized college application counseling that gets results: 98% of Empowerly Students with a 3.6 GPA or higher get into a top 50 U.S. college.

Our #1 goal is to help students gain access to their top U.S. college choices. We achieve this through customized, designed-for-success college application consulting packages that match a student’s unique needs and goals. Ready to see what Empowerly’s college application consulting can do for you? Get started today with a free 30-minute consultation with a college admissions counselor. Stay on track with college admissions counseling, build confidence, and get into your top U.S. colleges with Empowerly.

College Essay FAQs

General FAQ

Why is the college essay important.

By the time admissions officers start reading your college essay, they already know all about your grades and test scores, your extracurriculars and your family background. What they don’t know is what you’re like in person. What are your outstanding personality traits? What is it like to spend a day with you? What motivates you to take action? What are the events that have had a meaningful impact on your life? When trapped within the confines of a generic college application, so many students look the same. You would not believe how many good students and club leaders there are, or the number of students who achieve perfect scores on the SATs. The only way to make yourself stand out is to show admissions what makes you an individual. The essay is your one true chance to show it, and it can make all the difference between rejection and admission.

Who needs college essay advising services?

In short, pretty much everyone. The average college admissions reader spends 2-3 minutes on a student’s personal statement, which means each student has about a commercial break’s worth of time to make a lasting impression on the person who has randomly been selected to seal their academic fate. Whether you are applying to an Ivy League institution, a renowned private university or a selective state school, it is important to make those minutes count.

But why do I need a college essay advisor when I have a perfectly free English teacher?

We at CEA love all English teachers (some of us even used to be English teachers), and find they can be an effective supplementary resource during the admissions essay writing process. But if you have an English teacher who can execute a full year’s worth of curriculum while giving each of their students’ application essays the attention it deserves, then you have a superstar on your hands. Most English teachers have their plates full simply teaching their demanding course load for each quarter, and though many are talented writers, few are familiar with the specific requirements of each individual college or the style in which the personal statement is written. Though Junior and Senior English class is a great place to start for the brainstorming and drafting of your personal essays, CEA’s services can help push your piece to the next level. With this task in particular, personal attention is key.

I have already drafted my essay- is it too late to use CEA?

Unless it is 11:30pm with an essay due at midnight, it is never too late to work with CEA. We want you to be thrilled with the writing you submit to the admissions board, and find there is almost always room for improvement. Not only that, we have extensive experience with and insight into what admissions committees are looking for when they read through a student’s essay. A fresh pair of eyes, free from the bias of the teachers and parents that know a student intimately, are always an asset. Do you love your essay? Does reading your essay make your brain launch into a Disney-fireworks-style celebration of uncontainable glee? If not, it’s probably not too late to work with us.

I’m not applying to Ivy League schools. Do I still need CEA’s services?

The pool of students applying to college gets ever more competitive as a college education cements itself as more of a requirement and less of a choice for young professionals. This competition is expanding across the board in schools of all levels, and students of all abilities are beginning to seek help outside of their school-given resources. Don’t sell yourself short or miss your chance to push your application to its greatest potential. When admissions decisions start to roll in, you don’t want to wonder whether you could have done more to make your application the absolute best it could be.

What is the difference between a personal statement and supplemental essays?

The Common Application personal statement comprises 650 words (or less) in response to one of seven essay prompts. The personal statement is just as it sounds: an essay that reflects something personal about the student’s life, and we use the prompts as a launch point for finding an essay subject that is tailored to each student’s specific interests and style.

Supplemental essays have become increasingly popular over the years, and especially in response to recent changes to the Common Application. These essays are often found in the supplemental portion of a school’s application and must be completed in addition to the personal statement. Supplemental essays range in length and scope on subjects that range from deeper explorations of a student’s collegiate and academic interests like, “Why do you want to attend Boston University?” (250 words) to more amorphous topics like, “What is your favorite book and why?” (Brown University, 450 words). Students who work with CEA are often encouraged to nail down their personal statement topic first, and supplemental essays are then completed in priority order according to submission deadlines.

Pro tip: Ivy League applications often have extensive supplements, as do many other top-tier schools and honors programs.

One-On-One FAQ

What does a college essay advisor do.

We tell a lot of jokes. (Some of them are even funny!) We eat too much ice cream. We also help students brainstorm ideas, conceptualize winning essays, outline concepts from beginning to end, and edit final drafts to perfection. We assist with everything from the Common Application’s personal statement to short answers, supplemental essays and scholarship essays. Because we have over a decade’s worth of experience in admissions essay advising, we have seen it all — and this allows us to guide students away from the trite treatment of overdone essay topics and into the realm of the truly personal narratives that admissions is looking for. We are also pretty great at helping students overcome writer’s block and other challenges related to these often daunting and high-pressure assignments and are always happy to lend a supportive ear for parents and students, alike.

Who writes the essay, the advisor or the student?

A few things about CEA’s essay advisors: We don’t eat carrots. (We just don’t like them.) We don’t go to bed before midnight. (We’re busy beavers.) And we definitely don’t write essays for our students, though we are more than happy to advise, reflect, inspire, analyze, edit, and aid students in unearthing and expressing their most poignant and captivating personal stories. Ghostwriting essays for students is unethical. And the admissions boards know when it happens. Also, our lives aren’t interesting enough to fill 10,000 unique essays. We leave that to our brilliant students.

Who is responsible for the research and factual information contained within each essay?

That would be you! Here’s why. Each student knows the details of his or her life better than any of the CEA advisors ever could. If you lie to us, your essay will contain lies. Don’t do this! It makes for terrible essays. The truth of your life is far more interesting than any lie you could conceive and keep up.

We also hold parents and students responsible for the factual accuracy of information researched about schools for supplemental essays. Most of our advisors know the specifics of each school up-down-and-sideways, but it is still impossible to familiarize ourselves with every program, every professor, and every club at each school. If you tell us something exists, often we will double check it to make sure, but no matter what it is still ultimately your responsibility to ensure your facts are straight. We are writers, not fact-checkers. So students, parents and CEA advisors must truly work together to make these essays as compelling and accurate as they can be.

Parents, what’s in it for you?

Fighting? What fighting? By now you, the parents of pre-college-age students, have realized that teenagehood is tough. Don’t take it personally. Who is the one person your child doesn’t trust for opinions about essay subjects, writing style, school choice? It’s not your fault. We were all like this once. But we at CEA are not just expert essay writers, we are slick mediators, navigating the territory between parental and teenage desires and bringing the disparate parties together in harmony. How do we get your kids to cooperate with us? It’s magic. We’ll never tell. Also, our advisors are young and cool and relatable. Also, your kids will probably listen to us simply because we’re not you. Twisted, isn’t it? But it works!

Kids, what’s in it for you?

Nagging? What nagging? We totally get it. We were there. What is worse than parents bugging you about one of the most stressful and daunting assignments of your academic career thus far? CEA’s job is to take the pressure off- off your parents, sure, but mostly off you. We want you to be happy with the final product. At the end of the day, we are on your side. Because your parents are not applying to school, you are. So let’s get that brain unstuck. And if you work hard for us, we’ll take you out for ice cream.

Does CEA provide references?

Absolutely. References from a wide selection of former CEA clients are available upon request. Simply send us a message in our Contact Us section, and we will be happy to connect you with someone who has employed us in the past.

Where are you located?

CEA HQ is in New York City, but we have advisors all over the continental US. We have found that it is much easier for everyone to meet remotely, in order to accommodate crazy extracurricular schedules, long commutes, and distant time zones.

Which is better, working in person or remotely over phone and email?

We live in the age of technology. Let’s use it! Though we loved working with students in person, we have found over the years that successful essays are easily brainstormed, outlined and edited via phone, email and Skype. We attract clients from across the country and around the world, in places as far as Singapore, Dubai and The Netherlands. Besides, this way none of us have to deal with traffic (we hate rush hour).

How long do CEA’s essay editing services take?

Writing effective personal statements and other admissions essays is a process. Even with our help, brainstorming powerful ideas and tweaking artful wordplay takes time, which is why we urge our students to begin the process as early in the year as possible. Clients should expect multiple drafts to pass back and forth between advisor and student before an essay is finalized. The time taken to complete applications in full varies depending on the number of schools applied to and the complexity of those schools’ applications, and we ask clients to please keep this in mind throughout the process. We are happy to estimate a more specific timeline for the completion of all applicable essays before we begin working together.

How much do your services cost?

Because every student is bound to apply to a unique set of schools, each requiring a different amount of time and effort, CEA finds it most helpful to give parents personalized quotes to fit each student’s very specific needs. Please call CEA HQ at 347-927-9232 or use our contact form , and we will be happy to discuss pricing and provide you with a quote asap.

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