to submit an obituary

To place an obituary, please include the information from the obituary checklist below in an email to [email protected] . There is no option to place them through our website. Feel free to contact our obituary desk at 651-228-5263 with any questions.

General Information:

  • Your full name,
  • Address (City, State, Zip Code),
  • Phone number,
  • And an alternate phone number (if any)

Obituary Specification:

  • Name of Deceased,
  • Obituary Text,
  • A photo in a JPEG or PDF file is preferable, TIF and other files are accepted, we will contact you if there are any issues with the photo.
  • Ad Run dates
  • There is a discount for running more than one day, but this must be scheduled on the first run date to apply.
  • If a photo is used, it must be used for both days for the discount to apply, contact us for more information.

Verification of Death:

In order to publish obituaries a name and phone number of funeral home/cremation society is required. We must contact the funeral home/cremation society handling the arrangements during their business hours to verify the death. If the body of the deceased has been donated to the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program, or a similar program, their phone number is required for verification.

Please allow enough time to contact them especially during their limited weekend hours.

A death certificate is also acceptable for this purpose but only one of these two options are necessary.

Guestbook and Outside Websites:

We are not allowed to reference other media sources with a guestbook or an obituary placed elsewhere when placing an obituary in print and online. We may place a website for a funeral home or a family email for contact instead; contact us with any questions regarding this matter.

Obituary Process:

Once your submission is completed, we will fax or email a proof for review prior to publication in the newspaper. This proof includes price and days the notice is scheduled to appear.

Please review the proof carefully. We must be notified of errors or changes before the notice appears in the Pioneer Press based on each day’s deadlines.

After publication, we will not be responsible for errors that may occur after final proofing.

Payment Procedure:

Pre-payment is required for all obituary notices prior to publication by the deadline specified below in our deadline schedule. Please call 651-228-5263 with your payment information after you have received the proof and approved its contents.

Credit Card: Payment accepted by phone only due to PCI (Payment Card Industry) regulations

EFT: Check by phone. Please provide your routing number and account number.

  • The minimum charge is $162 for the first 10 lines.
  • Every line after the first 10 is $12.20.
  • If the ad is under 10 lines it will be charged the minimum rate of $162.
  • On a second run date, the lines are $8.20 per line, starting w/ the first line.
  • For example: if first run date was 20 lines the cost would be $164.
  • Each photo published is $125 per day.
  • For example: 2 photos in the paper on 2 days would be 4 photo charges at $500.

Please follow deadline times to ensure your obituary is published on the day requested.

MEMORIAM (NON-OBITUARY) REQUEST

Unlike an obituary, Memoriam submissions are remembrances of a loved one who has passed. The rates for a memoriam differ from obituaries.

HOURS: Monday – Friday 8:00AM – 5:00PM (CLOSED WEEKENDS and HOLIDAYS)

Please submit your memoriam ad to [email protected] or call 651-228-5280.

Twin Cities

Sponsored content | Sponsored: Best Paper Writing Services: 7…

Share this:.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window)

Today's Paper

  • Things to Do
  • Classifieds

Sponsored content

Sponsored content | best paper writing services: 7 tested websites to get your a+, get ready for success with these 7 top essay writing services. fast, client-oriented, and trusted — find your homework expert here..

best paper writer service

DoMyEssay is a trusted name in the industry. The service offers writing, rewriting, and editing help to assist you with academic tasks. 

The company is extremely client-oriented. It has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, which means that you can enjoy multiple quality guarantees and perks. When your “ do my essay ” request is complete, you can check if it meets your expectations. To make sure every paper is perfect, the team offers unlimited free revisions. 

Price-wise, the service is affordable and offers good value for money. Besides, there’re a lot of free features that allow students to stay within their budget. 

Students like:

  • Blog with useful resources on student life and writing;
  • Quality essay writing service ;
  • Authentic and personal content. 

Customized Writing Solutions

The service creates every paper from scratch and proves its originality with a free plagiarism report. You can request any academic paper, and the writer will tailor their work to your specific needs and follow your exact custom instructions. 

Plagiarism-Free Content

DoMyEssay has a strict zero-plagiarism policy. We made sure to check it and run the papers delivered by the service through a plagiarism checker. The company lived up to its promises and delivered 100% original work that was safe for students to use. 

24/7 Customer Support

The service provides 24/7 support to maintain customer satisfaction and its global reach. This is also an excellent feature for occasions when you need to tackle urgent issues with your order. The support team of the service responds promptly, even at night. 

  • Responsive website;
  • Fast and friendly customer support;
  • Free plagiarism report and edits.
  • It takes time to choose a writer;
  • High demand. 

From $10.8/page.

EssayPro — A Go-To Platform for Unshakeable Reputation 📚

best paper writer service

We all choose writing services for different reasons. Some people are interested in discounts, while others prefer the diversity of services. However, if your key criterion is reputation, EssayPro is for you. The service is a top choice when it comes to credibility. With over 10 years of experience, the company proved its worth time and time again. 

The service has a diverse and inclusive team. You can find a qualified essay writer in literally any discipline. The team provides services with a wide range of tasks: from short routine assignments to dissertations. 

What students like about EssayPro:

  • Paper writing services at affordable rates;
  • The ease of contacting customer support 24/7;
  • Free revisions.

Reliable Research Assistance 

The service is suitable for research assistance at any academic level. The findings EssayPro presents in its work are relevant, credible, and backed by evidence. We got up-to-date information that reflected the latest developments and in-depth coverage of the subject matter. 

Writers with Subject Expertise

If you check the recruitment policy of the company, you’ll see that they hire only writers with formal degrees and experience in academic writing. Here you can find experts with real-world subject expertise who are ready to share their industry insights with you.

Unlimited Revisions

Writing is a rather personal and subjective thing. Therefore, it’s a huge perk to be able to use unlimited edits. If you see any areas for improvement in the delivered draft, just ask the writer for a revision. The option is free and unlimited.

  • Consistent quality among different writers and disciplines;
  • Originally;
  • Professional and diverse writing team.
  • Slower response time during peak hours;
  • Niche writing requires extra clarification.

Realistic, from $11/page.

EssayHub — Rocket-Fast Writing for Your Urgent Deadlines 🚀

best paper writer service

If you have a cramming crisis with too many essay deadlines on your schedule, consider EssayHub. The college paper writing service is known to work fast and be able to deal with tight deadlines. You don’t need to push yourself to exhaustion anymore. The minimal deadline is only 3 hours. So, it’s a legit option to handle last-minute assignments. 

Time constraints don’t prevent the writers from doing their work right. You get papers backed up by credible sources and well-structured. This is because the service has a solid quality assurance policy that entails a careful grammar check and editing. 

Student like:

  • Timely help with last-minute assignments;
  • Easy and quick ordering;
  • Responsive customer support. 

Editing and Proofreading Services

Sometimes students have a nagging feeling that their paper could have been better with a bit more attention. If you don’t have enough time or energy for editing, just ask writers to do it for you and polish your writing to perfection. 

Timely Delivery 

Punctuality is key. EssayHub is one of the reliable essay writing services that never fail to deliver their work on time. We heard it from students, and it was our own experience with the test papers we ordered. 

Adherence to Formatting Styles

The way a paper is structured and formatted is an important factor that determines your grade. Essay writer services from EssayHub include free formatting in the desired style (APA, MLA, etc.). The company makes all papers neat and organized. 

  • Well-structured bidding system;
  • Availability of 3-hour deadline;
  • Volume discounts for every order. 
  • Not the cheapest;
  • An overwhelming number of bids.

Task-specific, about $11/page.

Studyfy — Where Every Student’s Needs Take Center Stage 📚

best paper writer service

Studyfy is a group of skillful writers who share the same vision of providing writing assistance tailored to the specific needs of a client. In fact, a student-oriented approach is what won a strong reputation for the service. 

The mission of the company is to empower students with personalized solutions that can make their way to a degree much easier. The team of expert writers who come from diverse academic fields only supports the goal by crafting original content with a profound understanding of the nuances of each subject area. Students are encouraged to stay in touch and communicate with writers to foster personalized results. 

  • Direct communication with writers for personal and specific results;
  • Editing, proofreading, and paper writing services in one place;
  • Split-second response time.

Wide Range of Services

The platform is an all-in-one solution for students thanks to its coverage of various academic tasks. You can get assistance with anything, whether it’s an essay, research paper, report, review, or thesis. Aside from writing, editing, rewriting, and proofreading services are available as well. 

Access to Academic Databases and Resources

Expert writers are skillful at research. They know the academic databases A to Z and can find unique resources and evidence to complete your “ write my essay for me ” request. This reinforces the academic value of the delivered work. 

Clear and Transparent Communication Channels

The website has introduced a bunch of features that customize the experience for students. From a price calculator that allows you to see how much your exact assignment could cost to direct communication with writers, the service is designed to be clear and student-focused. 

  • Confidentiality and anonymity every step of the way;
  • Well-structured and well-formatted papers;
  • Free originality report at request. 
  • Only two ways to contact the support;
  • Rewriting is almost as expensive as writing. 

Editing from $5, writing from $10.

WritePaper — Empowering Students with Budget-Friendly Writing 💸

best paper writer service

The founders of WritePaper recognize the financial challenges faced by students in today’s economy. Thus, they’ve set up a flexible pricing policy with a lot of saving options to offer affordable writing assistance with academic pursuits. 

At the same time, the company doesn’t allow any compromises when it comes to quality. It is one of the best college paper writing services in terms of academic support. Students can talk to the writers directly and access a blog full of useful resources. The service is committed to students’ long-term success and thus aims to empower them with the necessary writing skills. 

  • Free components of papers (title page, outline, and references);
  • Zero-plagiarism policy;
  • Several discount options and pocket-friendly rates even for complex assignments.

Assistance with Thesis and Dissertation Writing

The service has a wide array of services that range all the way from essays to dissertation writing. The experts are ready to adapt to your needs and offer educational support even with such sophisticated and time-consuming assignments. 

Money-Back Guarantee

Students need to feel safe when using a professional paper writing service . WritePaper ensures this by offering a refund guarantee in case something goes terribly wrong and you are not satisfied with your order. To learn how to get it, contact the support team. 

Originality

Unique writing is a must. The company provides original, expertly written content. We’ve checked a few papers provided by WritePaper, and all of them were 100% unique. This makes the service a trusted partner for academic tasks because you know it will include correct citations.

  • Discounts and freebies are available to all clients;
  • Fast turnaround time;
  • Well-educated and skillful writers. 
  • Initial response time from support is slow;
  • Possible miscommunication.

From $10, discounts available.

PaperWriter — Privacy Pioneer Among Writing Solutions ✒️

best paper writer service

PaperWriter has carved a niche for itself for its unique content and stellar quality. The company leads industry standards in terms of privacy and confidentiality. It takes all the necessary measures to safeguard academic integrity and students’ personal information.

Students need trustworthy platforms that allow them to get homework help without facing academic risks or compromising their data. PaperWriter is one of the best essay writing services in terms of strict privacy policy within its operational framework. You can maintain your anonymity as any work produced for you remains confidential. It allowed PaperWriter to build trusting relationships with students worldwide. 

  • The possibility to check the paper before releasing funds;
  • A diverse talent pool of professional writers;
  • A chance to delegate any writing task.

Quality Assurance

The quality assurance team of the service makes sure clients get top-notch work. PaperWriter double-checks all papers for plagiarism and takes editing to the next level by eliminating errors and inconsistencies. As a result, the service can maintain consistent quality. 

Direct Communication with Writers

Security guides all operations of the website. This involves communication channels between a student and their writer. The private chat allows for keeping all the messages and files shared completely protected. Aside from that, clients can stay anonymous and keep their identities private. 

Secure Website Infrastructure

The website enables the encryption of transmitted data, preventing unauthorized access and keeping student data secure. Robust authentication mechanisms and safe payment methods ensure the protection of sensitive information. The company also regularly applies security updates to prevent vulnerabilities. 

  • Safe payment methods and a secure website;
  • Well-researched content;
  • Possibility of receiving multiple revisions.
  • Revisions require extra time;
  • Style imitation needs extra clarification.

Flexible, depending on the task.

How can I send my essay request to a writer?

All you need to do is to sign up, send your instructions, and get your homework done just like that. The writing services from our list will also let you choose your expert, talk to them directly, and share relevant resources like your writing samples and course materials. 

Can I evaluate the quality of the writing before making payment? 

Yes, you don’t need to risk anything. A legit essay writing service allows you to release the deposited funds to the writer only after you approve the delivered work. You can also ask for revisions, as many as you need. 

Are paper writers qualified enough to handle academic writing? 

Yes, trustworthy writing services make sure to verify the qualifications of their writers. They hire only college graduates with advanced degrees and flawless writing skills. This guarantees that you will get professional papers that will help you get the desired grades.

What are the pitfalls of using essay writing services ?

The potential drawback of using writing help is missed opportunities to learn. For example, when you delegate research to a writer, you don’t gain knowledge or strengthen your research skills. Other than that, risks are limited if you pick a reliable and professional paper writing service with quality guarantees. 

What sets these services apart from competitors?

After careful tests, we’ve singled out these seven services because they are the most reliable on the market. They offer original, human-written papers that you can use for any academic purpose with confidence. Besides, quality guarantees are in place to make your experience safe and smooth.

Is it legal to use paper writing help? 

Totally. Writing services are safe and legal to use. They provide qualified academic help, offering you complete confidentiality and plagiarism-free writing. Your personal information stays carefully safeguarded. Writing companies follow the honor code to support academic excellence and high standards of writing. 

Reaching out for homework assistance is a fool-proof way to make your coursework easier. With paper writing services , you can wave goodbye to dreadful essays and overwhelming schedules. Expert writers can handle any assignment, no matter the difficulty. 

We’ve checked, tested, and interviewed a variety of essay writing services to find the most trustworthy, reliable, and risk-free options. Hopefully, this article will help you pick the right one and get rid of homework stress for good. 

“The news and editorial staffs of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Twincities.com had no role in this post’s preparation.”

logo

  • SAT BootCamp
  • SAT MasterClass
  • SAT Private Tutoring
  • SAT Proctored Practice Test
  • ACT Private Tutoring
  • Academic Subjects
  • College Essay Workshop
  • Academic Writing Workshop
  • AP English FRQ BootCamp
  • 1:1 College Essay Help
  • Online Instruction
  • Free Resources

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

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

starting to write college essay

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: $85–349/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

Princeton University

#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: $7400 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: $170–190/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. We also recommend working with college essay consultants with a clear code of ethics stating that they will not make edits directly on the essay documents for the students. It’s unclear to what degree the editors with CollegeVine follow these principles.

Students who want to work with a big company.

  • Cost: $170–190/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
  • 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 application 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 which 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

#6 – Allison Karpf

Our Verdict — Former English Teacher Helping Students Price: $300/hour or $3000 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:  $300/hour or $3000 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: $150/hour (minimum 10 hours), or $3800 package for application to seven schools 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: $150/hour (for 10 hours), or $3800 package for application to seven schools
  • Essay coach qualifications: journalism background
  • Affordable pricing , relative to other options
  • Professional writing background as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal
  • 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: From $65/hour Yet another individual essay consultant is Sofia Zapiola, who offers a mix of essay editing and college application counseling services.

  • Cost: From $65/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.

student writing college essay on laptop

Mid-size Teams

#10 – lotus learning.

Our Verdict — Focus on Health Sciences 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: unknown 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.

  • Essay coach qualifications: unknown
  • Larger company with several decades of experience
  • Unclear who the essay coaches are
  • Secretive about pricing

#12 – Ivy Select

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: unknown Ivy Select is another larger essay editing service. They do not give information about who their essay coaches are and what qualifications they might have.

  • Long list of impressive (but anonymous) testimonials
  • Only work with “top students”
  • No information on their website about who the editors are
  • No professional writing experience

#13 – Empowerly

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: unknown 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: $3550 minimum package
  • 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

#14 – BeMo

Our Verdict — Expensive and Aggressive with Wrong Expertise Price: $2997–12797 BeMo is a large admissions company based in Toronto, Canada. They focus primarily on admissions to medical schools and science graduate programs in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. Their rates are expensive, and they justify these by pointing out potential high earnings decades later as a doctor. Past customers have commented that their “school selection consultation” doesn’t provide any information specific to the individual student or schools. They do provide a training process for their essay consultants, but their essay consultants do not have training as college counselors, do not have experience as professional writers, and did not attend Ivy-Plus schools . They have been known to be very aggressive with their marketing emails, and have included some strange language in their sales pitches that seems inappropriate for high school students.

  • Cost: €2997/silver (one hour consultation and then unlimited written essay review for one application, no supplemental essays), €4797/gold (one hour consultation and then unlimited written essay review, incl. supplemental essays for up to 10 schools; waitlist letter, scholarship applications), €8797/platinum (unlimited consults), €12797/titanium (unlimited consults)
  • They have more of an international scope
  • High prices
  • Not focused on undergrad admissions

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.

student writing college essay

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.

Harvard University

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.

Princeton University

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 story
  • 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 important to note that a good college essay service will not write your college application essays for you . This is unethical and illegal. 

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 .

Yale University

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!

college essay coaching service online

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

Best for individual consultants: College Essay Mentor

Best for unlimited essay assistance: The College Essay Guy

Best of the big platforms: College Vine

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

Ivy League schools

Related College Essay Posts

  • 14 Best College Essay Services for 2023 (40 Services Reviewed)
  • How to Get into Harvard 2023-2024
  • Hot to Get into Princeton 2023-2024
  • How to Get into Yale 2023-2024
  • How to Answer the UC Personal Insight Questions
  • 11 College Essays That Worked
  • How to Start a College Essay
  • 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 2023
  • College Essay Brainstorming: Where to Start
  • How to Write a ‘Why This College’ Essay + Examples that Worked for the Ivy League
  • 9 Ways to (Quickly) Improve Your College Essay

best paper writer service

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. 

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED POSTS

best paper writer service

Your Guide to Writing a Letter of Continued Interest to Colleges

February 13, 2024

Deferred or waitlisted from your dream school? You can still increase your chances of admission by writing a letter of continued interest, which …

SAT Math_ What to Expect (1)

SAT Math: What You Need to Know

February 8, 2024

There are two math sections on the SAT. Your performance on these contributes to 50% of your SAT composite score. Find strategies, SAT Math content, and more in this detailed post!

SAT Reading_PrepMaven

5 Digital SAT Reading Tips for a Top Score

February 1, 2024

What do you need to know to earn a high score on SAT Reading? We've got the expert answers and the strategies right here.

best paper writer service

Digital SAT Score Range Breakdown

Wondering about what the SAT score range is, or what it means? Want to know how to put your score in context? In this guide, we’ll cover what the SAT score range is, how to interpret …

best paper writer service

Guide to Digital SAT Scoring

Add excerpt here. Can reuse meta description.

best paper writer service

What’s on the SAT in 2024?

January 23, 2024

Our comprehensive guide breaks down all content areas you need to know for the most recent version of the SAT, including math concepts, grammar, and …

best paper writer service

12 SAT Grammar Rules for a Perfect Score

On the digital SAT, grammar questions make up almost a quarter of your total Reading and Writing score. In this post, we break down every grammar concept you need to know…

best paper writer service

Getting A Perfect SAT Score: What You Need to Know

What does it take to get a perfect SAT score? Is there really a difference between a 1590 and a 1600? In this post, we explain what you need to know about…

best paper writer service

How long is the SAT?

January 22, 2024

Succeeding on the SAT means knowing how to manage your time. Here, we’ll break down the timing on the digital SAT with and without accommodations. Plus…

The 5 SAT Sections_What You Need to Know (1)

The 2 Sections of the Digital SAT: What You Need to Know for 2024

January 18, 2024

What's on the SAT? Every successful SAT test prep program begins with a solid understanding of the five SAT sections: Evidence-Based Reading, Writing & Language, Math (No-Calculator), Math (Calculator), and the SAT Essay.

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy preferences.

best paper writer service

COMMENTS

  1. Best Paper Writing Services: 7 Tested Websites to Get Your A+

    Best Paper Writing Services: 7 Legit Websites for Your Homework Reviewed. The never-ending struggle of balancing homework and social life is familiar to all students.

  2. 8 Legit Essay Writing Services in the USA: Reviews of the Best

    BBQPapers: Best Paper Writing Service for Complex Tasks SpeedyPaper : Reliable Writing Service With Great Reputation ExpertWriting : Trusted Essay Writing Service With Quick Turnaround

  3. 8 Best Research Paper Writing Services: The Most Reliable

    8 Best Research Paper Writing Services: The Most Reliable Companies in the USA Finance Watchlists My Portfolio Personal Finance Crypto Sectors Contact Us … Advertisement U.S. markets closed...

  4. 14 Best College Essay Services for 2024 (40 Services Reviewed) -

    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.

  5. 10 Best Essay Writing Services: Top Paper Writing Websites

    BBQPapers — Best Essay Writing Service Overall PaperHelp — Best for College Paper Writing SpeedyPaper — Best Price ExpertWriting — Best for Guaranteed On-Time Delivery Studdit —...