BLUE TEACHES
College Essay Coaching
Your story. Your voice. Your strongest application.
Free consultation
College essays ask you to do something difficult: tell a meaningful story about who you are in a very small amount of space—while also managing deadlines, application requirements, schoolwork, and the pressure of the admissions process.
You do not have to figure it out alone.
I provide individualized coaching for personal statements, supplemental essays, and other application writing. Whether you have no idea where to begin or already have a complete draft, I will meet you exactly where you are and determine the most useful next step.
Start-to-finish coaching
If you are staring at a blank page and do not know where to begin, we can figure it out together.
- Understand what an essay prompt is really asking
- Identify meaningful experiences, ideas, and stories
- Brainstorm possible topics
- Find a clear direction for your essay
- Create an outline or plan
- Develop a complete first draft
- Revise until the essay feels focused, memorable, and true to you
Draft review and revision
If you already have a draft, I can provide thoughtful, detailed feedback and help you strengthen it.
- Structure and organization
- Clarity and focus
- Making the essay more specific and engaging
- Developing ideas that need more depth
- Cutting material that distracts from the central story
- Sentence-level style, rhythm, grammar, and word choice
- Preserving your natural voice while presenting your strongest work
Personal statements and supplemental essays
I work with students on both the main personal statement and school-specific supplemental essays. We can make sure each essay contributes something meaningful to the application rather than repeating information admissions readers will find elsewhere.
Experience that matters
I am an experienced writing teacher with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in writing from Columbia University. I earned admission to Columbia and have helped many other students develop successful applications to Ivy League and other highly selective colleges.
I understand what makes an application essay effective—but I also understand that the best essay must still sound unmistakably like the student who wrote it. I will not replace your voice or write your essay for you. We will work together to uncover what you genuinely want to say and express it as clearly and powerfully as possible.
Meeting options
For students under 18, I communicate directly with a parent or guardian before beginning. A parent or guardian must be aware of and involved in arranging the service.
- Online
- In person at a public library convenient for the student
- Flexible scheduling when possible
Pricing
My standard rate is $35 per hour, with flexible pricing available based on individual circumstances.
Start-to-finish coaching and draft review have the same hourly rate. A completed draft usually requires fewer hours than beginning with brainstorming and a blank page, so the total cost naturally reflects how much support you need.
FOR MY FORMER STUDENTS
Former students from the Double Discovery Center, Columbia University, or Hampshire College are always welcome to pay what they can afford.
It pays to be my student!
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION
Let’s talk about your application
For students under 18, a parent or guardian should be involved in the initial contact and arrangement of services.