Increasingly, as colleges move away from requiring test scores for admission, they are interested in what they are calling character. 

 

Your application is largely a set of facts, data points aggregated into a chart that help readers to rank you. Letters of recommendation humanize these data points, showing how others see you and what your contributions are to a classroom and campus. But personal essays and short answers are the only chance readers have to hear in your own words how you think, how you see yourself, and – really – who you are.  

 

So that can feel like a lot of pressure! How are you supposed to even know who you are? (As one of my students said: Isn’t that why I’m going to college?)  

 

In my experience, applicants take one of two paths in crafting their personal statements:

 

1. Procrastinate because of the pressure and write essays that stay on the surface and rely on cliches.   Or….

 

2. Try so hard to stand out that they write stiff or overly-performative essays.  

 

In both cases, applicants miss the mark. What really captures an audience is authenticity – a sense of your character shining through. But to write something authentic is not easy.  You have to address the requirements of the prompt, to be direct, clear and professional, and simultaneously, you need to be able to be comfortable in your writing and open to creativity.  All of this is needed to articulate this hard to pin down, but vital (and probably cool) thing we call “you.” 

 

This is why working with a coach is helpful and why the process takes so long.  This is also why I only work with a handful of students every application season.

 

What I do is help you to get to know, and to be able to articulate: you. 

 

The Process …

 

In the discovery phase, I guide you through a series of writing exercises and we talk: exploring the stories, themes, images and questions that make up your life. As you plan, draft and revise, I help you to get comfortable with the writing process so that instead of feeling the pressure to perform you feel curious, open and empowered. 

 

Working with me, you’ll learn writing techniques and tools that will carry you through college and beyond. And believe it or not, you’ll have fun! How often have you been given the chance to pause and think about yourself as a character in this larger story that is your life? And of course, at the end of this there is this amazing thing: your future!  

 

My students have been accepted to NYU, Cornell, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, USC Film School, UCLA, University of Washington, Penn State, Cal Poly, University of Oregon, Puget Sound University, University of Hawaii, Occidental College and many other colleges and universities.