College admissions coaching
I’m a college admissions coach with a personal approach — I work with students one on one, building the confidence and the vision to know where they are headed, and why.
The essay section isn’t a test. It’s where they judge you your opportunity to tell your story.
What I specialize in is helping students craft their story. Most students write what they think a committee wants to hear. The ones who get in write something truly authentic and memorable — and that almost never happens on the first draft.
- 100+
- Students helped
- 98%
- Acceptance rate of well-qualified students
- 5.0
- Rating across 37 reviews
Some examples of where my students have been accepted.
In 14 years I have worked with 100+ students. These are some of the places they were accepted.
Undergraduate, business school, and medical school, public and private.
From blank page to submitted.
Four stages, every essay. Most of the work is in revision — that is where a competent draft becomes one only you could have written.
- Before a word is written
Strategy
We map your story — strengths, angle, and what each school actually rewards — and start on your recommendations. Committees weigh them heavily, and a strong letter is very rarely an accident.
- You write
First drafts
Prompt by prompt, in your own voice. I coach; the writing stays yours.
- Where the work happens
Revision
Line by line, round after round, until every sentence earns its place and the essay sounds like you on your best day.
- Finishing properly
Submit
Final polish, supplements checked, and filed well ahead of the deadline.
You will know exactly where things stand, without asking.
Every couple of weeks you get a short email: what is done, what is next, and how close the deadline is. As I hold your student accountable, you get to maintain family harmony.
I drive the deadlines, not you
You stop being the one nagging about essays. I set the timeline, keep your student to it, and tell you where things actually are.
Progress reports, by email
A short update every couple of weeks — what your student has finished, what is next, and how much time is left before the deadline.
Your feedback, all along the way
Read the updates and tell me what you think. If something looks wrong, or you want to talk a draft through, say so — you are not watching this from the outside.
The last mile is not the place to economize.
You’ve spent years on this: the tutoring, the summer programs, the lessons, the club sports. All of it building toward one moment — the moment your student has to explain who they are in 650 words.
Approached with strategy, that moment becomes more than an essay. It’s a chance to help your student see clearly who they are, what they’re capable of, and where they’re headed, then put that into words with confidence. The right process doesn’t just polish an application. It sharpens their sense of self, clarifies their strengths, and gives them a real vision for what comes next. That clarity is what carries them into this next chapter, not just accepted, but ready.
Everything, start to finish, for your senior year application process.
- Strategy session to find the thread the whole application hangs on
- Every essay that school asks for, drafted and revised until it is right
- Recommendation strategy, because strong letters change how a committee reads you
- Endorsement, Honor Code, and deadline tracking so nothing is missed
- Progress updates to you, with the opportunity for you to provide any feedback you’d like along the way
For a specific problem, or a second opinion.
- A single essay that you are stuck on
- Feedback on a draft before it is submitted
- Help with high-level application strategy
- Recommendation strategy on its own
Useful if you have most of it handled and want one thing checked.
One year of a private tutor costs more than this. So does a season of a club sport. This is the piece the admissions officer actually reads.
Payment is a deposit to start and the balance when the work is done. If money is genuinely the barrier, say so when you inquire — I would rather find something that works than lose a student who should be applying.
Ninth, tenth and eleventh grade coaching.
Most families call in the autumn of senior year, when the deadlines are already set and the record is already written. There is a great deal I can do at that point, and I do it — but the honest thing to say is that the earlier we start, the more of the application is still a choice.
Working with a student in ninth, tenth or eleventh grade means the strategy comes first and the essay comes last. We can shape which classes to take and which to push, which activities are worth going deep on rather than collecting, and which teachers will still remember them clearly enough to write a letter worth reading. By the time the essay is due, there is something specific to write about — because we spent three years making sure there would be.
Priced by the year and the amount of work involved. Ask on the intro call.
5.0 across 37 reviews.
She edited my college essays! I liked her so much and she did such a good job, I asked her to edit my medical school application essays as well. I got into both the university and the medical school I was hoping to get into. She’s the best.
Kate was a great mentor to me during the period when I was writing my essays. She guided me in the right direction and helped me maintain my own style in the eight essays I wrote. I am so glad I had her help! Her support was definitely instrumental in getting me accepted!
Kate was an incredible college essay coach for my son. She is a great communicator and kept us on track with all deadlines and timelines. She helped him stay focused, organize his thoughts, and refine his ideas into concise, well crafted essays…
The ones parents actually ask.
No, and I would not want to. Admissions readers can tell, and a coached-out essay reads like everyone else’s. I ask questions until the thing you actually mean is on the page in your words.
Spring of junior year is comfortable. Summer is normal. September is tight but workable. I love to help students start preparing before their junior year, so if that sounds like a good fit, inquire for more details on my sophomore and junior year programs.
That is what hourly is for. No package, no commitment — send the draft and we will spend an hour on it.
As much as you want, on progress rather than prose. A short email every week or two, set by the final deadline and how close your student is to finishing.
Not sure whether a school you are looking at takes the Common App? Check any school here, and see what it means for how much writing is ahead of you.
The students applying with confidence aren’t working on their applications the night of the deadline.
I am here to simplify the process and help your student stand out by honing in on their story. A free intro call is the whole commitment — we’ll talk about your story and whether I’m the right fit.