Your essay isn’t a test. It’s the only part of the application where you get to talk.
Most students write what they think a committee wants to hear. The ones who get in write something only they could have written — and that almost never happens on the first draft.
I’ve spent 13 years in the margins of other people’s essays — 65+ students so far. I don’t write them, and I don’t let a student sand off the thing that makes them interesting. I ask questions until the real story shows up, then I help them cut everything that isn’t it.
Fifteen schools, from state flagships to medical school.
In 13 years I have worked with 65+ students. These are the schools they were accepted to — not a list of schools I admire, and not where I would like to place someone.
- 65+
- Students helped
- 98%
- Acceptance rate of well-qualified students
- 15
- Schools they got into
- 5.0
- Rating across 37 reviews
Undergraduate, business school and medical school, public and private, across ten states.
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.
- 01Before a word is written
Strategy
We map your story — strengths, angle, and what each school actually rewards — and plan your recommendations: who to ask, for which question, and how early.
- 02You write
First drafts
Prompt by prompt, in your own voice. I coach; the writing stays yours.
- 03Where 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.
- 04Finishing properly
Submit
Final polish, supplements checked, and filed well ahead of the deadline.
Three letters should add up to one person.
Recommendations are not a formality you collect at the end. Chosen well, they corroborate the story your essays are telling. Chosen badly, they describe a different student.
Who you choose
Each recommender is asked one specific written question. The right person is the one who has actually watched you answer it — not the teacher who likes you most, or the one with the most impressive title.
How you ask
The ask shapes the letter. Give them the questions in advance, the moments worth citing, and enough notice to write properly. A rushed recommender writes in generalities, and generalities read as faint praise.
How they fit together
Three letters covering the same ground is one letter repeated. We plan them as a set so each carries a different side of you, and an admissions reader finishes them with a single coherent picture.
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. No chasing, no wondering whether anything happened this week.
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.
Your student knows what you see
They can see exactly who is subscribed and what each email contains. Nothing here is hidden from them, which is why they keep writing honestly.
Every email is read before it sends
Nothing goes out automatically. I read each update and usually add a line about how the week actually went.
Stop them any time
One link at the bottom of every email. No conversation required.
37 reviews. Not one below five stars.
Kate is amazing!! She created a timeline with our son to break it down one essay at a time. She took time to get to know him and helped him decide what to write about in each essay. She kept on top of him so I didn’t have to keep nagging him to get his essays done in time. She’s so kind and patient and encouraged him in a way that motivated him to get them finished. Her editing was positive and helpful and he enjoyed working with her! She is worth every dollar…
I cannot say enough good things about Kate! She was incredibly patient, kind, and encouraging while helping my son navigate writing his college essays. I love that she did not overpower his voice, she gave thoughtful suggestions and feedback that helped him narrow down what he should write about. He felt confident and proud of his work…
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.
The last mile is not the place to economize.
You have spent years on this already — the tutoring, the summer programs, the driving, the instrument nobody ended up playing. All of it was pointed at the moment your student has to explain who they are in 1,500 characters. That moment is worth doing properly.
Everything, start to finish, for one school.
- 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 — who to ask, how to ask, and how the letters fit together
- Endorsement, Honor Code and deadline tracking so nothing is missed
- Progress updates to you, previewed and approved before they send
Most families work with me on one or two schools.
For a specific problem, or a second opinion.
- A single essay that is not working
- A read of a draft before it goes
- Help choosing between schools or angles
- 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 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 enquire — I would rather find something that works than lose a student who should be applying.
Frequently asked questions.
Weekly, every two weeks, or monthly — you choose, and you can change it or stop any time from a link at the bottom of every email.
You can — they are your child’s essays and nothing is locked away from you. But most parents find they do not need to. The whole point is that I am the one driving the deadlines and holding your student accountable, so you are not reading drafts to work out whether anything is happening. The update tells you that.
Because a status summary is what actually answers "are we on track". Sending drafts every couple of weeks would turn the update into homework for you, and it makes students write for an audience instead of honestly. If you want to read something, ask — I would rather you read a finished essay you are proud of than six half-drafts.
Yes. They can see exactly who is subscribed and what each email contains. Nothing about it is hidden from them.
The status is assembled automatically. I read every one before it sends and usually add a line about how the week actually went.
Yes, on separate schedules if that suits you better. Each address is added and confirmed on its own.
The students who start early aren’t the ones rewriting an essay the night before it’s due.
A free intro call is the whole commitment — we’ll talk about your story and whether I’m the right fit.