The College Application Essay
Of all the essays students write, the college application essay is arguably the most important. All else being equal, these essays can be the deciding factor in an admission decision. And ironically, it's the one essay they are least prepared to write on their own.
Students are used to analyzing and "telling" in their essays for English and history classes; however, in their personal statement essays, they need to do more "showing" than telling. And then they need to reflect on their experience. For many students, this is new territory.
It takes sensitive and skillful guidance to help students examine their own life experience, perhaps for the first time. And then, the essay has to be engaging and unique--in the student's own voice and style.
I can help to make this seemingly daunting task much easier, more enjoyable, and more successful, giving your son or daughter the competitive edge that comes from having expert help with his or her college application essays.
As an experienced tutor, writing coach, and professional editor with an MA degree from Stanford, I use my considerable skills to help students find their voices and write with confidence.
In fact, I've been helping students get into the colleges of their choice for the past 15 years. And I can help your son or daughter to stand out in the crowd to get that coveted acceptance.
While it's important that the essay be the student's work, too frequently when left to their own devices, students create a laundry list of accomplishments that reveal little or nothing of their uniqueness. Another pitfall is the essay about that meaningful overseas community service trip to Africa or Central America. Admissions officers have heard these stories over and over again. Unless you can bring a unique personal dimension to such a narrative, this is a recipe for a mediocre essay. When students bring me such essay drafts, I help them turn forgettable statements into ones that are memorable and compelling.
Of course the choice of subject matter is as important as the writing. Some applications give students a choice of essay topics. These should be considered strategically to play to the student's strengths. A poor choice of topic can doom the essay.
PACKAGES
Common App. Essay plus one Supplement Essay
U.C. Package: All four U.C. Essays
Combo Package: Common App. Essay plus all four U.C. Essays
Additional Supplement Essays can be added to any package
THE PROCESS
I generally begin by engaging students in a brainstorming session to unearth topics from their lives that have the potential of generating a powerful personal essay. Then I guide the student through the writing process.
Typically, the student will write a draft which I'll critique, including making corrections and offering suggestions for revising the essay. The student then revises/rewrites. After as many iterations of this process as it takes until the student is satisfied with the essay, we proceed to the final polishing phase. In the end, students will send off essays they are proud of and which increase their chances of gaining acceptance into the schools of their choice.
Of all the essays students write, the college application essay is arguably the most important. All else being equal, these essays can be the deciding factor in an admission decision. And ironically, it's the one essay they are least prepared to write on their own.
Students are used to analyzing and "telling" in their essays for English and history classes; however, in their personal statement essays, they need to do more "showing" than telling. And then they need to reflect on their experience. For many students, this is new territory.
It takes sensitive and skillful guidance to help students examine their own life experience, perhaps for the first time. And then, the essay has to be engaging and unique--in the student's own voice and style.
I can help to make this seemingly daunting task much easier, more enjoyable, and more successful, giving your son or daughter the competitive edge that comes from having expert help with his or her college application essays.
As an experienced tutor, writing coach, and professional editor with an MA degree from Stanford, I use my considerable skills to help students find their voices and write with confidence.
In fact, I've been helping students get into the colleges of their choice for the past 15 years. And I can help your son or daughter to stand out in the crowd to get that coveted acceptance.
While it's important that the essay be the student's work, too frequently when left to their own devices, students create a laundry list of accomplishments that reveal little or nothing of their uniqueness. Another pitfall is the essay about that meaningful overseas community service trip to Africa or Central America. Admissions officers have heard these stories over and over again. Unless you can bring a unique personal dimension to such a narrative, this is a recipe for a mediocre essay. When students bring me such essay drafts, I help them turn forgettable statements into ones that are memorable and compelling.
Of course the choice of subject matter is as important as the writing. Some applications give students a choice of essay topics. These should be considered strategically to play to the student's strengths. A poor choice of topic can doom the essay.
PACKAGES
Common App. Essay plus one Supplement Essay
U.C. Package: All four U.C. Essays
Combo Package: Common App. Essay plus all four U.C. Essays
Additional Supplement Essays can be added to any package
THE PROCESS
I generally begin by engaging students in a brainstorming session to unearth topics from their lives that have the potential of generating a powerful personal essay. Then I guide the student through the writing process.
Typically, the student will write a draft which I'll critique, including making corrections and offering suggestions for revising the essay. The student then revises/rewrites. After as many iterations of this process as it takes until the student is satisfied with the essay, we proceed to the final polishing phase. In the end, students will send off essays they are proud of and which increase their chances of gaining acceptance into the schools of their choice.
Testimonials
"Your advice on my common app essay was invaluable, and it has helped me beyond college essay writing. Without your expert coaching, I wouldn't have gotten into some of my favorite schools. I was accepted at Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Emory, Amherst, Northeastern, and Grinnell. I will be attending Brown University in the fall and I am planning on studying business, English, or music.
My essay became a piece of writing that I could look back on and be proud of. I've always wanted to make it into the Ivy League, and I don't think I would have been able to say that I fulfilled this dream if I hadn't come to you. Thank you again, Cherie, for all the support!"
--Molly Liu, 2016, Brown University
"Cherie is a great tutor! She helped me a lot with my college application essays. As a result, I got into UC San Diego.
I definitely recommend her!"--Sonal Prasad, UC San Diego
"This fall I'm heading to the University of Michigan. I got into Washington and Cal (UC Berkeley) and was wait-listed at Dartmouth, but I visited Michigan and really liked it (good fit academically) and so I didn't ask to stay on the waitlist at Dartmouth. Thank you for all the help you gave me over the years and on my application essays; I certainly wouldn't be where I am now without you!"--Cole Shaffer, University of Michigan
The application essays seemed daunting to me until I found Cherie. From the initial brainstorming to the final polishing of the essays, Cherie guided me through, helping me to write topnotch college admissions essays that got me into my dream school: UC Berkeley. I highly recommend her!--Aakash Prasad, UC Berkeley
"Before working with Cherie, writing essays had always been a dreaded task. So, imagine the pressure of knowing your acceptance into college was partially based on an essay. It was tremendous. However, Cherie's calm nature and writing expertise put those writing fears to rest. She created a safe environment for me to think thoughtfully, analytically and creatively.
College essay topics are very general, and do a good job of allowing the applicant to ramble on incoherently. That was most definitely the case with me. Fortunately, Cherie's techniques provided me with the skills to take those originally vague questions and respond with tangible and organized thoughts. Cherie is a wonderful teacher who provided me with the support and guidance to find my thoughts and convey them with my own unique voice. Thanks to her help, I got into one of my top choices: the University of Oregon."--Daniella Mizrahi, University of Oregon
"I ended up attending USC in LA and am living there now. I work in Hollywood, assisting a partner of a company called Primary Wave Entertainment. Actually doing a lot of literary/writer analysis for books and scripts so I am putting your tutoring to good use!"--Alex Urazov, USC (University of Southern California)
"It will be an honor to tell them about your skill and talent. Cherie helped Cole for nearly two years with his SAT prep in which his combined verbal/writing scores improved >200 points in his second SAT sitting. Cole's confidence in Cherie became so high that this normally highly-independent young man asked Cherie to also help him with college essay writing.
I was impressed with her approach where the student (Cole) did the writing at each step along the way, but where she guided him through each of several important steps -- from idea generation, through idea development -- including development of a fresh perspective and a strong introductory paragraph, through several levels of revision and essay improvement that resulted in polished final essays.
As a result, he was accepted into a number of schools, finally deciding on the University of Michigan. We couldn't be prouder."--Gary Shaffer, father of one of my students
"Cherie worked with my son David on his writing skills for about a year, and it made a dramatic difference in his performance on his college boards (both the SAT and ACT exams). In addition, he improved his writing skills, which favorably impacted the quality of his college essays, and which will help him going forward in his classes. We were thrilled when David received acceptances to Stanford and Michigan."
--Richard Beleson
"Some say the student is only as good as his or her teacher. If that is the case, then I have been really blessed to have many inspirational mentors in my life, but one who stands out above the rest is Miss Cherie.
If it wasn't for her advice on my college essays, I probably wouldn't have been able to overcome those previously bad grades and gotten into a school as good as UC Santa Barbara, which propelled me to begin my career here at Oracle.
I highly recommend Miss Cherie to anyone looking to have an edge in their applications. I have no doubt that she could help anyone to achieve what they aspire to, whether it be increasing their ACT or SAT score by a significant margin, or improving their writing skills for those dreaded college essays. She is truly a gifted tutor, and I couldn't have been happier with the effort she put in to ensure I would be successful."
--Shajee Syed-Quadri, UC Santa Barbara
"Arguably one of the most important aspects of any college application is one's essay. College admissions offices are aware of your extracurricular activities, standardized test scores, etc. The essay affords applicants the opportunity to set him or herself apart from the rest of the pack, and demonstrate to admissions officers one's ability to reason critically and express oneself fluently. Cherie was immensely helpful in this process. She challenged my ideas in order to flush out the most important points and strengthened my writing skills so that I could pen in a compelling fashion."
–Alex Coblin, former student (Middlebury College; also accepted at UC Berkeley)
"Your advice on my common app essay was invaluable, and it has helped me beyond college essay writing. Without your expert coaching, I wouldn't have gotten into some of my favorite schools. I was accepted at Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Emory, Amherst, Northeastern, and Grinnell. I will be attending Brown University in the fall and I am planning on studying business, English, or music.
My essay became a piece of writing that I could look back on and be proud of. I've always wanted to make it into the Ivy League, and I don't think I would have been able to say that I fulfilled this dream if I hadn't come to you. Thank you again, Cherie, for all the support!"
--Molly Liu, 2016, Brown University
"Cherie is a great tutor! She helped me a lot with my college application essays. As a result, I got into UC San Diego.
I definitely recommend her!"--Sonal Prasad, UC San Diego
"This fall I'm heading to the University of Michigan. I got into Washington and Cal (UC Berkeley) and was wait-listed at Dartmouth, but I visited Michigan and really liked it (good fit academically) and so I didn't ask to stay on the waitlist at Dartmouth. Thank you for all the help you gave me over the years and on my application essays; I certainly wouldn't be where I am now without you!"--Cole Shaffer, University of Michigan
The application essays seemed daunting to me until I found Cherie. From the initial brainstorming to the final polishing of the essays, Cherie guided me through, helping me to write topnotch college admissions essays that got me into my dream school: UC Berkeley. I highly recommend her!--Aakash Prasad, UC Berkeley
"Before working with Cherie, writing essays had always been a dreaded task. So, imagine the pressure of knowing your acceptance into college was partially based on an essay. It was tremendous. However, Cherie's calm nature and writing expertise put those writing fears to rest. She created a safe environment for me to think thoughtfully, analytically and creatively.
College essay topics are very general, and do a good job of allowing the applicant to ramble on incoherently. That was most definitely the case with me. Fortunately, Cherie's techniques provided me with the skills to take those originally vague questions and respond with tangible and organized thoughts. Cherie is a wonderful teacher who provided me with the support and guidance to find my thoughts and convey them with my own unique voice. Thanks to her help, I got into one of my top choices: the University of Oregon."--Daniella Mizrahi, University of Oregon
"I ended up attending USC in LA and am living there now. I work in Hollywood, assisting a partner of a company called Primary Wave Entertainment. Actually doing a lot of literary/writer analysis for books and scripts so I am putting your tutoring to good use!"--Alex Urazov, USC (University of Southern California)
"It will be an honor to tell them about your skill and talent. Cherie helped Cole for nearly two years with his SAT prep in which his combined verbal/writing scores improved >200 points in his second SAT sitting. Cole's confidence in Cherie became so high that this normally highly-independent young man asked Cherie to also help him with college essay writing.
I was impressed with her approach where the student (Cole) did the writing at each step along the way, but where she guided him through each of several important steps -- from idea generation, through idea development -- including development of a fresh perspective and a strong introductory paragraph, through several levels of revision and essay improvement that resulted in polished final essays.
As a result, he was accepted into a number of schools, finally deciding on the University of Michigan. We couldn't be prouder."--Gary Shaffer, father of one of my students
"Cherie worked with my son David on his writing skills for about a year, and it made a dramatic difference in his performance on his college boards (both the SAT and ACT exams). In addition, he improved his writing skills, which favorably impacted the quality of his college essays, and which will help him going forward in his classes. We were thrilled when David received acceptances to Stanford and Michigan."
--Richard Beleson
"Some say the student is only as good as his or her teacher. If that is the case, then I have been really blessed to have many inspirational mentors in my life, but one who stands out above the rest is Miss Cherie.
If it wasn't for her advice on my college essays, I probably wouldn't have been able to overcome those previously bad grades and gotten into a school as good as UC Santa Barbara, which propelled me to begin my career here at Oracle.
I highly recommend Miss Cherie to anyone looking to have an edge in their applications. I have no doubt that she could help anyone to achieve what they aspire to, whether it be increasing their ACT or SAT score by a significant margin, or improving their writing skills for those dreaded college essays. She is truly a gifted tutor, and I couldn't have been happier with the effort she put in to ensure I would be successful."
--Shajee Syed-Quadri, UC Santa Barbara
"Arguably one of the most important aspects of any college application is one's essay. College admissions offices are aware of your extracurricular activities, standardized test scores, etc. The essay affords applicants the opportunity to set him or herself apart from the rest of the pack, and demonstrate to admissions officers one's ability to reason critically and express oneself fluently. Cherie was immensely helpful in this process. She challenged my ideas in order to flush out the most important points and strengthened my writing skills so that I could pen in a compelling fashion."
–Alex Coblin, former student (Middlebury College; also accepted at UC Berkeley)