I don't know everything.
I’m not an expert in the nearly 4,000 degree-granting colleges and universities across the country. I cannot tell you a particular school will be a perfect fit, although I’m happy to suggest several. I cannot guarantee your acceptance into highly competitive schools, and I will not promise you financial aid. I do not know how every admissions department operates – their mysterious protocols, their recalculated GPAs, their ever-evolving approaches to ED 1, 2, or 10. But I am a serious student of the changing admissions landscape, and I know what makes an outstanding application, beginning to end. I also know how to teach writing.
I've tackled the 10,000 rule.
I’ve been teaching writing in some form for thirty years — as a graduate teaching assistant, as a high school English teacher, as a university writing center coordinator, as a private writing tutor, and as a professor of English, Communications, and English to Speakers of Other Languages. Over the years, I’ve worked with students of every age, preschool through post-secondary, and I have, quite literally, helped thousands of students become better writers. I’ve also worked as a marketing director, packaging information and people to spotlight the good. In sum, I’ve tackled the 10,000 rule.
As a result of my years in the field, my work today as a college counselor specializing in essay advising goes beyond catching typos. I help applicants find their voice, tell their story, and create something powerful and memorable out of blank space. At the same time, I teach the craft of writing. I train writers in essay organization, paragraph development, and sentence structure. I help writers walk out their best ideas and pull through a narrative thread. I show them how to show themselves.
And while my clients write their college essays, I teach the rules of grammar and usage. I point out where they’ve written a fragment and why I might let them get away with it. Might. I talk about style and tone and word choice. I help writers say what they mean, unknot their sentences, and find joy in the process.
I guide young writers with grace and good cheer.
My clients’ testimonials remind me to keep honoring their young voices and guide them through the college application process with grace and good cheer. I reread their reviews so I know what they’ve valued most from our work together. When clients tell me they’ve become better writers because of our meetings, I swoon.
Remember, teachers play the long game. They love a great product, but they care more about process. You know, teach them to fish so they’re fed for a lifetime. This is why you hire a writing instructor to guide you through the college application process. Because teachers gonna teach.
I play the long game.
You're going to get into college. You likely have the support of family, friends, and school counselors. There are websites to answer your college application questions and admissions representatives to answer school-specific queries. My work as a college counselor and essay advisor dovetails with these resources already at your fingertips. Yes, I can answer most of your college questions and deliver sage advice, but what I really do is help you write outstanding applications, so you stand out. At the same time, I teach you writing skills for the future. That’s called a win-win.
I love working with young people at this pivotal moment in their lives. I love the high-stakes, uber-exciting crossroad where what has been is becoming what will be. I love writing in that charged space. I also love teaching skills that transcend this nerve-racking time.
So why choose a writing instructor for help with your college applications? Because they'll help you write exceptional essays while teaching you skills for the long run.
Learn more college essay tips HERE and about my services HERE.
Photo credit: Vladislav Babienko
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