Writing Instruction
I am not an expert in the nearly 4,000 degree-granting colleges and universities across the country. I cannot tell you a particular program in a particular university will be perfect for you. I cannot guarantee your acceptance into any of your selected schools, and I will not promise you financial aid. I do not know how every single admissions department operates – their mysterious protocols, their recalculated GPAs, their ever-evolving approaches to Early Decision 1, 2, or 100. But I do know how to write an excellent college application, beginning to end, and how to teach writing, both of which applicants need.
The most important class I took as an undergraduate was Peer Tutoring in Writing. The syllabus prepared its students for immediate work in the college’s writing center, but the lasting effects of this course have been astounding. When I graduated in 1992, I was excited and prepared to teach writing, and I have been doing this work in some form ever since: as a graduate teaching assistant, as a high school English teacher, as a university writing center coordinator, as a private writing tutor, and for the past 20 years as an adjunct professor of English and Communications.
Over the years, I have worked with students of every age, preschool through post-secondary, and at the college level, I have taught the Art of Writing, Composition 101, Introduction to College Reading and Writing, English to Speakers of Other Languages, Introduction to Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking, and more.
I racked up honors many moons ago (Siena’s Award for Excellence in English Education, Trinity College’s English Thesis Award, Phi Alpha Theta, Delta Epsilon Sigma, etc.), and more recently I was awarded Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year for Online Programs and the CT Art Directors Excellence Award for School Magazine, but these accomplishments mean far less to me than the one-on-one writing instruction I have given to thousands of students over the past three decades.
In addition to teaching at the college level, I have worked as a school communications and marketing director, writing promotional materials, webpages, ad copy, social media posts, press releases, newsletters, and magazines. I know how to package information and how to sell. I have worked as a freelance writer and communications consultant, and I have proofread so many documents I cannot guess at the number. Clients in various industries have hired me to write, edit, teach, tutor, you-name-it.
All of this is to say I love writing, and I have honed my skills as a writing instructor. In my work giving college essay writing help, I go beyond pointing out grammatical errors: I teach about the craft of writing. I help writers find their voice, tell their story, create something powerful and important out of blank space. I teach students grammar rules and pass along the latest dictums from the usage gods. I help writers attune their ear, unknot sentences, and find joy in words! My work as a college essay advisor and college admissions counselor can encourage and train even the most reluctant writer.