Thousands of students will apply to the same college as you. How do you stand out from the crowd?
After working in college admissions, I can confidently tell you that the most successful, influential, and powerful essays are essays that demonstrate your INSIGHT into who you are.
It’s not WHAT you write, it’s HOW you write.
Effective personal statements are HARD. In fact, as a mental health professional, I can tell you that it’s hard to be insightful while you are so close to the experiences you’re writing about. Luckily, as an experienced mental health professional, I can tell you that insight can be cultivated and taught.
Over the past two decades, I have personally supported over a thousand students apply to college. And, along the way, I have developed a system that helps teens write a personal statement that feels “right.” My goal is for students to write a personal statement that they are excited to write, a personal statement that they are proud to share, and a personal statement that makes their parents tear up.
After working one-on-one with so many students, I started to notice patterns in which of my questions help teens open up the most. I started to notice that parents have vaults of “toddler moments” - stories that showcase their child’s qualities and strengths throughout their life. I used these observations to develop a parent questionnaire and a teen questionnaire that contains my most reliable insight-producing questions.
If you are interested in personal statement coaching, not only will I share my questionnaires with you, but we’ll meet virtually or in person to talk through your responses. I’ll ask questions and help you connect the dots. Once we identify the topic of your essay that feels right, you’ll go off and write your story! If you’d like more support, I can provide coaching to help with time management, writing strategies, as well as editing from your lousy first draft to a polished masterpiece.
