Applying proven storytelling techniques to craft compelling college essays
Students I’ve coached over the past ten admissions seasons have been admitted to
UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, Harvard, Stanford, NYU, USC, Columbia, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Virginia, UNC-Chapel Hill, MIT, CalTech, Carnegie Mellon, University of Chicago, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Claremont McKenna, Middlebury, Boston University, and many more highly-ranked colleges.
Admissions essays are crucial pieces of storytelling, conveying character, personality, interests, and insight that add depth and dimension to a college application.
Utilizing storyboarding methods adapted from live storytelling events and screenwriting, each writer becomes a well-developed protagonist, telling a memorable, compelling story that is purely theirs.
Thoughtful, well-crafted stories bring a person to life for admissions readers, creating an impactful connection.
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We dive deeply into students’ backgrounds, interests, and experiences to highlight what excites, motivates, and interests them. Then, we identify unifying themes that convey a distinctive perspective and personality.
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Good stories create connections with readers by guiding them through truthful moments and key turning points. Inspired by three-act narrative structure and using a storytelling map, we develop the logical and emotional threads that bring that story to life.
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Through capturing a student’s voice, a great college essay brings a student to life off the page. Refining that voice enables students to convey how they think, feel, and move through life, creating a powerful link with readers.
Encouraging students to celebrate and embrace their strengths by telling their unique stories
For every student, college admissions essays are an opportunity to explore who they are, share their passions, and articulate their goals for the future. Reframing the college application process as one of self-discovery and self-belief empowers students to open up and give voice to their stories. After diving deeply into their backgrounds, interests, and experiences to highlight everything that sets them apart, students often come away with profoundly changed self-confidence and excitement about their futures.
Supporting students as they discover their voices
My primary objective is to create a supportive dynamic that helps students open up, explore themselves, take risks as writers, and speak without fear of judgment. I facilitate their writing by asking questions to encourage them to dive deeper, capturing stories in their own voice through note-taking and recording, and mirroring their excitement as they uncover their stories.
