college essay near me

More than 4 million 5-star reviews

65,000 expert tutors in 300+ subjects, find a great match with our good fit guarantee, featured by the nation’s most respected news sources.

Tutors from top universities

Get 1:1 help fast

The Best college essay Tutoring Online

Find the best college essay tutor.

Patient tutor that specializes in Advanced Statistics & College Essays

I am a higher education professional and educational consultant who has a passion for not only helping students get into college, but make it through college. I have taught research methodology at the university level and have a PhD in Educational... See Christal-Joy's full profile

Not only did she really have a strong mastery of the material, but she presented and organized the lesson in a way that was very helpful. Lots of people know this stuff, but not everyone can share that knowledge in a way that mak... read the full review - Kristen , 12 lessons with Christal-Joy

English tutor and PhD w/ 3+ years experience in college essay coaching

Since 2017, I've helped students write the essays that have gained them admission to the colleges and graduate schools of their dreams. I can help at any stage in the process, from brainstorming ideas to revising early drafts to proofreading the... See Nathan's full profile

Nathan is wonderful! He helped my son tremendously with his college application essays. From the Common App personal statement to the supplemental essays for the Ivies to the safety schools, Nathan provided expert guidance with br... read the full review - Kathryn , 10 lessons with Nathan

Writing Mentor specializing in College Application Essays

A professional writing mentor, I have worked chiefly with university applicants since 2013; full time the last 5 years. Essay Mentor for Fulbright Commission, 2015-2020, working with extremely promising applicants to help them in applying to... See Jonathan's full profile

Jonathan helped our daughter prepare essays for almost 20 schools. He worked with her weekly over several months to generate strategies for how to approach each application (e.g., which supplemental essays to choose if there is a... read the full review - Nahid , 92 lessons with Jonathan

Published Author, NYU MFA in Writing, Personal Statement Specialist

I have assisted students through their college journeys since 2016. Since then, I have run large college essay workshops and have worked privately with individuals applying to top schools such as Stanford University, The University of... See Eitan's full profile

Eitan is so knowledgeable about the structure, grammar, and wording of essays and always gives extremely helpful feedback. He is very patient and is willing to go out of his way to help his students succeed. He not only helps with... read the full review - Elena , 29 lessons with Eitan

Expert Writing Coach & College Essay Consultant; Former UNC Professor

I always seek to bring a sense of meaning, thoughtfulness, and even fun (!) to the application process. I began assisting students with personal statements and college essays as an Essay Coach with College Essay Guy, an industry... See Erica's full profile

Dr. Erica is the best!!! She is very experienced and patient. She brainstormed with my daughter and guided her on college application. She also provided feedback and edited her essays, activity list, and resume. She has a knack f... read the full review - Elizabeth , 8 lessons with Erica

Experienced Consultant in College Essay Writing

...as well as, external (not university-affiliated) companies, and private tutoring. On top of working with students on college essays , I worked for two years as a graduate teaching assistant working with students on crafting strong argument-driven essays... See Leigh's full profile

Award-winning Harvard Grad / College Essay and Application Consultant

Throughout my tutoring career, I have helped numerous clients refine and polish academic papers, college essays , and applications. Whether you need assistance with your writing style, grammar, vocabulary, or paper structure, I can use my... See Teagan's full profile

Teagan has been helping my daughter with her college essays and counseling and has been exceptional! He has been patient, always positive and brings out the best in her. He clearly understands what various colleges need and guides... read the full review - Varadan , 8 lessons with Teagan

College Essay Consultant

I am an Ivy League alumna and veteran high school teacher. Prior to becoming a college essay consultant three years ago, I volunteered as an Alumni Admissions Ambassador for my alma mater. In that role, I conducted applicant interviews... See Barbara's full profile

College /Application Essays -Top Editor

Colleges accept you based on your potential. I help both students and their parents understand how to frame the essay application and supplemental questions. Additionally, I help students and parents with the entire search process:, essays,... See Robert's full profile

Robert is by far one of the best tutors I have had the pleasure of working with. He is ALWAYS competent and willing to help me no matter the time line. He's work is phenomenal and it still amazes me efficient he works. An assignme... read the full review - Maredith , 6 lessons with Robert

College Application Essay Specialist with PhD from Berkeley

I’ve been helping university applicants with their college essays since 2016. My clients have been accepted at top-tier universities across the US. Taught academic writing at UC Berkeley for ten years. Directed 30 senior theses primarily... See Ben's full profile

If you’re struggling with a tight deadline and getting your ideas down on paper, book a session with Ben. He knows just the right questions to ask and has an amazing technique for getting your essays done as fast and as well as p... read the full review - Katherine

Don L-- English, Literature, SAT prep, Grammar, and Writing Teacher

I have worked with hundreds of students and their college essays . Most of this work was done in my high school Honors and College Prep English classes. I have also worked with many students on highlighting skills for their applications.... See Donald's full profile

Don was Great! I needed help with a "Fiction Analysis" paper for English 102. Don was able to help me understand exactly what my professor was looking for in this assignment and then helped me with different ways that I can approa... read the full review - Christie

Certified ELA Educator: College Essays , Writing, College Composition

This may come by helping students with writing coursework (college or high school), navigating college applications, reviewing college application essays , writing scholarship essays, organizing content, and/or study skills.... See Julie's full profile

If you are looking for a tutor, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t give Julie an opportunity to connect with you. From the very start, you will see Julie’s high level of organization, planning, and flexibility whi... read the full review - Dan , 7 lessons with Julie

3+ yrs experience helping students find/get into their dream schools

It’s hard to choose between two stellar candidates with generic essays, so admissions offices move on to the essay that reads, feels and behaves like a real person. My approach to the college essay is simple and effective. It’s a... See Henrik's full profile

My son was struggling with trying to organize and write his paper for his Brit. Lit. English class. We feel so fortunate to have found Henrik through the Wyzant app. Henrik was always very responsive when communicating with me thr... read the full review - Allison , 2 lessons with Henrik

Ivy League College Essay & Writing Coach

Transform your story into a compelling narrative that captures the attention of college admissions at your dream college. I have helped students gain admission to top universities, including Harvard, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania... See Julie's full profile

Julie helped me craft my statement of purpose for my grad school applications. She helped me master the process of finding information to include in my essays. Julie is amazing! I could not recommend her more! ... read the full review - Meredith

Effective Writing/Editing Tutor; College Essay Tutor & Counselor

My role is to guide students and support them through the writing process, and to help them craft strong, compelling narratives that hew closely to their own voice. For college applications, essays usually include the personal... See Helene's full profile

Helene has been assisting my son with his essays and she has been an amazing help. She is part counselor, part editor, and part cheerleader. She is able to help him clarify his ideas and express them clearly in his voice, not hers... read the full review - Linda , 12 lessons with Helene

Experienced Grad-School, Fellowship, and College Essay Tutor

I'm happy to work with you on any stage of the writing process, whether it be last-minute final edits, brainstorming content and outlining, or anything in between! College and graduate school essay coaching has been a focus of mine for the past... See Madeline's full profile

I could write pages on how significant Maddy has been for me throughout my graduate applications process, but I will try to keep it short because I want you to read my entire review. I have been working with Maddy since Summer 20... read the full review - Danielle , 181 lessons with Madeline

Psychology PhD, Dissertations, Research Methods, College Essays

Hi, I'm Dr. Nicole. I have a PhD in health psychology and have served as a dissertation-level research and writing coach for 8 years. I have successfully guided numerous psychology graduate students to earning their PhDs or PsyDs. This means that... See Nicole's full profile

Nicole is a brilliant and passionate writing tutor who truly cares about her student and helping them in accomplishing their goals. She helped me succeed in transforming my paper from average to EXCELLENT! She is knowledgeable and... read the full review - Tiffany , 5 lessons with Nicole

College Application Prep Tutor

I've constructed a "College Applications Prep" guidance program, where I help students 1-on-1 with organizing deadlines (Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision) as well as brainstorming, editing, proofreading college ... See Vindhyaa's full profile

Vindhyaa has been teaching our daughter for the past 3 years, and we just discovered Wynzant. She has been a HUGE rescue keeping my daughter motivated and ahead of her classes (especially during COVID remote times). She is patient... read the full review - Hoori

Fulbright Scholar, Northwestern Grad: College Essays & More

My Unique Approach I've learned to decode and analyze what institutions and organizations seek in applicants. When it comes to college essays , my approach is guided by information that comes directly from the source: the admissions... See Tara's full profile

She has been a HUGE help for our son who struggles with writing. She’s extremely thorough making sure we’re covering all writing prompts for all the different colleges that my son wants to apply to and guiding him through the writ... read the full review - Natalie , 6 lessons with Tara

Harvard Grad & College Essay Specialist - 50 Best Harvard Essays

Ever since giving my first chess lesson when I was 11 years old (certainly the most exciting $2 I have ever made in my life) I have continued tutoring in almost every imaginable capacity, from ACT, to college essays , from middle school... See Razi's full profile

I came to Wyzant to look for essay help after struggling with writing my college essays. The first three tutors I used would do the same steps every lesson: they would rush through my essays quickly, providing basic grammar help,... read the full review - Rahul , 19 lessons with Razi

The College Lad - Leading SoCal Writing Coach & Test Expert

My own writing has been published in over a dozen publications and my years of experience writing web copy have taught me how to apply that punchy style to college essays in order to grab a reader's attention. I don't just write... See Nick's full profile

Conquer the College Essay with Author, Journalist and Writing Teacher

I am an award-winning author and journalist with bylines in The Wall Street Journal, NPR's magazine, and Village Voice Media (200+ articles published). As a communications consultant, my clients include the World Bank, World Vision International... See Amy's full profile

I can't imagine a better writing tutor; she absolutely exceeded my expectations. I have been in the process of applying for speech-language pathology graduate school. It is an EXTREMELY competitive program (25-35 spots and 400 app... read the full review - Marissa , 7 lessons with Amy

SAT, ACT, college essays , writing, English, history, languages

Hi, my name is Curt, and I'm an experienced tutor for high school students in SAT/ACT test prep, college essays , writing and academic subjects. I began tutoring for the SAT and ACT several years ago as a Ph.D. student in... See Curt's full profile

Expert College Application Essay Coach, English PhD, Former UCLA Prof

In addition to my independent coaching work, I spent several years working with students and writing about college essays for College Essay Guy, and I have also worked with boutique admissions counseling services in Los Angeles. My... See Gabriel's full profile

Gabriel did an amazing job of helping my son with his essay. He offered kind, helpful feedback that prompted my son to look at his work from a different perspective, one he had never considered. Gabriel was great at keeping a dist... read the full review - Krista , 5 lessons with Gabriel

College Essay Expert with 5-Star Rating

As a college essay expert with a 5-star rating, I have helped countless students craft compelling and impactful essays that showcase their unique strengths and personalities. With a background in education and a doctorate in education, I... See Bryan's full profile

If you need assistance with any writing assignments our family highly recommends Bryan. Bryan assisted my younger son with the review of his common app essay and my older son with his law school essays. He was direct, engaged, a... read the full review - Melissa , 10 lessons with Bryan

Trusted with over 6 million hours of lessons since 2005

Success stories

Real stories from real people

Since 2005, Wyzant has provided a way for people to learn any subject in a way that works for them.

Tutors on Wyzant Cost $35 - 60 per hour on average

Tutors using Wyzant are professional subject experts who set their own price based on their demand and skill.

Compare tutor costs. With a range of price options, there’s a tutor for every budget.

Sign up, search, and message with expert tutors free of charge.

Only pay for the time you need. Whether it’s one lesson or seven, you decide what to spend.

Get the help you need first. You’ll only be charged after your lesson is complete.

Love Your Lesson Or It’s Free

Reported on by leading news outlets.

A nationwide network

Find Online Tutors in Subjects related to College Essay.

Get 1-to-1 learning help through online lessons. If you are looking to learn a subject similar to College Essay, tap into the nation’s largest community of private tutors. Wyzant helps more students find face to face lessons, in more places than anyone else. Plus, if you're not happy with any new tutor, we'll gladly refund the cost of your first hour. In addition to College Essay tutors, Wyzant can also help you find:

Online ACCUPLACER College-Level Math tutors | Online ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills tutors | Online ISEE (Essay) tutors | Online ACCUPLACER Elementary Algebra tutors | Online AP Literature tutors | Online ACCUPLACER Reading Comprehension tutors | Online AP English tutors | Online CLEP College Composition tutors | Online AP English Literature tutors | Online Narrative Essay Writing tutors | Online GMAT (Analytical Writing) tutors | Online SAT II Latin tutors | Online SAT Verbal tutors | Online SSAT (Writing) tutors | Online SAT Writing tutors | Online SAT II German tutors | Online CLEP College Composition Modular tutors | Online 6th Grade Writing tutors | Online AP US History tutors

Find a Private College Essay Tutor in any city.

The Wyzant community of private tutors spans nationwide, making it easy to find an instructor nearby who can teach 1:1 college essay lessons online or in person. Pass the class, ace the test, or learn a new job skill. Compare tutor costs and qualifications and find your college essay tutor today.

Houston College Essay tutors | Chicago College Essay tutors | Los Angeles College Essay tutors | Brooklyn College Essay tutors | Miami College Essay tutors | Queens College Essay tutors | San Antonio College Essay tutors | Philadelphia College Essay tutors | New York College Essay tutors | Manhattan College Essay tutors | Las Vegas College Essay tutors | Phoenix College Essay tutors | Bronx College Essay tutors | Denver College Essay tutors | San Diego College Essay tutors | Dallas College Essay tutors | Cleveland College Essay tutors | Baltimore College Essay tutors | Minneapolis College Essay tutors | Fort Worth College Essay tutors | Austin College Essay tutors | San Jose College Essay tutors | Atlanta College Essay tutors | Saint Louis College Essay tutors | Orlando College Essay tutors

Get the college essay help you need, right when you need it with the convenience of online lessons.

• SAT BootCamp
• SAT MasterClass
• SAT Private Tutoring
• SAT Proctored Practice Test
• ACT Private Tutoring
• Academic Subjects
• College Essay Workshop
• Academic Writing Workshop
• AP English FRQ BootCamp
• 1:1 College Essay Help
• Online Instruction
• Free Resources

14 Best College Essay Services for 2024 (40 Services Reviewed)

Research conducted by Emily Kierkegaard , PhD, and expert-reviewed by Kevin Wong, PrepMaven Co-founder

Not sure which college application essay coaching and editing service is the best? We compared the top 40 services, created in-depth reviews for 14 of them, and narrowed it down to the 4 best that will help guide you through the process of writing amazing college application essays.

What is the Best College Essay Service?

• PrepMaven  – best college application essay service overall
• College Essay Mentor  – best for individual consultants
• The College Essay Guy  – best for unlimited essay assistance
• College Vine  – best of the big platforms

The best of the rest:

Individual essay consultants:

• College Essay Editor  – small editing team
• Allison Karpf  – former English teacher helping students
• Your College Vision  – former journalist with more affordable rates
• The College Guru  – good on paper but unresponsive
• Sofia Zapiola – budget-friendly application assistance

Mid-size teams:

• Lotus Learning  – focus on health sciences

Large platforms:

• Study Point  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Ivy Select  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Empowerly  – larger platform with mystery editors
• BeMo  – expensive and aggressive with wrong expertise

Schedule a college essay consultation

Best College Application Essay Services in 2024

#1 – prepmaven.

Our Verdict — Best College Essay Assistance Overall Price: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package) PrepMaven’s one-on-one college essay assistance is the best option overall. Founded by brothers and Princeton grads Greg and Kevin, almost all of PrepMaven’s essay coaches have Ivy-League experience, primarily from Princeton and Harvard. All essay coaches also undergo a thorough training program in PrepMaven’s methods, developed by professional writers with deep understanding of the college admissions process, for helping students to discover the most compelling stories for their essays. Unlike other services, PrepMaven offers college essay assistance at several different price points. At the most accessible rate, students can work with current Ivy-League undergraduates who specialize in writing and have recently aced the college application process. At higher rates, students can work with coaches who are both Ivy-League grads and professional writers (screenwriters, journalists, editors) with many years of experience helping students to craft compelling essays. Interested students can even work directly with founders Greg and Kevin, who have over 15 years of experience helping students through the entire essay-writing process. PrepMaven’s services combine many of the best features of other good options into one, and it’s hard to beat their experience.

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help now

Any student wanting college essay help, at any point in the process, with a range of budgets.

At a glance:

• Cost: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package)
• Writing coach qualifications: Princeton graduates and professional writers (or current Princeton students); all trained

What we like:

• Ivy League experience —most of their writing coaches are Princeton grads or current students, with some from Harvard and other Ivies
• Different pricing options to meet different families’ circumstances
• More flexible and greater capacity to take on new students compared to individual consultants

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help

#2 – College Essay Mentor

Our Verdict — Best of the Individual Consultants Price: unknown but high Some college essay consulting services consist of just one expert. Of these individual essay consultants, Chris Hunt at College Essay Mentor is our favorite. He combines writing experience as a journalist for the Economist and the Wall Street Journal with personal experience as a graduate of Dartmouth. However, he only works with a small number of students each year, and students need to apply to work with him — he only accepts students with top grades and test scores who are already strong applicants for top schools. Chris offers the option for one-time written feedback, but this only gives big-picture generalizations. (And written-only feedback is always limited.) In order for help with the essay process, students need to purchase a complete essay package.

Students with top grades and test scores who want to work with a one-person business, who have a sizable budget, and who are ready to get started early.

• Cost: $210 for a one-time written essay feedback (big picture only), then $110 per draft feedback; pricing for essay process packages unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: professional journalist, Dartmouth grad
• Professional writing experience as a journalist
• Extensive experience working with college applicants
• Partners with Debra Felix, former Director of Admissions at Columbia, for full application review

What we don’t like:

• One-on-one work is limited to very high-achieving students, who need to apply with a resume : “I limit my one-on-one work to students who I believe will be strong applicants to elite universities. As a rule, this means having high grades in challenging classes, a test score of ACT 34+ or SAT 1500+, and substantial activities outside of the classroom.”
• Works with a limited number of students (60 per year), so often no availability
• All-or-nothing packages don’t allow students to work with Chris for just a few hours or for part of the essay-writing process
• Secretive about pricing (he’ll only give pricing details once he’s reviewed the student’s resume and agreed to work with them), but we expect the minimum cost of working one-on-one to be several thousand dollars

#3 – The College Essay Guy

Our Verdict — Best for Unlimited Essay Assistance Price: $4900 for application to 3 schools, $8050 for application for 10 schools We’re fans of Ethan Sawyer, the original “college essay guy”— his book, College Essay Essentials , is a great guide to the essay-writing process. Ethan doesn’t work directly with many students these days, but he now has a team of consultants who help students follow his principles. Their assistance is really all-or-nothing — they prefer to work with students from the very beginning of the process, and their minimum package is $4900, which includes assistance with essays for three schools. If students are applying to ten schools (a more realistic number for students aiming at competitive colleges), the fee is a hefty $7400.

Students who want unlimited help through the entire process, who have a sizable budget.

• Cost: $4900 (supplemental essays for 3 schools) – $7400 (supplemental essays for 10 schools)
• Essay coach qualifications: mix of Ivy grads and former teachers, some writers/screenwriters; all trained
• Great free resources about the essay-writing process
• Their Matchlighters Scholars Program gives back to the community by providing admissions consulting for select qualifying students
• All-or-nothing packages have a high minimum fee and don’t work for students who want just a few hours of feedback or help with just part of the process

#4 – College Vine

Our Verdict — Best of the Big Platforms Price: $140–180/hour There are plenty of large platforms with large stables of part-time tutors and coaches available to work with students. Of these big platforms, we think CollegeVine has the best offerings. Compared to other large companies, CollegeVine provides more information about their tutors, and students can pick individual tutors to work with from their roster. However, this model is really just a way of finding individual tutors to hire. Tutors don’t receive any training and don’t share a common approach, so it’s a mixed bag. Their rates are fairly high for part-time tutors who don’t have specific expertise and training in college essay consulting. Because CollegeVine is really just a marketplace where individual tutors can find students, the quality and price will vary widely.

Students who want to work with a big company, or those who want a quick session or two to go over their essays.

• Cost: Typically $140–180/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: no specific qualifications, but a few are Ivy League graduates
• Possible to select individual editors to work with from their roster.
• Easy to schedule ad-hoc sessions with a tutor through the website.
• No training or common approach for tutors
• Editors are part-time , with no option to work with full-time college admissions experts
• Relatively expensive for this level of expertise

College Essay Editing Alternatives (that Didn’t Make the Cut)

Individual essay consultants, #5 – college essay editor.

Our Verdict — Small Editing Team Price: Roughly $5,950 for applications to 10 schools College Essay Editor comprises two graduates of Stanford. This means that they have personal experience applying to highly competitive schools. One member of the team also has a college counseling certification, which is a good background for college essays. Based on their website, they appear to focus on the editing and proofreading phase of the essay-writing process. This can be helpful to students, but we recommend working with a service who can help students to uncover their values and brainstorm really great material that allows them to really shine—and if this doesn’t happen at the beginning of the process, it’s much harder to add in later on.

• Cost: $195/1000 words for proofreading, $495/1000 words for 3 rounds of editing and proofreading, or $595/1000 words for unlimited rounds of editing and proofreading; for the purposes of comparison, complete applications to 10 competitive colleges would be around 9,650 words, or $5950.
• Writing coach qualifications: Stanford graduates, one of whom has college counseling certification
• Editors are graduates of Stanford University , and one is a member of NACAC, the national association of college counselors
• They focus on editing and proofreading only , not on the crucial earlier steps of brainstorming and strategy
• Small team with very limited availability
• All asynchronous editing so you won’t be able to cultivate a real relationship with your essay coach.

#6 – Allison Karpf

Our Verdict — Former English Teacher Helping Students Price: $385/hour or $3850 package for application to one school Another option for students looking to hire an individual consultant is Allison Karpf. Allison is a former high school English teacher and a graduate of UC Berkeley who also holds a Masters of Education from Stanford. Her rates are definitely on the higher side, especially for someone who doesn’t have a professional writing background, but she does have extensive experience working with students to craft their essays.

• Cost:  $385/hour or $3850 unlimited counseling (includes supplemental essays for one college)
• Essay coach qualifications: former high school English teacher; Berkeley grad, Stanford MEd
• Lots of experience helping students improve their college essays
• Very quick to respond to client requests
• No professional writing experience or Ivy-Plus undergraduate experience
• High rates relative to other options
• Limited availability , since she works alone

#7 – Your College Vision

Our Verdict: Former Journalist with More Affordable Rates Price: $180/hour, or packages starting from $3500 Laurie Lande is another individual consultant who helps students through the essay-writing process. She comes recommended by other consultants like Chris from College Essay Mentor . Laurie did not herself attend a highly competitive school, so she doesn’t have that personal experience of going through the selective admissions process, but she does have a professional writing background as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong.

• Cost: $180/hour or packages starting at $3500
• Essay coach qualifications: journalism background
• Affordable pricing , relative to other options
• Not a graduate of a highly selective school

#8 – The College Guru

Our Verdict — Good on Paper but Unresponsive Price: unknown Yet another individual essay consultant is Geanine Thompson from The College Guru. Geanine attended Dartmouth as an undergraduate and also holds an MBA from Duke. She also has a professional writing background as an assistant book editor at Berkley Publishing Group. Like Greg and Kevin at PrepMaven , she combines experience in the business world and at Wall Street firms with experience in education.

• Cost: unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: former assistant book editor; Dartmouth grad, Duke MBA
• Dartmouth graduate and former book editor
• Not responsive to emails and client requests

#9 – Sofia Zapiola

Our Verdict — A budget-friendly, personal essay editor. Price: $80/hour Yet another individual essay consultant is Sofia Zapiola, who offers a mix of essay editing and college application counseling services.

• Cost: $80/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: M.A. from Harvard; certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego.
• Individual approach, budget-friendly rates, commitment to working within families’ budgets.
• Very few testimonials, so it’s difficult to evaluate how effective she is.

Mid-size Teams

#10 – lotus learning.

Our Verdict — Expensive for Tutor Background Price: $165/hour Founded by a Harvard grad who is a former teacher and veteran of the publishing industry, Lotus learning offers college essay help in the Boston area. They have a small team of tutors, mostly recent grads from good but not Ivy-Plus colleges, and mostly with focus in health sciences.

• Cost: $165/hour (minimum 8 hours)
• Essay coach qualifications: tutors are recent grads, but not Ivy-Plus schools
• Reasonable pricing with flexible packages
• Essay editors aren’t graduates of Ivy-Plus schools and don’t have professional writing experience

Large platforms

#11 – study point.

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: Rates Between $60 and $120/hr Study Point is a larger essay editing service. They claim to have several decades of experience helping students to craft their college essays, but they do not give information about who their essay coaches are and what qualifications they might have.

• Cost: $60-120/hr, depending on tutor experience
• Essay coach qualifications: unknown
• Larger company with several decades of experience
• Unclear who the essay coaches are
• Lack of statistics about their results

#12 – Ivy Select

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: unknown Ivy Select makes a lot of big promises on their website about having the best college essay consultants in the business, but they offer no information on who these consultants are, or on their backgrounds. They also brag that each consultant “only” works 20 students in one application cycle, but in our experience, that’s quite high.

• Long list of impressive (but anonymous) testimonials
• Only work with “top students”
• No information on their website about who the editors are
• Each essay coach works with up to 20 students at one time

#13 – Empowerly

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: High, from $6000/year Empowerly has over 60 college counselors who each work with an average of 5 students per year, in order to have more time to devote to each student. Their counselors come from “different educational backgrounds,” and while they do not provide specific biographical details we can assume that most of their essay coaches did not attend highly selective schools.

• Cost: typically from $6000/year
• Essay coach qualifications: college counselors
• Counselors work with just a few students per year
• You have to upgrade to “Empowerly Elite” to guarantee a counselor with a more selective educational background
• No professional writing experience

#14 – Prepory

Our Verdict — Expensive but with Good Expertise Price: $325/hr Prepory is a college application and career counseling service that offers a comprehensive program for college applications at any stage of the process (including as early as 9th grade). They make a lot of impressive claims about the expertise of their coaches, but it’s quite difficult to actual find much information about their essay coach qualifications.

• Cost: $325/hr
• They have a comprehensive college application program that begins as early as 9th grade.
• Limited information about essay coaches
• High prices

Top 40 College Essay Services Considered

• College Essay Editor
• The College Essay Guy
• College Vine
• College Essay Mentor
• Study Point
• Allison Karpf
• The College Guru
• Lotus Learning
• Summit Prep
• Sofia Zapiola
• Ivy Global / New Summits
• College Essay Solutions
• Your College Vision
• Essay Edge*
• ServicEscape*
• PapersForge*
• QuickWriter*
• JustEditMyEssay*
• JustDoMyEsssay*
• ExpertWriting*
• SpeedyPaper*
• GradeMiners*

* A number of services will edit essays directly for students, or even write portions of the essay for students. We do not condone this. Admissions officers can tell when essays have been written or edited by adults and this can have severe consequences. We have excluded these services from our reviews.

Why are college application essays important?

Can a great college essay alone get you into Harvard?

No. You’ll need your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities (as well as letters of recommendation and interview) to be outstanding.

But can a mediocre essay be the reason you didn’t get into Harvard?

Yes. There are thousands of amazingly-qualified students who graduate from high school each year. Great grades and test scores might be a prerequisite for admission to a competitive college, but they alone aren’t enough.

College essays are a key component of a student’s application . When done well, they transform a collection of numbers—GPA, class rank, SAT or ACT scores , number of AP classes taken, AP scores—into a glimpse of a real, individual person.

Essays do many things. Good college essays can highlight extracurricular achievements which otherwise would be overlooked in a sterile list. Strong essays often indicate the student’s future plans —how they plan to leave a mark on their college campus and on the world. They can shine a light on unique challenges that a student may have had to face on their journey.

College admissions officers only have a few minutes to spend on each application. College essays need to be original, interesting, and memorable . They need to grab the attention of the admissions officer and persuade them that this is the student out of hundreds or thousands of other similarly-qualified applicants who should be admitted.

College admissions essays are usually unlike any other kind of writing that students have done before. They’re a combination of memoir and marketing pitch, and they need to be creative but also highly strategic. That’s a tough assignment!

What’s more, students are left to figure this assignment out on their own. A thoughtful and generous high school English teacher may provide guidance or offer to read essays and give feedback, but these teachers are responsible for many students, and they’re (usually) not experts in admissions strategies.

There’s another reason college essays are especially important from 2024 on. After the recent Supreme Court decision, the application essay has become one of the main ways that you can communicate how your racial identity has affected your life.

In fact, the New York Times published an article about how important it can be for students to discuss race in their college application essays!

Why work with a college essay service?

You may want to consider a college essay service if:

• You have no idea where to start in order to write your college application essays
• You feel overwhelmed by all of the different ideas you have and don’t know what would be the most strategic for college admissions—and what topics to definitely avoid for college essays
• You don’t know how to craft a compelling stor y
• You’re not sure how to edit and refine what you’ve written
• You have a hard time keeping yourself on track and want an external structure to hold you accountable
• You’re tired of conflict between students and parents about college essays
• You’re aiming at a competitive college (not just the Ivy League!) and know that you need your essays to be outstanding
• Your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars aren’t exceptional, so you need your essay to make your essay stand out from the pack
• You’re unfamiliar with the US college admissions process (a common situation for international students and first-generation families in the US)

Any of these are strong reasons to consider working with a college essay service!

It’s also worth remembering that a lot of the free advice on college’s website isn’t always very clear. For example, NYU’s admissions Senior Assistant Director of Admissions says that “There is no right or wrong way to answer as long as your answer is genuine to you.”

While that’s true, that doesn’t offer much guidance on how to actually write the essay!

Though many college applicants might not mention it, more and more students are using professional college application consultants. Research at the University of Chicago has shown that over a quarter of high-achieving seniors employed private specialists to help with the college application process.

In fact, according to NPR , some companies are even offering college admissions counseling to their top employees as an incentive–that’s just how important professional help can be in the current landscape of college admissions.

It’s important to note that a good college essay service will not write your college application essays for you . This is unethical and illegal. That’s not just coming from us: take it from a school like Princeton, whose website insists on the importance of writing your own application essays.

A good college essay service will guide you through each step of the process , teaching you how to self-reflect and write well while sharing insider insight about admissions strategy .

What makes a good college essay service?

We strongly believe that students need to write their own college essays , and we do not condone plagiarism or “buying” a college essay.

However, writing college application essays requires a completely new set of skills that is rarely taught in high school!

Writing a personal essay is much more creative than simply writing a good paper for English class. It requires a compelling narrative and a great deal of writing craft . A good essay service will teach how to do this kind of writing.

There are many college essay services that will provide only written feedback to students, usually in the form of comments added to an essay draft. (Remember, it’s important that students write their own essays, so avoid any college essay service that will make edits directly to an essay document .)

Written comments can be an effective component of good essay coaching. However, writing college essays is a deeply personal process , and it’s incredibly difficult to guide a student through the process of self-reflection, brainstorming, and planning purely through written comments.

In addition, a great college essay coach will teach students how to do this entire process of brainstorming, planning, outlining, writing, and revising . It’s difficult to learn why an essay coach is advising certain changes through written comments alone.

For these reasons, look for a college essay service with live, one-on-one services , not just written feedback. These days, it’s easy to work with the best college essay consultants in the country over Zoom!

Students need to reflect on their goals, their passions, and what drives them to be the person they are. This requires a great deal of self-awareness and self-analysis . An experienced college essay coach can help draw these ideas out of students through tested introspection techniques and brainstorming exercises .

On top of all of that, students need to be cognizant of which traits and accomplishments will be most appealing to colleges , and which stories will be cliche and boring. Personal statements and supplementary essays need to fit together to tell a cohesive story, and they need to work together with the rest of the student’s application (extracurriculars, grades, and other accomplishments).

In other words, there’s a great deal of strategy here! An experienced college essay service can help students decide how to present themselves in the best possible light .

Furthermore, most students don’t know how to edit effectively . A really top-notch college essay service will also teach students how to edit their own writing —how to reorder sections for better flow, cut unnecessary words to meet a word count, eliminate passive verbs, and make their writing vivid and exciting. Our students are routinely amazed by how transformative this step can be, and how much they learn by doing it together with the essay coach.

Finally, the best college essay services can also help students to make a writing plan and keep them on track , so that parents don’t have to be involved directly.

Ready to work on your college essays? Schedule a free 15- to 30-minute consultation with Jessica or one of our founders.

Best overall: PrepMaven’s tutors offer the highest quality at the best price. With three tiers of tutors, they make it easy to work with an Ivy League undergraduate for as little as $79/hr. Or, families can work with education professionals or Ivy League graduates from $150/hr. PrepMaven’s track record means that you can be sure every hour is being spent productively, so that you can expect real results from the work.

Best for individual consultants: College Essay Mentor. In theory, College Essay Mentor would offer an unparalleled level of individual attention and guidance: his website boasts of some very impressive results. You might find it hard to actually schedule with him, however, since he’s very selective about his clients.

Best for unlimited essay assistance: The College Essay Guy might not offer that personalized attention you get from live, face to face essay coaching, but they do offer unlimited essay editing for up to 10 schools (if you’re comfortable paying a hefty package price).

Best of the big platforms: College Vine will always be a bit of a gamble. Because it’s a tutor marketplace, your results (and costs) will really depend on how lucky you get with your consultant. From our research, however, many of their essay coaches look to have solid track records.

Ready to work on college essays with one of our experienced writing coaches? Schedule a free test prep consultation with Jessica (Director of Tutoring) or one of our founders to see what would be the best fit for your family.

It’s always best to start early and not wait until the last minute to write your college essays! Remember that essays can be used to earn scholarships as well as college admission, so a few months of writing now can pay off with up to $300,000 in tuition saved later. 

We work with students at all stages of the writing process, from I-have-no-idea-what-to-write to final edits. To start working with an Ivy-League writing coach today, set up a quick free consultation with our team.

Schedule a free college essay consultation

Top College Essay Posts

• 14 Best College Essay Services for 2023 (40 Services Reviewed)
• Qualities of a Successful College Essay
• 11 College Essays That Worked
• How to Answer the UC Personal Insight Questions
• How Colleges Read your College Applications (A 4-Step Process)
• How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays
• The Diamond Strategy: How We Help Students Write College Essays that Get Them Into Princeton (And Other Ivy League Schools)
• What is the College Essay? Your Complete Guide for 202 4
• College Essay Brainstorming: Where to Start
• How to Write the Harvard Supplemental Essays
• How to Format Your College Essay

Emily graduated  summa cum laude  from Princeton University and holds an MA from the University of Notre Dame. She was a National Merit Scholar and has won numerous academic prizes and fellowships. A veteran of the publishing industry, she has helped professors at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton revise their books and articles. Over the last decade, Emily has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay. 

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED POSTS

SSAT Math: The Content You Need to Know

July 9, 2024

There are two math sections on the SSAT: Quantitative 1 and 2. What content do you need to know to succeed on both? We explore SSAT Math content in this introductory post.

5 Ways to Improve Your SSAT Score

The best way to improve your SSAT score depends on how much time you have before the test. With 3+ months to go, we recommend our comprehensive approach, which begins with one month of…

Registering for the SSAT

June 28, 2024

Registering for the SSAT is generally a simple process, but there’s still some important information you need to remember. First, be mindful of the registration deadlines, testing formats, and …

SSAT Test Dates for 2024-2025

June 25, 2024

Wondering what dates the SSAT is offered? SSAT test dates are updated each year in August, and you can expect the SSAT to be offered on …

What is the SSAT?

An integral part of the private school admissions process, the SSAT is a standardized test unlike any you’ve seen. With the SSAT, you can be expected to be tested on you knowledge of math skills, analogies, and…

How Long is the SSAT?

June 20, 2024

Wondering about the SSAT’s timing and length? While the format differs slightly between elementary, middle, and upper level SSATs, you can expect the test to take …

How many times should you take the SSAT?

Retaking the SSAT is a good move for almost everyone, but how many times will depend on your specific testing situation, as well as what test formats you’re mostly comfortable with. Students rarely see their top score on a first attempt, so…

Your Guide to the SSAT’s Format

June 3, 2024

Wondering about SSAT format, length, or content? In this post, we cover everything you need to know about the structure of this high stakes test so that you can prepare for …

6 SSAT Reading Strategies From the Experts

May 29, 2024

With these 6 SSAT Reading strategies, you'll be prepared to maximize your raw score on this difficult section.

15 College Essays That Worked

May 13, 2024

In this regularly updated post, we share the college essays that helped students get into their dream schools -- including Ivy Leagues.

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy preferences.

• Varsity Tutors
• K-5 Subjects
• Study Skills
• All AP Subjects
• AP Calculus
• AP Chemistry
• AP Computer Science
• AP Human Geography
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Statistics
• AP US History
• AP World History
• All Business
• Business Calculus
• Microsoft Excel
• Supply Chain Management
• All Humanities
• Essay Editing
• All Languages
• Mandarin Chinese
• Portuguese Chinese
• Sign Language
• All Learning Differences
• Learning Disabilities
• Special Education
• College Math
• Common Core Math
• Elementary School Math
• High School Math
• Middle School Math
• Pre-Calculus
• Trigonometry
• All Science
• Organic Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• All Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Materials Science & Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Thermodynamics
• Biostatistics
• College Essays
• High School
• College & Adult
• 1-on-1 Private Tutoring
• Online Tutoring
• Instant Tutoring
• Pricing Info
• All AP Exams
• ACT Tutoring
• ACT Reading
• ACT Science
• ACT Writing
• SAT Tutoring
• SAT Reading
• SAT Writing
• GRE Tutoring
• NCLEX Tutoring
• Real Estate License
• And more...
• StarCourses
• Beginners Coding
• Early Childhood
• Varsity Tutors for Schools Overview
• Free 24/7 Tutoring & Classes
• High-Dosage Tutoring Models
• Comprehensive ESSER Solutions
• Math Programs
• Reading and Literacy Programs
• Special Education & Required Services
• ACT & SAT Programs
• Our Live Learning Platform
• Meet The Tutors
• Learning Outcomes & Efficacy
• Additional Resources
• Talk With Our Team
• Reviews & Testimonials
• Press & Media Coverage
• Tutor/Instructor Jobs
• Corporate Solutions
• About Nerdy
• Become a Tutor
• College Essays Tutors

Award-Winning College Essays Tutors

Welcome! Let's match you with the perfect College Essays tutor.

Who needs tutoring?

We look at 100+ variables to create a personalized learning plan to match each student's personal needs and goals.

My son was failing Algebra on all levels. He began working with one of the VT 1-on-1 tutors a month ago. He now has an overall grade of 91%!

Varsity Tutors really helped me understand the concepts during my Calculus 2 class. My tutor has such amazing patience and is open to many questions! Lastly, was always on time and very prompt. Highly suggest Varsity Tutors.

Understanding your timeframe helps us to develop a tailor-made learning plan just for you.

We have a 4.9/5 average customer satisfaction rating.

Found me a great Python, C Programming, and MatLab tutor for a Engineering Computation course.

— Charles C

We've had the BEST experience with VT! Our tutor has helped my middle schoolers math grades come up from a D to an A for our 8th grader and from a D to a B for my 6th grader. I'm beyond pleased with how she connected with my boys.

Your satisfaction is guaranteed — if for any reason you’re not satisfied after your initial session, we’ll find a better fit. And your next session will be free of charge.

We know every student is unique. And they deserve a tutoring experience as unique as their needs. With thousands of tutors available, we're confident to find the one best for you.

• Algebra Tutors
• Calculus Tutors
• Elementary Math Tutors
• Geometry Tutors
• Pre-Calculus Tutors
• Statistics Tutors
• Trigonometry Tutors
• ACT English Tutors
• ACT Math Tutors
• ACT Reading Tutors
• ACT Science Tutors
• ACT Writing Tutors
• AIMS Tutors
• ASPIRE Tutors
• HSPT Tutors
• ISAT Tutors
• ISEE Tutors
• PSAT Tutors
• SAT Math Tutors
• SAT Writing and Language Tutors
• SHSAT Tutors
• SSAT Tutors
• STAAR Tutors
• TACHS Tutors
• Graduate Test Prep
• GMAT Tutors
• LSAT Tutors
• MCAT Tutors
• Anatomy Tutors
• Biology Tutors
• Chemistry Tutors
• Microbiology Tutors
• Organic Chemistry Tutors
• Physical Chemistry Tutors
• Physics Tutors
• Physiology Tutors
• English Grammar and Syntax Tutors
• Essay Editing Tutors
• Phonics Tutors
• Reading Tutors
• Writing Tutors
• French Tutors
• German Tutors
• Latin Tutors
• Mandarin Chinese Tutors
• Spanish Tutors
• Albany Tutors
• Albuquerque Tutors
• Ann Arbor Tutors
• Atlanta Tutors
• Austin Tutors
• Boston Tutors
• Boulder Tutors
• Buffalo Tutors
• Charlotte Tutors
• Chicago Tutors
• Cincinnati Tutors
• Cleveland Tutors
• Columbus Tutors
• Dallas Fort Worth Tutors
• Dayton Tutors
• Denver Tutors
• Detroit Tutors
• Houston Tutors
• Indianapolis Tutors
• Jacksonville Tutors
• Kansas City Tutors
• Las Vegas Tutors
• Long Island Tutors
• Los Angeles Tutors
• Louisville Tutors
• Madison Tutors
• Memphis Tutors
• Miami Tutors
• Milwaukee Tutors
• Minneapolis Tutors
• Nashville Tutors
• New Jersey Tutors
• New York City Tutors
• Oklahoma City Tutors
• Omaha Tutors
• Orlando Tutors
• Philadelphia Tutors
• Phoenix Tutors
• Pittsburgh Tutors
• Portland Tutors
• Raleigh-Durham Tutors
• Richmond Tutors
• Sacramento Tutors
• Salt Lake City Tutors
• San Antonio Tutors
• San Diego Tutors
• San Francisco-Bay Area Tutors
• Seattle Tutors
• Spokane Tutors
• St. Louis Tutors
• Syracuse Tutors
• Tampa Tutors
• Tucson Tutors
• Tulsa Tutors
• Virginia Beach Tutors
• Washington DC Tutors

Top College Essays Tutors

...dance (swing/blues/ballroom/ballet), sing, and play the piano. I have a five-year-old son, and lots of friends and siblings to keep up with. I enjoy cooking, coffee, tea, healthy living, reading, sewing, painting, and oh so many other things. Some of my more serious interests include preventing human trafficking and slavery, and promoting better environmental stewardship. Having a variety of interests helps me connect with my students, and I like to focus our lessons on things... Read more

Can also tutor: Reading , English Grammar and Syntax , ESL/ELL and 17 more subjects.

• Greenville College - Bachelors, Philosophy, English, & History
• Stony Brook University - Masters, Philosophy

Test Scores

• ACT Composite: 31
• ACT Math: 31
• ACT Reading: 34

...Organismal Biology. I believe that hard work, curiosity and an open mind are the keys to lifelong learning. Often the journey to academic success is not a solo one, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share what I know in a way that inspires and educates students. My passion for education stems from a desire to become more aware of the world around me and to help others do the same, whether in... Read more

Can also tutor: Writing , High School English , College English and 28 more subjects.

• Univeristy of Montana - Bachelors, Ecology and Organismal Biology
• ACT Reading: 32

...Google Ads, and performed a year of national service with the City of Philadelphia through AmeriCorps VISTA. In Fall 2016, I will begin my JD studies at the Georgetown University Law Center, where I hope to focus on international and human rights law. I love using teaching to build relationships and share ideas with his students! Though I teach a wide variety of subjects and enjoy them all for different reasons, I feel most comfortable... Read more

Can also tutor: Phonics , College English , Reading and 35 more subjects.

• Temple University - Bachelors, English; Italian
• GRE Verbal: 167

...what it takes to succeed in school, its just a matter of finding the style of learning that is most effective for them. What works or makes sense for one student will not necessarily work for the next student, and so it is essential as a tutor to be able to explain the same concept in a variety of different ways and to be able to determine when a student has fully grasped the concept.... Read more

Can also tutor: ESL/ELL , Reading , Phonics and 89 more subjects.

• University of Washington-Seattle Campus - Bachelors, General Biology
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1550
• SAT Math: 780
• SAT Verbal: 790

...and mentor, I have discovered that my job is about seeing and listening more than directing, sparking students to act on their passions while developing the structure and strategies to turn goals into tangible reality. I also bring my yoga teacher background to the table, approaching my work with students as a holistic learning process. I've worked with college journalists and student leaders at Seattle Central Community College, high school poets at the Nova Project,... Read more

Can also tutor: Reading , College English , Writing and 20 more subjects.

• The Evergreen State College - Bachelor in Arts, Creative Writing and Education for Social Justice
• Goddard College - Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing

I graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC in 2008, the oldest English speaking acting conservatory in the world. I graduated Summa from University of St Thomas with a BA in English, and just wrapped up a MS in Data Science from Northwestern. I'm a huge Red Sox fan and love watching detective shows when I have free time.... Positivity. Always. I believe that if a student is given positive tools and is... Read more

Can also tutor: Writing , Literature , Reading and 110 more subjects.

• American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Associates, Acting
• University of St. Thomas - Bachelor of Fine Arts, English/Drama
• ACT Composite: 36
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1420
• SAT Verbal: 750

...of Arts in Political Science and Legal Studies this spring. In the fall, I will begin attending law school at Northwestern Law. For many years, I tutored a wide range of students in Spanish, English literature, and writing. I have also continued to help many high school seniors with college application essays. While I tutor a variety of subjects, I am very passionate about helping students improve their reading and writing skills, and I really... Read more

Can also tutor: Reading , Writing , AP United States History and 36 more subjects.

• Northwestern University - Current Undergrad, Political Science & Legal Studies
• ACT Composite: 32
• ACT English: 35

...is student understanding. I believe academic goals are more readily achievable when concepts are understood, rather than formulas memorized. When helping students prepare for standardized tests I focus on taking practice exams and working with students on the areas they need the most help. Outside of school I enjoy hiking, gardening, reading, and cooking. I like to explore new ways of doing things and being outside. I like to try to strike a good balance... Read more

Can also tutor: Reading , College English , English Grammar and Syntax and 80 more subjects.

• University of Arizona - Bachelor of Science, Biology, General
• ACT Composite: 35
• ACT English: 33
• ACT Math: 36

...High, and I'm currently pursuing a Bachelor's of Science in neuroscience. At the University, I'm usually in class, studying, hanging out with my friends, or at club meetings! In my free time, I love to breakdance, write poetry, debate politics and economics, and participate in practically every nerdy endeavor possible (huge Star Wars fan!!). I love to talk and will talk your ear off if you let me! I love trying new things, exploring the... Read more

Can also tutor: Literature , College English , English Grammar and Syntax and 38 more subjects.

• University of Minnesota - Bachelors, Neuroscience
• ACT Composite: 34
• ACT English: 36
• ACT Math: 34

...hated writing essays, but loved playing the guitar with his band. I helped him plan an essay about his experiencing performing for a crowd, and he discovered that essay-writing wasn't a punishment--it was another way to express himself. As a freelancer, I've worked as a writer for a test preparation company, giving me a solid background in test-taking strategies for the SAT and ACT. I love helping students learn strategies to unlock these intimidating tests! In... Read more

Can also tutor: Writing , Reading , College English and 43 more subjects.

• Williams College - Bachelors, English
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1540
• SAT Math: 720
• SAT Verbal: 780

...one helping students improve their writing since I was in high school. I started helping 4th graders with their writing portfolios at my old elementary school when I was fifteen, and in college I did a teaching internship there and at my old high school. I also gained a lot of experience in 6 years of creative writing workshops. I was lucky enough to go to Interlochen Arts Academy to study writing for the last... Read more

Can also tutor: English Grammar and Syntax , High School English , Literature and 10 more subjects.

• Warren Wilson College - Bachelors, Creative Writing
• SAT Verbal: 740

...different ways and all can excel. I like to present material in an engaging and relevant manner so that we can all learn and achieve success. One-on-one tutoring is an effective technique, particularly for explaining and modeling math, and I enjoy seeing students attitudes toward school brighten when they see immediate progress in their work. As a writing tutor, I like to focus on helping students find their authentic voice. Essays succeed when students strip... Read more

Can also tutor: Phonics , Literature , College English and 37 more subjects.

• Drake University - Bachelor of Science, Education, History
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1400
• SAT Math: 700

I'm a recent grad from Northwestern (B.A. in Theatre and Economics) who loves teaching and learning. I love helping other people achieve their goals and helping students find ways to be their best selves. Excited to meet and work with Chicagoland's students!... First sessions always start with discussion of a subject's foundations. If we nail these, the rest of the learning becomes ten times easier.... I'm big on listening. It's my job to hear what a... Read more

Can also tutor: Literature , AP English Language and Composition , English Grammar and Syntax and 67 more subjects.

• Northwestern University - Bachelors, Economics/Theatre
• ACT Math: 35

...increases one's own sense of ability and self-worth. Because of this, I aim to inspire interest and excitement in my students, not simply teach them effect ways to memorize a textbook. In this way, I agree with William B. Yeats in that "education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." I empower my students to seek answers on their own and develop their critical thinking skills. As a tutor,... Read more

Can also tutor: AP English Language and Composition , Literature , High School English and 31 more subjects.

• Occidental College - Bachelor in Arts, English
• SAT Verbal: 760
• SAT Writing: 720
• GRE Verbal: 163

...and competency levels. I am particularly passionate about tutoring English, Mandarin, and standardized test prep. In my experience working with students struggling to pass a class or to prepare for college entrance exams, we always have fun determining the study method that works best for them. Everybody has a different learning style and once we hone in on the right one for you, an improvement in scores will become more than apparent. Overall, I find... Read more

Can also tutor: ESL/ELL , English Grammar and Syntax , Writing and 29 more subjects.

• Arizona State University - Bachelor in Arts, Chinese Language & Global Studies
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1490
• SAT Verbal: 800

...to be. My years of teaching experience have helped prepare me with two important abilities: seeing language arts as a means to develop students' awareness and ability to communicate more effectively, and a greater appreciation for the individual student through balanced and effective classroom teaching and management. I teach because I have a passion for teaching, but mostly, because I care about reaching and inspiring each student from a wide array of backgrounds and abilities. Read more

Can also tutor: College English , Literature , Public Speaking and 19 more subjects.

• Dordt College - Bachelors, English
• Concordia University-Saint Paul - Masters, Education

...Richmond majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing Analytics and a minor in Mathematics. I have worked with kids of all ages, ranging from elementary school to college students through various subjects. I have also worked extensively with special needs children, doing everything from teaching special education to one-on-one in-home mentoring. Through my experiences, I have continued to carry my passion for working with children and have developed my skills in making successful... Read more

Can also tutor: Reading , College English , Elementary School English and 217 more subjects.

• University of Richmond - Current Undergrad, Business Administration and Management
• ACT Math: 33
• ACT Science: 34
• SAT Math: 770

...Writing assistance, as well as general homework help in Humanities and Proofreading. My teaching philosophy highly emphasizes collaboration: we will work together to improve in areas that need strengthening. I also have helped students with study skills, brainstorming, outlining, revision, and grammar. Teaching Experience: -Trained and worked as an English Writing and Reading Skills Tutor -Experience as tutor for ELs -Was selected as an instructional assistant for the Equal Opportunity Program at CSUS. I met... Read more

Can also tutor: Adult Literacy , High School English , Reading and 67 more subjects.

• CSUS - Bachelor in Arts, English

...area. I was a Neuroscience major, and I will be pursuing my PhD in Neuroscience in the fall at Johns Hopkins. I have been tutoring high school students outside of class in college and involved in STEM academics and research mentorship as well as a translation program from and to English outside of class. I speak Japanese and French, and I have taken the PSATs, SATs, 10 APs, and the GREs successfully. I would be... Read more

Can also tutor: College English , Writing , High School English and 72 more subjects.

• Princeton University - Bachelors, Neuroscience
• Johns Hopkins University - PHD, Neuroscience
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1500
• SAT Math: 750
• SAT Verbal: 700

...the tenets of the Common Core State Standards in mind. As such, I do not aim to teach "tricks" for getting the right answer. Rather, I aim to wholly ingrain the skills, strategies, and overall thinking needed to fully understand how and why we can come to certain answers. My goal is not to help students to merely get a good grade on the next quiz, but to help build a foundation that allows him... Read more

Can also tutor: Writing , Reading , High School English and 111 more subjects.

• Columbia University in the City of New York - Bachelor in Arts, History
• Northwestern University - Masters, Elementary Education
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1480

Private College Essays Tutoring

Our interview process, stringent qualifications, and background screening ensure that only the best College Essays tutors work with Varsity Tutors. To assure a successful experience, you're paired with one of these qualified tutors by an expert director - and we stand behind that match with our money-back guarantee.

Receive personally tailored College Essays lessons from exceptional tutors in a one-on-one setting. We help you connect with the best tutor for your particular needs while offering flexible scheduling to fit your busy life.

Your Personalized Tutoring Program and Instructor

Identify Needs

Our knowledgeable directors help you choose your tutor with your learning profile and personality in mind.

Customize Learning

Your tutor can customize your lessons and present concepts in engaging easy-to-understand-ways.

Increased Results

You can learn more efficiently and effectively because the teaching style is tailored to you.

Online Convenience

With the flexibility of online tutoring, your tutor can be arranged to meet at a time that suits you.

Recent College Essays Tutoring Session Notes

How to Write Your College Essay: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide

Getting ready to start your college essay? Your essay is very important to your application — especially if you’re applying to selective colleges.

Become a stronger writer by reviewing your peers’ essays and get your essay reviewed as well for free.

We have regular livestreams during which we walk you through how to write your college essay and review essays live.

College Essay Basics

Just getting started on college essays? This section will guide you through how you should think about your college essays before you start.

• Why do essays matter in the college application process?
• What is a college application theme and how do you come up with one?
• How to format and structure your college essay

Before you move to the next section, make sure you understand:

How a college essay fits into your application

What a strong essay does for your chances

How to create an application theme

Learn the Types of College Essays

Next, let’s make sure you understand the different types of college essays. You’ll most likely be writing a Common App or Coalition App essay, and you can also be asked to write supplemental essays for each school. Each essay has a prompt asking a specific question. Each of these prompts falls into one of a few different types. Understanding the types will help you better answer the prompt and structure your essay.

• How to Write a Personal Statement That Wows Colleges
• Personal Statement Essay Examples
• How to Write a Stellar Extracurricular Activity Essay
• Extracurricular Essay Examples
• Tips for Writing a Diversity College Essay
• Diversity Essay Examples
• Tips for Writing a Standout Community Service Essay
• How to Write the “Why This Major” Essay
• How to Write a “Why This Major” Essay if You’re Undecided
• How to write the “Why This College” Essay
• How to Research a College to Write the “Why This College” Essay
• Why This College Essay Examples
• How to Write The Overcoming Challenges Essay
• Overcoming Challenges Essay Examples

Identify how each prompt fits into an essay type

What each type of essay is really asking of you

How to write each essay effectively

The Common App essay

Almost every student will write a Common App essay, which is why it’s important you get this right.

• How to Write the Common App Essay
• Successful Common App Essay Examples
• 5 Awesome College Essay Topics + Sample Essays
• 11 Cliché College Essay Topics + How to Fix Them

How to choose which Common App prompts to answer

How to write a successful Common App essay

What to avoid to stand out to admissions officers

Supplemental Essay Guides

Many schools, especially competitive ones, will ask you to write one or more supplemental essays. This allows a school to learn more about you and how you might fit into their culture.

These essays are extremely important in standing out. We’ve written guides for all the top schools. Follow the link below to find your school and read last year’s essay guides to give you a sense of the essay prompts. We’ll update these in August when schools release their prompts.

See last year’s supplemental essay guides to get a sense of the prompts for your schools.

Essay brainstorming and composition

Now that you’re starting to write your essay, let’s dive into the writing process. Below you’ll find our top articles on the craft of writing an amazing college essay.

• Where to Begin? 3 Personal Essay Brainstorming Exercises
• Creating the First Draft of Your College Application Essay
• How to Get the Perfect Hook for Your College Essay
• What If I Don’t Have Anything Interesting To Write About In My College Essay?
• 8 Do’s and Don’t for Crafting Your College Essay
• Stuck on Your College Essay? 8 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

Understand how to write a great hook for your essay

Complete the first drafts of your essay

Editing and polishing your essay

Have a first draft ready? See our top editing tips below. Also, you may want to submit your essay to our free Essay Peer Review to get quick feedback and join a community of other students working on their essays.

• 11 Tips for Proofreading and Editing Your College Essay
• Getting Help with Your College Essay
• 5 DIY Tips for Editing Your College Essay
• How Long Should Your College Essay Be?
• Essential Grammar Rules for Your College Apps
• College Essay Checklist: Are You Ready to Submit?

Proofread and edited your essay.

Had someone else look through your essay — we recommend submitting it for a peer review.

Make sure your essay meets all requirements — consider signing up for a free account to view our per-prompt checklists to help you understand when you’re really ready to submit.

Advanced College Essay Techniques

Let’s take it one step further and see how we can make your college essay really stand out! We recommend reading through these posts when you have a draft to work with.

• 10 Guidelines for Highly Readable College Essays
• How to Use Literary Devices to Enhance Your Essay
• How to Develop a Personalized Metaphor for Your College Applications

Choose Your Test

• Search Blogs By Category
• College Admissions
• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

11 Places to Find Great College Essay Examples

College Essays

 Sure, you might know the theory behind what a college essay is supposed to sound and look like . But just like reading a description of the Golden Gate Bridge pales in comparison to seeing it in person, there’s no replacement for seeing actual college essays written by students just like you. Well, almost like you – they’ve since gotten into college.

But where do you find good sources for reading sample college essays? How can you make sure that these resources will actually strengthen and improve your writing? And what is the best way to use the college essay examples that you do find? In this article, I’ll go over the best books and websites for finding essays, I’ll point out a few to avoid, and I’ll explain how to make the most out of other people’s essays while avoiding common pitfalls.

Why Look At College Essay Examples?

There are some very good reasons for wanting to check out how other people have handled the college admissions essay.

First, because you'll be able to get a better sense of what colleges are looking for, you will necessarily broaden your own topic brainstorming past your first, easiest, and most c lichéd i deas . It's one thing to hear that a completely mundane topic is way better than one focusing on your greatest sports moment. But once you see other students writing about a family meal, or an obsession with a particular board game, or a love of cultivating cacti, you'll be convinced to find your essay in the small moments of your life.

Second, you'll see how your life and writing compares to that of your peers . The great diversity of voices, topics, tones, points of view will show you just how many things you could possibly write about, and how to keep the essay connected to your personality and your voice.

Finally, if you really do have a good story to tell about something that gets written about a lot, like divorce, pet death, a community service trip, or winning the big game, you can get ideas for how to approach a potentially lackluster essay topic in a novel and striking way .

What Makes A Good Sample College Essay Resource?

First, the basics. A source is only as good as its content, so make sure you're reading  college essays that worked, from people who actually got into the schools they applied to . Also, it's best to focus on new essays (not older than 10-15 years), so you are reading what has worked in the most recent past, rather than seeing outdated ideas and historical perspectives.

Next, what you really want is diversity in voice and perspective . Make sure the essays featured come from many different kinds of students: either from applicants to both top and lower-tier schools; or from students with different ethnic, economic, and racial backgrounds; or from writers using both formal and more experimental essay techniques.

Finally, the best sources of admission essays will feature explanatory material . This will give each essay some kind of context: commentary on what makes the essay good, explanations of the drafting process, or, at least, biographical information about students. Without commentary or context, it’s hard to know what you’re supposed to learn from the essays you read.

Where to Find Great College Essay Examples

Here are my recommendations for excellent resources, as well as some warnings about resources that I think you should avoid. 

College Essays Collected in Books

I've taken a look at many of the books that collect college essays, so here are my recommendations. I've divided them into three categories:

• Excellent  – meaning  having really diverse essays or very helpful commentary on each essay, or both
• Worthwhile  – meaning either a helpful collection of essays without a lot of context or commentary, or some great advice but a narrow selection of essays geared toward one particular type of school
• Don't Bother   – not useful either as a source of college essays or as a source of essay-writing advice and explanations

Also, please note that although I’ve listed the Amazon prices for all the books, you should definitely check your school and public library for copies before buying them. And even if your library doesn't have a copy, ask them to request one either from another library in the same system or even from the Library of Congress through interlibrary loan .

Excellent Books

Heavenly Essays: 50 Narrative College Application Essays That Worked

Written by Janine W. Robinson, who blogs about college essays at EssayHell , this book features great sample essays. But it's Robinson's precise and clear explanations of how to use a narrative style in your essay to tell a story about your life that make the book really outstanding. Through long and detailed commentary on each essay, Robinson shows why narrative is exactly the kind of structure that works best for personal essays. You can check out sample sections from the book on her blog. The book retails for $10 new on Amazon.

On Writing the College Application Essay, 25th Anniversary Edition: The Key to Acceptance at the College of Your Choice

Harry Bauld used to be an admissions officer at Brown, so he certainly knows what he is talking about when he writes about  how and why to avoid clichés and explains how to find and keep your specific voice . Bauld demonstrates his points with sample essays, showing how they go from first to final draft. The book is easy to read, uses humor to make points, and his advice will carry over into your college writing as well. It is $12.50 new on Amazon, but there are much cheaper used copies available there as well.

The Berkeley Book of College Essays: Personal Statements for California Universities and Other Select Schools

This compilation features college admissions essays written by seniors from Berkeley High School (which is not affiliated with UC Berkeley). Because the city of Berkeley is economically, racially, and ethnically very diverse, these essays are about many different interests, perspectives, and experiences, and are written in many different styles and tones . Although there is no commentary for the essays, this collection is a great way to get a sense of the broad array of essay possibilities.

Also, because many of the students from Berkeley High apply to UC schools, this collection separates out UC application essay packages. (If you are interested in UC, also check out our own guide to writing excellent UC essays !) This book is currently $15 on Amazon. 

50 Successful Harvard Application Essays: What Worked for Them Can Help You Get into the College of Your Choice

Edited by the staff of the Harvard Crimson, this is a great collection of essays from a not particularly diverse group of students. It is very useful to see how the very top students approach the college essay, as long as their best effort neither intimidates nor stymies you. The contextual material is excellent, with helpful explanations of what makes each essay work well. This book retails for $12 new on Amazon, with much cheaper used copies also available.

Worthwhile Books

College Essays That Made a Difference, 6th Edition

This Princeton Review guide is mostly distinguished by its introductory material, which has detailed interviews with many different colleges at many different tiers about what role essays play in college applications, what kind of mistakes are okay, and what to write and not to write about. The sample essays themselves come without commentary, but each features a very short bio of the student, including test scores, GPA, a list of colleges where the person applied, and a list of colleges where the person got in. Right now, it's $11.50 new on Amazon, but there are cheaper used copies as well.

50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays

This collection of of college essays that worked, edited by Gen and Kelly Tanabe, has somewhat spare, but insightful, commentary explaining what each essay does well and what it could have done better . It also includes an interview with an admissions officer explaining how essays are used in admissions decisions and some comments from students about the writing process. The link above is to a downloadable PDF file.

50 Successful Stanford Application Essays: Get into Stanford and Other Top Colleges  

If you like the Tanabes' approach (they are the authors of the previous book), then you will find this one useful as well. The narrow diversity of essay content and the style of commentary (thoughtful, but not particularly detailed or expansive) is very similar. It's priced at $13.25 new on Amazon with some used options as well.

Fiske Real College Essays That Work  

The "Fiske" of the title is Edward Fiske, who used to be the Education editor of the NY Times, and who therefore has some experience with what colleges want from their applicants. The book itself features an introduction with some helpful essay-writing tips, a diverse selection of essays built around narrative, but unfortunately has very little commentary to go with each essay . It retails for $12.50 new on Amazon, with cheaper used options available.

2015 Elite College Application Essays

Although there's almost no commentary or discussion of what makes these essays work, this book is a reasonably good collection of essays from students who are now enrolled at Ivy and other top-tier schools. What's particularly appealing about this college essay compilation is how very new these essays are: all are from students who became freshmen in 2015 . The book is $14 new on Amazon.

Don't Bother

100 Successful College Application Essays

I'd recommend not spending your time on any of the editions of this collection. The essays are decades old in some cases, the topics are clichéd and boring, and there is little to no commentary to make any of them useful. 

College Essays Published Online

I'll split my recommendations here into "worthwhile" and "don't bother" categories. There aren't any truly great collections of sample college essays online.

Individual College Websites . There are many essays published online by the various colleges where these students now go. This means these essays are guaranteed to be real, authentic, and to have worked on someone's application . Some of the essays even come with brief commentary by admissions officers about what makes them great. (The link will take you to our list of over 130 essays from more than 15 different colleges.)

Teen Ink Magazine . Teen Ink publishes all sorts of writing by teens, including college admission essays, which are split off into their own section on the site. The essays necessary feature a wide range of experiences and perspectives, so this is a great place to get a broad sense of what other students are writing about. The essays don't have any context except comment sections that run the gamut from generic “this is good” comments to some insight. Readers also get a chance to vote on which essays are featured as #1, #2, etc., which may be misleading because readers of Teen Ink aren't admissions officers.

Don't Bother 

Watch out for paid websites like AdmitSee, CollegeMapper, and Acceptional, which claim to give you access to college essays for a monthly or fixed fee. Because of the paywall, there's no way to verify the quality of the essays these sites have. Also, there are enough books that you could borrow from your library that you don’t need to pay monthly fees to these places. Finally, I would particularly stay away from AdmidSee, which uses Amazon reviews for other essay resources as a marketing platform.

The Best Ways To Use College Admission Essay Samples

So now that you've rounded up a bunch of sample college essays, what should you do with them? Here are some tips for your next steps.

When Should You Read Essay Examples?

I'd advise waiting until after you've done some brainstorming of your own before you start immersing yourself in other people's work and ideas. (If you're not sure how to brainstorm, check out our guide to coming up with great college essay topics .)

This way, you can use other people’s essays to think about different possibilities for writing about your own topic. For example, looking at how other people tackled their life experience can show you:

• how to focus on a different detail in your own story
• how to change the insight you want to draw from your story
• how to think about different ways to start and end your narrative

What Can Good College Essays Teach You?

There are both broad and specific learning opportunities to be found in reading other people's work.

Broadly speaking, seeing how other people are approaching the problem of writing a college essay can jog your own creative process. Likewise, reading a diversity of thoughts and voices will show you that even the most normal and boring seeming experiences be made into riveting essays.

More specifically, if you find essays from applicants to your target school, you can get some sense of the level of sophistication they expect to see from your writing. 

Finally, good context and commentary on the essays can show you how they are put together and what makes them work. You can then put this advice to use when rewriting your essay later.

Pitfalls To Avoid

Of course, being surrounded by other people's work, especially when some of that work is much better than what you think you can manage, has its share of temptations. So what do you need to guard against when looking at sample essays?

Plagiarism. This one is basic and obvious. Do not copy these sample essays! Admissions officers have seen them all, read them all, memorized them all – you will not get away with it.

Copying and mimicry. Think of this as a softer kind of plagiarism. Even if you really like someone else’s style, don’t borrow it. Even if someone’s life sounds more exciting than yours, don’t steal a piece of it for your own essay. Why? Because if you don’t sound like yourself, it will be visible to an experienced reader (and guess what, admissions officers are very experienced readers). Also, if you’re writing about experiences that aren't yours, your unfamiliarity will show through the lack of believable details.

Resources for Essay Writing Advice

In researching this article, I came across books and websites that don't necessarily feature a lot of sample essays, but that give really excellent advice on writing your own college essay. I strongly recommend you spend some time checking them out.

Essay Hell blog . This great resource is written by Janine Anderson Robinson, an English teacher and a journalist, whose book Heavenly Essays I recommended above. The blog posts feature lots and lots of well-explained, detailed, easy to understand advice about how to write your essay, and are broken down into easy to understand, bite-sized nuggets of usefulness.

Slate 's Getting In podcast . The entire series is an interesting look at the college application process, with useful tips and explanations about all aspects what seniors are going through. Check out Episode 2: The Essay , in which a student gets feedback in real time on their essay from a former Princeton director of admissions and a panel of experts talk about essay dos and don’ts. The episode is 26 minutes long.

The College Essay Trap: Rescue Your College Application Essay From the "Maybe" Pile

This is incredibly concise and excellent explanation of what not to do and what to avoid when writing your personal statement. It's short, sweet, to the point, and is praised to the skies by legendary Princeton admissions dean Fred Hargadon. Currently $12 new on Amazon.

The Bottom Line

• Look at college essay examples to broaden your own topic brainstorming and get ideas for fixing lackluster topics.
• Look for resources with diverse and recent essays, from many different kinds of students and with explanatory material that explains what makes each essay good.
• Look at essay samples after you’ve generated some of your own ideas to think about different possibilities for writing about your own topic.
• Seeing how other people are approaching the problem of writing a college essay can jog your creative process.
• Avoid both actual plagiarism and “borrowing”: don’t use someone else’s style, voice, or life experiences as your own.

What’s Next?

If you’re starting to work on college essays, check out our article laying out every single kind of essay prompt out there and a step by step guide to writing a great college essay .

Are you working on the Common App essay? Read our breakdown of the Common App prompts and our guide to picking the best prompt for you.

Or maybe you're interested in the University of California? Check out our complete guide to the UC personal statements .

Working on other pieces of your college applications? We’ve got guides to choosing the right college for you ,  writing about extracurriculars , and requesting teacher recommendations .

Thinking about taking the SAT one last time, or prepping for your first run at it? Read our ultimate guide to studying for the SAT and make sure you're as prepared as possible.

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

• Essay review

Work with an independent reviewer to improve your college essays. Essay experts go beyond editing for grammar and language. They know what colleges are really looking for, and can help your teen write essays that actually resonate with admissions officers. They can help you develop the right topics, avoid clichés, and showcase yourself with the right narrative.

• Find an advisor
• My sessions

Daniel Berkowitz

Sara Larner

Denise Haile

Chinaza Ruth Okonkwo

Denise Karp

Craig Aimar

Christopher Kilner

Elias Miller

Sophie Alina

Robert Carlson

Adrian Russian

Subha Subramanian

Priya Desai

Alexandra Johnson

Emily Kramer

Olga Ivleva

Kevin Dupont

Zach Glassman

Stephanie Vitanzo

Abby Purfeerst

Lori Zomback

Emily Brother

Gabe Henry Woody

Pascale Bradley

Shane Niesen

Jonathan Sung

What are families saying about collegevine.

“Sophie clearly went above and beyond, taking the time to absorb and reflect upon an essay that was complex in form.”

“Aja was extremely well-versed about the application process and UPenn's requirements. She also was patient to answer our random college questions.”

“Olga was terrific, she’s very knowledgeable and her response time was amazingly quick! She was a plaesure to work with!”

Where is CollegeVine available?

CollegeVine is available to students and families all over the world, though our focus is on colleges and universities located in the United States. Advisors are required to live within the United States in order to list services on CollegeVine.

What kind of services do advisors on CollegeVine offer?

Advisors on CollegeVine offer a wide range of services focused on helping students and families navigate the college admissions process. You can get help with building a school list, planning out college visits, crafting a resume, improving your extracurriculars, writing essays, preparing for interviews, creating a plan to pay for college, and so much more! To learn more about the services each advisor offers, visit their profile.

Can I work with multiple advisors?

Yes! You’re welcome to work with as many advisors as you like—thanks to CollegeVine’s collaboration tools, each advisor you work with will be able to access your profile and school list to help you make the best decisions on your journey to college.

I'm an IEC looking to expand my business—can I start advising on CollegeVine?

We're always looking for more advisors to join the network. You can apply to start advising on CollegeVine here!

• Where Our Students Get In

Every year College Essay Advisors works with many talented, hardworking students who go on to earn spots at some of the country’s top academic institutions.

The Complete List (For Now!)

Agnes Scott College

Alfred University

American University

Amherst College

Arcadia University

Arizona State University

Auburn University

Babson College

Baldwin Wallace University

Barnard College

Baylor University

Bentley University

Binghamton University

Boston College

Boston University

Bowdoin College

Brandeis University

Brown University

Bryant University

Bryn Mawr College

Bucknell University

California Institute of Technology

California State University

Carnegie Mellon University

Case Western University

Chapman University

Claremont McKenna

Clark University

Clemson University

Colby College

Colgate University

Colorado College

Colorado School of Mines

Columbia University

Connecticut College

Cornell University

Creighton University

Dartmouth College

Davidson College

DePauw University

Dickinson College

Drexel University

Duke University

Elon University

Emerson College

Emory University

Fairfield University

Florida State University

Fordham University

Franklin and Marshall College

Georgetown University

The George Washington University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Hamilton College

Harvard University

Harvey Mudd College

Haverford College

Hofstra University

College of the Holy Cross

Indiana University (Bloomington)

Ithaca College

James Madison University

Johnson & Wales University

Johns Hopkins University

Kenyon College

Kutztown University

Lafayette College

Lehigh University

Lewis and Clark College

Loyola Marymount College

Marist College

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

McGill University

Miami University

Middlebury College

Mount Holyoke College

New York University

Northeastern University

Northwestern University

Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences

Occidental College

Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma State University

Pace University

Penn State University

Pepperdine University

Princeton University

Providence College

Purdue University

Quinnipiac University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rice University

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rutgers University

San Diego State

San Jose State

Santa Clara University

Sarah Lawrence College

Scripps College

Skidmore College

Smith College

Southern Methodist University

Stanford University

SUNY Albany

SUNY Binghamton

SUNY Buffalo

SUNY Cortland

SUNY Oneonta

SUNY Oswego

SUNY Purchase

Syracuse University

Temple University

Texas A&M University

Texas Christian University

Texas State University

Texas Tech University

Trinity College

Tufts University

Tulane University

Union University

United States Naval Academy

University of Arizona

UC Berkeley

UC Los Angeles

UC San Diego

UC San Francisco

UC Santa Barbara

UC Santa Cruz

University of Central Florida (Orlando)

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Connecticut

University of Chicago

University of Delaware

University of Florida (Gainesville)

University of Georgia

University of Hartford

University of Kansas

University of Kentucky

University of Maryland (College Park)

University of Massachusetts

University of Michigan

University of Miami

University of North Carolina

University of Notre Dame

University of Oklahoma

University of Oregon

University of Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh

University of Rhode Island

University of Richmond

University of Southern California

University of Tampa

University of Texas (Austin)

University of Transylvania

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

University of Wisconsin (Madison)

Virginia Institute of Technology

Vanderbilt University

Villanova University

Wake Forest University

Wellesley College

Wesleyan University

Washington University (St. Louis)

Williams College

Yale University

• Our Approach & Team
• Undergraduate Testimonials
• Postgraduate Testimonials
• CEA Gives Back
• Undergraduate Admissions
• Graduate Admissions
• Private School Admissions
• International Student Admissions
• Common App Essay Guide
• Supplemental Essay Guide
• Coalition App Guide
• The CEA Podcast
• YouTube Tutorials
• Admissions Stats
• Notification Trackers
• Deadline Databases
• College Essay Examples
• Academy and Worksheets
• Waitlist Guides
• Get Started

If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser.

College admissions

Course: college admissions   >   unit 4.

• Writing a strong college admissions essay
• Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes
• Brainstorming tips for your college essay
• How formal should the tone of your college essay be?

Taking your college essay to the next level

• Sample essay 1 with admissions feedback
• Sample essay 2 with admissions feedback
• Student story: Admissions essay about a formative experience
• Student story: Admissions essay about personal identity
• Student story: Admissions essay about community impact
• Student story: Admissions essay about a past mistake
• Student story: Admissions essay about a meaningful poem
• Writing tips and techniques for your college essay

Want to join the conversation?

• Upvote Button navigates to signup page
• Downvote Button navigates to signup page
• Flag Button navigates to signup page

Video transcript

Have a language expert improve your writing

Check your paper for plagiarism in 10 minutes, generate your apa citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• College essay
• College Essay Examples | What Works and What Doesn’t

College Essay Examples | What Works and What Doesn't

Published on November 8, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on August 14, 2023.

One effective method for improving your college essay is to read example essays . Here are three sample essays, each with a bad and good version to help you improve your own essay.

Table of contents

Essay 1: sharing an identity or background through a montage, essay 2: overcoming a challenge, a sports injury narrative, essay 3: showing the influence of an important person or thing, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

This essay uses a montage structure to show snapshots of a student’s identity and background. The writer builds her essay around the theme of the five senses, sharing memories she associates with sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

In the weak rough draft, there is little connection between the individual anecdotes, and they do not robustly demonstrate the student’s qualities.

In the final version, the student uses an extended metaphor of a museum to create a strong connection among her stories, each showcasing a different part of her identity. She draws a specific personal insight from each memory and uses the stories to demonstrate her qualities and values.

How My Five Senses Record My Life

Throughout my life, I have kept a record of my life’s journey with my five senses. This collection of memories matters a great deal because I experience life every day through the lens of my identity.

“Chinese! Japanese!”

My classmate pulls one eye up and the other down.

“Look what my parents did to me!”

No matter how many times he repeats it, the other kids keep laughing. I focus my almond-shaped eyes on the ground, careful not to attract attention to my discomfort, anger, and shame. How could he say such a mean thing about me? What did I do to him? Joseph’s words would engrave themselves into my memory, making me question my appearance every time I saw my eyes in the mirror.

Soaking in overflowing bubble baths with Andrew Lloyd Webber belting from the boombox.

Listening to “Cell Block Tango” with my grandparents while eating filet mignon at a dine-in show in Ashland.

Singing “The Worst Pies in London” at a Korean karaoke club while laughing hysterically with my brother, who can do an eerily spot-on rendition of Sweeney Todd.

Taking car rides with Mom in the Toyota Sequoia as we compete to hit the high note in “Think of Me” from The Phantom of the Opera . Neither of us stands a chance!

The sweet scent of vegetables, Chinese noodles, and sushi wafts through the room as we sit around the table. My grandma presents a good-smelling mixture of international cuisine for our Thanksgiving feast. My favorite is the Chinese food that she cooks. Only the family prayer stands between me and the chance to indulge in these delicious morsels, comforting me with their familiar savory scents.

I rinse a faded plastic plate decorated by my younger sister at the Waterworks Art Center. I wear yellow rubber gloves to protect my hands at Mom’s insistence, but I can still feel the warm water that offers a bit of comfort as I finish the task at hand. The crusted casserole dish with stubborn remnants from my dad’s five-layer lasagna requires extra effort, so I fill it with Dawn and scalding water, setting it aside to soak. I actually don’t mind this daily chore.

I taste sweat on my upper lip as I fight to continue pedaling on a stationary bike. Ava’s next to me and tells me to go up a level. We’re biking buddies, dieting buddies, and Saturday morning carbo-load buddies. After the bike display hits 30 minutes, we do a five-minute cool down, drink Gatorade, and put our legs up to rest.

My five senses are always gathering new memories of my identity. I’m excited to expand my collection.

Word count: 455

College essay checklist

Topic and structure

• I’ve selected a topic that’s meaningful to me.
• My essay reveals something different from the rest of my application.
• I have a clear and well-structured narrative.
• I’ve concluded with an insight or a creative ending.

Writing style and tone

• I’ve crafted an introduction containing vivid imagery or an intriguing hook that grabs the reader’s attention.
• I’ve written my essay in a way that shows instead of tells.
• I’ve used appropriate style and tone for a college essay.
• I’ve used specific, vivid personal stories that would be hard to replicate.
• I’ve demonstrated my positive traits and values in my essay.
• My essay is focused on me, not another person or thing.
• I’ve included self-reflection and insight in my essay.
• I’ve respected the word count , remaining within 10% of the upper word limit.

Making Sense of My Identity

Welcome to The Rose Arimoto Museum. You are about to enter the “Making Sense of My Identity” collection. Allow me to guide you through select exhibits, carefully curated memories from Rose’s sensory experiences.

First, the Sight Exhibit.

“Chinese! Japanese!”

“Look what my parents did to me!”

No matter how many times he repeats it, the other kids keep laughing. I focus my almond-shaped eyes on the ground, careful not to attract attention as my lip trembles and palms sweat. Joseph couldn’t have known how his words would engrave themselves into my memory, making me question my appearance every time I saw my eyes in the mirror.

Ten years later, these same eyes now fixate on an InDesign layout sheet, searching for grammar errors while my friend Selena proofreads our feature piece on racial discrimination in our hometown. As we’re the school newspaper editors, our journalism teacher Ms. Riley allows us to stay until midnight to meet tomorrow’s deadline. She commends our work ethic, which for me is fueled by writing一my new weapon of choice.

Next, you’ll encounter the Sound Exhibit.

Still, the world is my Broadway as I find my voice on stage.

Just below, enter the Smell Exhibit.

While I help my Pau Pau prepare dinner, she divulges her recipe for cha siu bau, with its soft, pillowy white exterior hiding the fragrant filling of braised barbecue pork inside. The sweet scent of candied yams, fun see , and Spam musubi wafts through the room as we gather around our Thankgsiving feast. After our family prayer, we indulge in these delicious morsels until our bellies say stop. These savory scents of my family’s cultural heritage linger long after I’ve finished the last bite.

Next up, the Touch Exhibit.

I rinse a handmade mug that I had painstakingly molded and painted in ceramics class. I wear yellow rubber gloves to protect my hands at Mom’s insistence, but I can still feel the warm water that offers a bit of comfort as I finish the task at hand. The crusted casserole dish with stubborn remnants from my dad’s five-layer lasagna requires extra effort, so I fill it with Dawn and scalding water, setting it aside to soak. For a few fleeting moments, as I continue my nightly chore, the pressure of my weekend job, tomorrow’s calculus exam, and next week’s track meet are washed away.

Finally, we end with the Taste Exhibit.

My legs fight to keep pace with the stationary bike as the salty taste of sweat seeps into corners of my mouth. Ava challenges me to take it up a level. We always train together一even keeping each other accountable on our strict protein diet of chicken breasts, broccoli, and Muscle Milk. We occasionally splurge on Saturday mornings after interval training, relishing the decadence of everything bagels smeared with raspberry walnut cream cheese. But this is Wednesday, so I push myself. I know that once the digital display hits 30:00, we’ll allow our legs to relax into a five-minute cool down, followed by the fiery tang of Fruit Punch Gatorade to rehydrate.

Thank you for your attention. This completes our tour. I invite you to rejoin us for next fall’s College Experience collection, which will exhibit Rose’s continual search for identity and learning.

Word count: 649

• I’ve crafted an essay introduction containing vivid imagery or an intriguing hook that grabs the reader’s attention.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

This essay uses a narrative structure to recount how a student overcame a challenge, specifically a sports injury. Since this topic is often overused, the essay requires vivid description, a memorable introduction and conclusion , and interesting insight.

The weak rough draft contains an interesting narrative, insight, and vivid imagery, but it has an overly formal tone that distracts the reader from the story. The student’s use of elaborate vocabulary in every sentence makes the essay sound inauthentic and stilted.

The final essay uses a more natural, conversational tone and chooses words that are vivid and specific without being pretentious. This allows the reader to focus on the narrative and appreciate the student’s unique insight.

One fateful evening some months ago, a defensive linebacker mauled me, his 212 pounds indisputably alighting upon my ankle. Ergo, an abhorrent cracking of calcified tissue. At first light the next day, I awoke cognizant of a new paradigm—one sans football—promulgated by a stabbing sensation that would continue to haunt me every morning of this semester.

It’s been an exceedingly taxing semester not being able to engage in football, but I am nonetheless excelling in school. That twist of fate never would have come to pass if I hadn’t broken my ankle. I still limp down the halls at school, but I’m feeling less maudlin these days. My friends don’t steer clear anymore, and I have a lot more of them. My teachers, emboldened by my newfound interest in learning, continually invite me to learn more and do my best. Football is still on hold, but I feel like I’m finally playing a game that matters.

Five months ago, right after my ill-fated injury, my friends’ demeanor became icy and remote, although I couldn’t fathom why. My teachers, in contrast, beckoned me close and invited me on a new learning journey. But despite their indubitably kind advances, even they recoiled when I drew near.

A few weeks later, I started to change my attitude vis-à-vis my newfound situation and determined to put my energy toward productive ends (i.e., homework). I wasn’t enamored with school. I never had been. Nevertheless, I didn’t abhor it either. I just preferred football.

My true turn of fate came when I started studying more and participating in class. I started to enjoy history class, and I grew interested in reading more. I discovered a volume of poems written by a fellow adventurer on the road of life, and I loved it. I ravenously devoured everything in the writer’s oeuvre .

As the weeks flitted past, I found myself spending my time with a group of people who were quite different from me. They participated in theater and played instruments in marching band. They raised their hands in class when the teacher posed a question. Because of their auspicious influence, I started raising my hand too. I am no longer vapid, and I now have something to say.

I am certain that your school would benefit from my miraculous academic transformation, and I entreat you to consider my application to your fine institution. Accepting me to your university would be an unequivocally righteous decision.

Word count: 408

• I’ve chosen a college essay topic that’s meaningful to me.
• I’ve respected the essay word count , remaining within 10% of the upper word limit.

As I step out of bed, the pain shoots through my foot and up my leg like it has every morning since “the game.” That night, a defensive linebacker tackled me, his 212 pounds landing decidedly on my ankle. I heard the sound before I felt it. The next morning, I awoke to a new reality—one without football—announced by a stabbing sensation that would continue to haunt me every morning of this semester.

My broken ankle broke my spirit.

My friends steered clear of me as I hobbled down the halls at school. My teachers tried to find the delicate balance between giving me space and offering me help. I was as unsure how to deal with myself as they were.

In time, I figured out how to redirect some of my frustration, anger, and pent-up energy toward my studies. I had never not liked school, but I had never really liked it either. In my mind, football practice was my real-life classroom, where I could learn all I ever needed to know.

Then there was that day in Mrs. Brady’s history class. We sang a ridiculous-sounding mnemonic song to memorize all the Chinese dynasties from Shang to Qing. I mumbled the words at first, but I got caught up in the middle of the laughter and began singing along. Starting that day, I began browsing YouTube videos about history, curious to learn more. I had started learning something new, and, to my surprise, I liked it.

With my afternoons free from burpees and scrimmages, I dared to crack open a few more of my books to see what was in them. That’s when my English poetry book, Paint Me Like I Am , caught my attention. It was full of poems written by students my age from WritersCorps. I couldn’t get enough.

I wasn’t the only one who was taken with the poems. Previously, I’d only been vaguely aware of Christina as one of the weird kids I avoided. Crammed in the margins of her high-top Chuck Taylors were scribbled lines of her own poetry and infinite doodles. Beyond her punk rock persona was a sensitive artist, puppy-lover, and environmental activist that a wide receiver like me would have never noticed before.

With Christina, I started making friends with people who once would have been invisible to me: drama geeks, teachers’ pets, band nerds. Most were college bound but not to play a sport. They were smart and talented, and they cared about people and politics and all sorts of issues that I hadn’t considered before. Strangely, they also seemed to care about me.

I still limp down the halls at school, but I don’t seem to mind as much these days. My friends don’t steer clear anymore, and I have a lot more of them. My teachers, excited by my newfound interest in learning, continually invite me to learn more and do my best. Football is still on hold, but I feel like I’m finally playing a game that matters.

My broken ankle broke my spirit. Then, it broke my ignorance.

Word count: 512

This essay uses a narrative structure to show how a pet positively influenced the student’s values and character.

In the weak draft, the student doesn’t focus on himself, instead delving into too much detail about his dog’s positive traits and his grandma’s illness. The essay’s structure is meandering, with tangents and details that don’t communicate any specific insight.

In the improved version, the student keeps the focus on himself, not his pet. He chooses the most relevant stories to demonstrate specific qualities, and the structure more clearly builds up to an insightful conclusion.

Man’s Best Friend

I desperately wanted a cat. I begged my parents for one, but once again, my sisters overruled me, so we drove up the Thompson Valley Canyon from Loveland to Estes Park to meet our newest family member. My sisters had already hatched their master plan, complete with a Finding Nemo blanket to entice the pups. The blanket was a hit with all of them, except for one—the one who walked over and sat in my lap. That was the day that Francisco became a Villanova.

Maybe I should say he was mine because I got stuck with all the chores. As expected, my dog-loving sisters were nowhere to be found! My mom was “extra” with all the doggy gear. Cisco even had to wear these silly little puppy shoes outside so that when he came back in, he wouldn’t get the carpets dirty. If it was raining, my mother insisted I dress Cisco in a ridiculous yellow raincoat, but, in my opinion, it was an unnecessary source of humiliation for poor Cisco. It didn’t take long for Cisco to decide that his outerwear could be used as toys in a game of Keep Away. As soon as I took off one of his shoes, he would run away with it, hiding under the bed where I couldn’t reach him. But, he seemed to appreciate his ensemble more when we had to walk through snowdrifts to get his job done.

When my abuela was dying from cancer, we went in the middle of the night to see her before she passed. I was sad and scared. But, my dad let me take Cisco in the car, so Cisco cuddled with me and made me feel much better. It’s like he could read my mind. Once we arrived at the hospital, the fluorescent lighting made the entire scene seem unreal, as if I was watching the scene unfold through someone else’s eyes. My grandma lay calmly on her bed, smiling at us even through her last moments of pain. I disliked seeing the tubes and machines hooked up to her. It was unnatural to see her like this一it was so unlike the way I usually saw her beautiful in her flowery dress, whistling a Billie Holiday tune and baking snickerdoodle cookies in the kitchen. The hospital didn’t usually allow dogs, but they made a special exception to respect my grandma’s last wishes that the whole family be together. Cisco remained at the foot of the bed, intently watching abuela with a silence that seemed more effective at communicating comfort and compassion than the rest of us who attempted to offer up words of comfort that just seemed hollow and insincere. It was then that I truly appreciated Cisco’s empathy for others.

As I accompanied my dad to pick up our dry cleaner’s from Ms. Chapman, a family friend asked, “How’s Cisco?” before even asking about my sisters or me. Cisco is the Villanova family mascot, a Goldendoodle better recognized by strangers throughout Loveland than the individual members of my family.

On our summer trip to Boyd Lake State Park, we stayed at the Cottonwood campground for a breathtaking view of the lake. Cisco was allowed to come, but we had to keep him on a leash at all times. After a satisfying meal of fish, our entire family walked along the beach. Cisco and I led the way while my mom and sisters shuffled behind. Cisco always stopped and refused to move, looking back to make sure the others were still following. Once satisfied that everyone was together, he would turn back around and continue prancing with his golden boy curly locks waving in the chilly wind.

On the beach, Cisco “accidentally” got let off his leash and went running maniacally around the sand, unfettered and free. His pure joy as he raced through the sand made me forget about my AP Chem exam or my student council responsibilities. He brings a smile not only to my family members but everyone around him.

Cisco won’t live forever, but without words, he has impressed upon me life lessons of responsibility, compassion, loyalty, and joy. I can’t imagine life without him.

Word count: 701

I quickly figured out that as “the chosen one,” I had been enlisted by Cisco to oversee all aspects of his “business.” I learned to put on Cisco’s doggie shoes to keep the carpet clean before taking him out一no matter the weather. Soon after, Cisco decided that his shoes could be used as toys in a game of Keep Away. As soon as I removed one of his shoes, he would run away with it, hiding under the bed where I couldn’t reach him. But, he seemed to appreciate his footwear more after I’d gear him up and we’d tread through the snow for his daily walks.

One morning, it was 7:15 a.m., and Alejandro was late again to pick me up. “Cisco, you don’t think he overslept again, do you?” Cisco barked, as if saying, “Of course he did!” A text message would never do, so I called his dad, even if it was going to get him in trouble. There was no use in both of us getting another tardy during our first-period class, especially since I was ready on time after taking Cisco for his morning outing. Alejandro was mad at me but not too much. He knew I had helped him out, even if he had to endure his dad’s lecture on punctuality.

Another early morning, I heard my sister yell, “Mom! Where are my good ballet flats? I can’t find them anywhere!” I hesitated and then confessed, “I moved them.” She shrieked at me in disbelief, but I continued, “I put them in your closet, so Cisco wouldn’t chew them up.” More disbelief. However, this time, there was silence instead of shrieking.

Last spring, Cisco and I were fast asleep when the phone rang at midnight. Abuela would not make it through the night after a long year of chemo, but she was in Pueblo, almost three hours away. Sitting next to me for that long car ride on I-25 in pitch-black darkness, Cisco knew exactly what I needed and snuggled right next to me as I petted his coat in a rhythm while tears streamed down my face. The hospital didn’t usually allow dogs, but they made a special exception to respect my grandma’s last wishes that the whole family be together. Cisco remained sitting at the foot of the hospital bed, intently watching abuela with a silence that communicated more comfort than our hollow words. Since then, whenever I sense someone is upset, I sit in silence with them or listen to their words, just like Cisco did.

The other day, one of my friends told me, “You’re a strange one, Josue. You’re not like everybody else but in a good way.” I didn’t know what he meant at first. “You know, you’re super responsible and grown-up. You look out for us instead of yourself. Nobody else does that.” I was a bit surprised because I wasn’t trying to do anything different. I was just being me. But then I realized who had taught me: a fluffy little puppy who I had wished was a cat! I didn’t choose Cisco, but he certainly chose me and, unexpectedly, became my teacher, mentor, and friend.

Word count: 617

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

A standout college essay has several key ingredients:

• A unique, personally meaningful topic
• A memorable introduction with vivid imagery or an intriguing hook
• Specific stories and language that show instead of telling
• Vulnerability that’s authentic but not aimed at soliciting sympathy
• Clear writing in an appropriate style and tone
• A conclusion that offers deep insight or a creative ending

There are no set rules for how to structure a college application essay , but these are two common structures that work:

• A montage structure, a series of vignettes with a common theme.
• A narrative structure, a single story that shows your personal growth or how you overcame a challenge.

Avoid the five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in high school.

Though admissions officers are interested in hearing your story, they’re also interested in how you tell it. An exceptionally written essay will differentiate you from other applicants, meaning that admissions officers will spend more time reading it.

You can use literary devices to catch your reader’s attention and enrich your storytelling; however, focus on using just a few devices well, rather than trying to use as many as possible.

Most importantly, your essay should be about you , not another person or thing. An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability.

Your essay shouldn’t be a résumé of your experiences but instead should tell a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.

When revising your college essay , first check for big-picture issues regarding message, flow, tone, style , and clarity. Then, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Courault, K. (2023, August 14). College Essay Examples | What Works and What Doesn't. Scribbr. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/college-essay-examples/

Is this article helpful?

Kirsten Courault

Other students also liked, choosing your college essay topic | ideas & examples, how to make your college essay stand out | tips & examples, how to revise your college admissions essay | examples, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

News and business analysis for Professionals in International Education

Admission to college after essay help

The importance of college essay writing.

Self-presentation is an essential part of people's life. It starts with college essay, where you need to convince the admission committee in your uniqueness and worthiness. Later there would be even more complicated papers for self-description, like cover letter for an employer. When you send your documents to a college, it's just a first step, a training before the actual work! How to succeed?

It's not a secret that grades in modern world mean have way less meaning and value as it had been before. Study hard and you'll get what you want, they were saying before. Be unique and original, be yourself! - that's a modern motto. It's hard to underestimate the importance of essay.

We meant no pressure and hopefully didn't make you think "Am I capable to write my essay?". Besides, modern problems require modern solutions. Now it's possible to delegate the task to professionals and stop stressing. With the help of essay writing service you can get a winning paper and earn your place in college. It seems a way better option than composing something on your own.

How to choose essay writing service

When you open Google and look for services to help with your essay, it seems that the choice is so enormous! And it actually is. Plenty of applicants are ready to pay for essay and that creates a huge demand. Are you surprised? Now imagine that everyone is ordering their papers on such websites and send to committee. So you think you stand a chance compared to a professional essay writer? Most likely, no.

The opportunities that services offer are infinite. Are you looking from a brand new essay composed from a scratch or do you already have a draft of your own writing to be improved? Name it, and you'll get what you want. The essay rewriter can edit your own thoughts, put the ideas you have in order, and as a result you're getting a brilliant work that you've participated in yourself. Sounds impressive!

How to choose the best essay help? We recommend to pay attention to three factors: price, reviews and time. In the next part we'll discuss them in details.

Useful recommendations

Getting ready to receive a mind blowing essay from the service? First, choose the proper one! Here are our advice on how to do it:

• Consider the time required for work. Of course, it's possible to complete the whole task in several hours (for a professional writer), but it's better to think about paper beforehand. Thus, you'll get time to read it and to check.
• What's the price of an essay? It largely depends on time and type of college you want to be admitted to. Of course, a complicated and deep piece of writing worth sending to Ivy League would cost way more than a local college. Think about your goal and ambitions and you will be able to find the balance in pricing.
• Read the reviews about the service. What do clients say? Is it worth spending money? Has anyone been admitted?

COMP 1011 The College Research Essay (Kennedy) Summer 2024

Understanding the lingo, pick a topic, starting research.

• How to Find Books and Articles
• Helpful Searching Hints
• Understanding Peer Review
• Citing Your Sources
• Get Library Help
• Get Writing, Citing, and Technology Help

Interim Scholarly Communications Librarian

Welcome to Milne Library and your COMP 1011 College Research Essay guide for library research!  This guide will be available to you throughout the summer and throughout your first year.  As you'll see from the tabs on the left, it provides basic information on

• helpful searching hints
• finding books
• finding articles and other resources
• interlibrary loan
• library services and the many ways to get research help
• where to get writing, citing, and technology help

If you have any questions, we're here to answer questions or set up a research consultation!  You can contact either of us by email or phone; Adam's contact info [email protected] or (607)436-2453, Sophia's contact info [email protected] or (607)436-3771.

Conducting research can be difficult when you are unfamiliar with the terms being used to describe certain types of items. If your instructor asks you to use a periodical, would you know what they meant? If you had to locate the call number in an item’s record, could you? It is important to familiarize yourself with what particular library words mean. 

Refer back to some of the handouts received in class. The Definitions handout and Types of Periodicals chart will be particularly useful to keep.

Call Number Guide

Definitions Sheet

Scholarly vs. Popular

Types of Periodicals

If you are stuck trying to decide on a topic for your paper, there are a few ways to generate ideas. 

• Scan newspaper headlines 
• Browse chapter titles in your textbook
• Check out what's trending 
• Add a personal interest to an assignments existing topic
• Use the "Browse Issues" section in the Opposing Viewpoints Database
• Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window Contains a variety of media rich content, including over 20,000 pro/con viewpoints, approximately 19,000 reference articles, interactive maps, infographics, and more. Cross-searchable with Gale In Context: Global Issues. National Debate Topics category provides quick and easy access to content on frequently studied and discussed issues. Educator Resources include a research toolkit with tips on analyzing issues with opposing viewpoints, distinguishing fact from opinion, evaluating information sources, and recognizing deceptive arguments.

When you begin a research project, it is a good idea to take a moment to reflect on your prior knowledge of the topic area. How much do you already know about this topic? In most cases, you will need to do a bit of research to get some general information on your topic. Encyclopedias are arranged alphabetically and contain a general overview of a term or subject matter. Opposing Viewpoints in Context can also help you find encyclopedic information on a variety of topics. 

• Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window Provides reference sources in almost all disciplines. Also includes historical timelines, multimedia, selected magazine articles, notable quotations, and a dictionary and thesaurus.
• Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new window Broad cross-curricular collection of non-fiction titles, supporting science, geography, history, language arts, business and other subjects. Optimized for search and discovery, the Gale eBooks platform enables you to search through multiple nonfiction eBooks within a single search.
• Next: How to Find Books and Articles >>
• Last Updated: Jul 16, 2024 11:39 AM
• URL: https://libguides.oneonta.edu/comp1011kennedysummer2024

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Hattie Wiener, Sex-Positive ‘Oldest Cougar,’ Dies at 88

She was an evangelist for older women having sex with younger men, and the health benefits that she said came with it.

By Penelope Green

Hattie Wiener, an ebullient and bawdy former dancer and therapist who found a measure of celebrity in her 70s for sleeping with younger men and promoting what she said were the anti-aging benefits of her lifestyle, died on June 21 at her home in Manhattan. She was 88.

She had been diagnosed with diastolic heart failure, and chose to end her life by refusing food and liquids, said her daughter, Rama Dunayevich.

Tabloids called her the Tinder Granny and the Oldest Cougar in the World, titles she was proud to claim. Ms. Wiener had long been an evangelist for older women having sex with younger men — a practice she began when she divorced in 1984, when she was 48 — and for the health benefits she felt accrued to those who followed her bedtime regimen, activities she promoted in a self-published book, “Sex and the Single Senior” (2009).

But it wasn’t until she was featured in “Strange Sex,” a 2010 documentary series on TLC, that she began to enjoy a sort of B-list fame, appearing as a reliably naughty guest on television shows like “Access Hollywood” and “Dr. Phil.”

“I realized that by sleeping with young men,” she said in “Strange Sex,” “I’m starting my life over again, because my husband was a young man and we had wonderful sex and now I’m repeating the pattern, but not with my husband or anyone his age.”

In that series, TLC filmed her date with an affable electrician and single father of three named Ron who was 40 years her junior. Ms. Wiener dressed with typical flair, in a studded dog collar, a black minidress and a gold bolero jacket; Ron looked like he was dressed for a barbecue. But he was a kindly date, and noted that he was fond of older women because of their confidence and because, as he put it, “They’re not looking for the happy ever after.”

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .