I am pleased to offer college application essay reviews for individuals looking to refine their narrative and elevate their unique voice.

Before sending your college application draft my way, please carefully review the submission expectations and core writing guidelines below.

Submission Protocols & Review Expectations

• Please submit finalized, proofread drafts—not outlines, rough fragments, or partial ideas. Run spell-check, verify syntax, and read your work twice before hitting submit.

• Prepare for Tough Love: Expect rigorous redlining, structural cuts, and direct challenges to weak arguments. My goal is to push your writing to its absolute ceiling; if you are faint of heart or defensive about early drafts, this review process will be uncomfortable.

• Please allow a turnaround time of several weeks. My ongoing classroom responsibilities and student grading take precedence over essay reviews. So, plan around your early action and regular decision deadlines accordingly.

Advanced Writing Suggestions

• The "In Media Res" Hook: Open in the middle of action, dialogue, or a specific sensory scene. Drop the reader directly into the narrative rather than wasting sentences on background setup.

• The 30/70 Narrative Rule: Dedicate roughly 30% of your word count to establishing the conflict or situation, and 70% to internal reflection—analyzing how your choices, perspective, or cognitive framework evolved.

• Highlight Intellectual Curiosity: Admissions readers look for how you think. Focus on moments where you questioned an assumption, embraced uncertainty, or solved a problem purely out of genuine curiosity.

• The Read-Aloud Audit: Read your draft aloud to test rhythm and authenticity. If a phrase feels clunky or unnatural to speak, it will read as forced on the page.

Critical Red Flags & Pitfalls

• The Resume Recitation: Never translate your activity list into narrative paragraphs. The essay exists to reveal character and worldview, not to rehash awards or leadership titles.

• Adversity Without Agency: If you write about a hardship, avoid dwelling solely on the difficulty of the event. 

  • Readers evaluate your personal agency and problem-solving, not the severity of the obstacle.

  • Recommend steering clear of deep polarizing or religious subjects that could offend a reader.

• Steer Clear of the Generic "Tragedy Arc": Hardship can make a compelling topic, but the narrative must focus on your internal agency and growth, not merely the adversity itself. 

• The Thesaurus Overdose: Swapping plain language for complex vocabulary (myriad, plethora, elucidate) creates a distant, robotic tone. Authenticity always outperforms artificial sophistication.

• The Grand Epiphany Fallacy: Steer clear of sweeping conclusions like "And that day I learned the true meaning of empathy." Ground your takeaway in realistic, modest shifts in daily behavior.