Why Do I Need a College Essay Tutor?
Students and parents are often hesitant to engage a college counselor or college essay tutor. Questions abound about the effectiveness and cost of hiring a professional college consultant. After watching dozens of students thrive each year, I am confident that private tutoring and college consulting provides immense value.
For decades, elite preparatory schools have relied on staff counselors to help students excel in the competitive college admissions process, and the results speak for themselves. Students at these same schools also rely on private tutors, understanding the value of additional one-on-one support. As the college process becomes increasingly competitive, having a professional help you plan and polish your essays and college applications is akin to hiring a lawyer for a legal dispute. Just like in court, representing yourself in the college application process leaves you at a disadvantage.
A tutor works to ensure students not only improve their college essays and applications but also perfect their overall writing skills. I have numerous students and parents each year who are astounded by the academic growth they see.
A tutor provides an experienced set of eyes and ears to help you navigate a confusing time, offering start-to-finish guidance throughout the application process. The process begins with helping you determine your college list. A tutor will help you build a list of colleges with varying acceptance rates that match your goals and accomplishments (e.g. grades, test scores, activities, etc.). This list will be composed of safety schools (almost guaranteed chance of admission), target schools (good odds based on your profile) and reach schools (low admission rates for all applicants). Through a tutor, you will learn about schools and programs you may not have previously considered while also gaining a realistic perspective of your chances at each school.
After helping you form your college list, a tutor will assist you with organizing your application in a way that highlights your talents in the most flattering light possible. This involves analyzing each activity and accomplishment to determine order of importance and the overall narrative you hope to convey about yourself. With a little help, you will be able to organize your application in a space-efficient manner while still highlighting your personal qualities and passions.
The last step of the admissions process is writing your essays. A tutor will teach you about the style and structure required for great literary essays and help you present your personal story in a way that catches the attention of admissions readers. Tutors use their past experience reading hundreds of essays to provide advice and ask you the right questions to spark creativity. At the end of the day, a tutor is a source of professional feedback—someone who knows what colleges are hoping to see in their candidates. Once you have drafted your essays, a professional tutor will help guide your revision and editing process until you have a submission-ready essay.
If you have recognized the benefits of using a private tutor throughout the admissions process, the last question is cost. With the cost of elite college exceeding hundreds of thousands for a full education, investing a small fraction of the cost in the preparation process can provide a solid return on investment. Crafting a competitive list of diverse schools often allows applicants to find better financial aid options and discover more scholarship opportunities. You only have one chance to apply to the school of your dreams, so it is best to do everything possible to maximize your odds of admission in an increasingly competitive world.
There are a few things a tutor will not do. For both ethical and legal reasons, I do not write essays for students, advise them to unethically manipulate applications, or otherwise help students engage in underhanded application tactics. From a practical perspective, any competent college admissions reader will easily recognize an essay written by a parent, tutor, or teacher. Instead, I strive to help students expand their educational horizons and writing abilities. A tutor will never guarantee acceptance to a certain school or promise percentage-based odds on admission chances. In my experience, most services publishing statistics manipulate them to the point of falsehood, so I always encourage students to investigate any promises thoroughly as they consider tutoring services.
At the end of the day, I aim to help you showcase your talents and personality in the best way possible. My philosophy and insight has helped dozens of my clients gain admission to Ivy League and top-tier universities.
