College Essay Tutoring

Available to students in Franklin, Berkshire, Hampshire and Hamden counties in Massachusetts

 

For many high school students, writing the essay required on college applications is the most daunting aspect of the application experience. It can be an agonizing experience for parents as well. In the increasingly competitive process of applying to colleges, the college essay can make the difference between acceptance and rejection. As a result, this all-important task is often left to the last minute before the application dead-line, when students and their parents are the most stressed.

I can help your son or daughter:

  • Choose a subject that interests them and that they are familiar with
  • Focus on a specific aspect of the subject
  • Decide what they want to say about the subject
  • Create an outline and a writing schedule
  • Structure their writing in essay form
  • Write with an active voice
  • Use correct technical writing skills of grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, and vocabulary
  • Revise and rewrite to final draft form
  • Alter the same essay to fulfill a variety of college guidelines

I am a professional writer and an instructor in college-level English Composition, Developmental Writing, Creative Writing and Literature. I have over twenty years of experience teaching and tutoring at state colleges, community colleges, middle schools and high schools. I have worked with students representing a broad range of learning styles and abilities, including non-native English speakers and students with learning difficulties.

I will meet with your son or daughter at your home and work with them step-by-step through the process of writing a college essay. My approach is always positive and encouraging. We start by brainstorming ideas and making a writing schedule. During the early sessions I will identify their strengths and show them how to build on them as they make notes and create an outline. After I read each draft of the essay, we will go over my comments, questions and suggestions together. I will meet with your son or daughter as many times as they want an in-person session, and I remain available by email until the essay is finished.

The resulting essay your child sends off with his or her application will be a compelling, dramatic, focused and technically skilled personal statement which will more than meet the admission requirements of their prospective colleges.