Essay-Writing for College Admissions

CREDENTIALS: 1) Two undergraduate degrees and four graduate degrees in the humanities, 2) many years of experience as a teacher at both the secondary and collegiate levels, including vast experience in grading students’ drafts and essays, 4) two published books (with more in progress), and 5) experience as the director of standardized testing at Thomas Jefferson School in St. Louis from 1990 to 1992.  For more details, please read the CV’s and the biography page under the “Tutoring” tab on this website.

On the basis of the credentials described above, I’m uniquely positioned to help high-school students craft essays submitted to college as part of admissions packets.  This help would involve 1) picking a topic as suggested by the given college or university, 2) running the essay through several drafts while carefully considering the guidelines set out by the given college or university, and 3) submitting the finished piece of writing with the other admissions materials.  My approach to creating essays of this kind is such that what would otherwise seem like an arduous and tedious task is actually quite enjoyable 1) since it involves making absolutely sure that students pick topics of genuine interest to them and 2) since it’s all about genuine self-expression and not about conforming to the completely indiscernible expectations of an anonymous college-admissions employee sitting in an office in some remote location.  In the end, what impresses admissions officers the most are well-written and genuine pieces of writing.

Please note finally that this is NOT about preparing for impromptu essays to be written during the ACT or SAT exam: rather, these tutoring sessions involve conceiving and writing essays submitted to colleges and universities for general admission purposes.