User:College essay coaching

Are you convinced your life is too ordinary to find a compelling story?

Are you feeling unprepared in the tricks and techniques of college essays?

Are you frustrated that your authentic personality and voice seem to disappear when you sit down to write?

= As a college essay tutor, =

= I can help. = I’m a writer, editor and teacher, and in application workshops and private coaching, I help students leap each of these hurdles and more.


 * I break down the writing process so students truly understand and what they are doing at each step along the way.
 * I reflect students’ stories back to them, allowing them to see how much is there to write about.
 * I help students bring like ideas together, creating cohesive essays that make strong points in the short space allotted.
 * I help students relax and find their voices—and I help them see the key places where the voice shines most, making sure that the sparkle isn’t cut in the editing phase.

The result is a college essay process that is transformative rather than tedious, educational rather than clerical, and satisfying rather than stressful. Students write to discover themselves and rather than simply to relate what they already know. They learn to think more broadly, to write more openly, and to edit more exactly. Working together, we find the story they didn’t always know they wanted to tell until it was on the page. Then I help students clarify, condense and correct their work while still honoring their voice. As my favorite comment says—and I hear this one again and again—“YES! That’s what I meant to say!”

https://carakalf.com/

The resulting application essay is

 * engaging, focused, and meaningful
 * more likely to catch a reader’s attention and touch their hearts
 * one they will notice and remember
 * one that presents you as you truly see yourself

A trained journalist and editor, I became an English teacher because I love sharing the power of good writing. I’ve transitioned to private coaching because it allows me to focus on the piece I love most: introducing my students to their own potential as writers, and helping them grow.

Since 2013, I have worked as a college essay tutor with more than 130 students across the country and most of them candidates for the country’s top schools. They were counting on their essays to distinguish their already-excellent applications, and many of them ended up at their first-choice schools, including high-profile schools. But just as important, they left our work with a set of essential skills and a new—or renewed—love for writing.