Writing essays can often feel like an uphill battle. From the initial brainstorming session to crafting a piece that is both cohesive and compelling, students frequently face difficulties in gaining confidence with long-form writing. This challenge intensifies when the essays serve as a key component in the college admissions process, offering admissions officers a window into the student’s personality and achievements — it can feel like a lot of pressure! Many universities have adopted and still push test-optional policies during their admissions process, so personal statements have become increasingly important in the university’s decision-making process. So, how can you effectively manage these anxieties and successfully create impactful essays?
With increasing competition and the ever-growing importance of a stellar college essay, many families turn to college essay coaches for guidance and support. However, not all coaches are created equal and are a right fit for your student! In this blog post, we’ll explore 12 essential tips for finding the best college essay coach in 2024, helping you and your child find the right expertise for their goals and personality.
Before we begin, here’s an interesting video on why tackling essays alone can be challenging for any student as well as some of the ways to begin thinking about the essay writing and editing process!
Video: Ivy League coach reveals why HARVARD didn’t accept me
1. Check the College Essay Coach’s Credentials and Experience
When searching for a college essay coach to support your student through their journey, it’s important to explore their credentials and experience in writing and editing pieces, specifically those related to college admissions. College admissions essays take a lot of care and patience to write and require the same when editing them, so it’s important to find a college easy coach who will spend the time and have the empathy and experience needed to help support students through their drafting and editing stages.
Look for coaches with a background in writing, education, or college admissions counseling. A strong foundation in these areas will help indicate that the coach has the expertise to provide valuable guidance throughout the essay-writing process! Additionally, see if the coach can provide examples of their own writing, as you can get a feel for their caliber and perspective/tone of voice.
2. Review Their Track Record
When deciding upon a college essay coach to work with your student, it doesn’t hurt to ask about their experiences helping students through the admissions essay process! Ask potential coaches for examples of past success stories of students they helped. You can ask questions like:
- Where did your students end up?
- What was the process you followed with them to get their essays to their final products?
- What approaches did you use throughout the writing process?
- How do you help students find the topics they can write strongly about?
While these questions may seem rudimentary, having some questions to begin the search can help you find a coach that fits your student’s personality and make the process much easier. Additionally, most universities ask different questions to students for their applications, so finding a coach that fits your student’s college admissions goals will be a much better approach to the process and help your family holistically move through it easily.
3. Assess Their Coaching Style
Every student is unique, and so is every coach! Coaches have their own teaching, writing, and essay approaches, so it's important to consider your child’s learning style and preferences when choosing a coach to work with. Some students may thrive with intensive one-on-one guidance, while others prefer more independent work with occasional check-ins. Therefore, it's important to find a coach who can support your student in the way that best suits them!
Understanding how coaches work through the essay development process is also crucial. Discuss with them how they edit admissions essays and writing pieces. What do they look for? When crafting a draft or building their topic lists, what are some things to consider? What should students look out for when crafting their essays during preparation? These questions can guide the conversation and help you and your students understand what to expect from working with them.
Here is a great example of how an essay coach will edit a piece:
Video: Editing YOUR College Essays | The BEST Essay I've Read So Far
4. Request a Sample Session from the College Essay Coach
Requesting a sample session before committing to a coach is a great idea. This initial trial will allow you to evaluate the coach's methods and compatibility with your student's needs and see if they are a good personality fit! During your first conversations with the coach, ask if they offer a sample session and arrange for your student to participate. It's essential that your student attends this session, as they will be the ones benefiting from the service most!
During the session, pay attention to how the coach helps your student develop ideas and how the coach carries the initial conversation through. Be sure to ask any questions you might have as they work with your student, and see how they provide feedback and whether they effectively communicate strategies for improving the essay.
5. Discuss Their Availability
Undoubtedly, the high school years are an incredibly busy time for most families. Between juggling sports, academics, extracurriculars, and more, schedules for both students and parents can fill up fast. With this in mind, it’s important to prioritize discussing availability in the initial conversations!
Make sure that the coach's availability aligns with your student’s schedule. Also, discuss deadlines and expectations in advance to avoid scheduling conflicts later. Having a coach who is easy to reach and quick to respond throughout this highly busy and stressful time will offer valuable support during the application process.
6. Inquire About Their Approach to Essay Writing
Another critical aspect of finding the right college essay coach for your student is understanding their approach to essay writing. It is essential to choose a coach who prioritizes helping students develop their unique voice and narrative rather than merely editing their work. A good coach will guide your student through a comprehensive process that includes brainstorming, outlining, and revising, helping to ensure essays are authentic and compelling, reflecting the student's personality and experiences.
During your search, learn more about the coach’s methodology and how they plan to support your student in crafting their story. The ideal coach should encourage creative thinking and help students articulate and effectively their ideas, focusing on teaching students how to organize their thoughts, construct a strong narrative, and refine their writing through multiple drafts. This process improves the quality of the essays and empowers students with valuable writing skills that will benefit them beyond the college application process.
7. Consider Their Familiarity with Different Colleges
Just like some tutors have skills in certain fields, it’s important to remember that essay coaches do, too! Every school has a different set of questions they ask students to answer in their application, so the coach you find must be able to help support the writing process for particular universities your student is applying to. Some coaches specialize in advising students on specific types of colleges, such as liberal arts colleges, Ivy League institutions, or STEM-focused schools, so their lens of guidance and thought process will likely follow suit.
When finding the best-fit college essay coach, consider your child’s interests and aspirations and the types of colleges they are targeting. Suppose your student has experience within STEM areas and wishes to apply to an engineering major at their desired university, for instance. In that case, it’s important to ensure the essay coach can help students utilize their experience within that field to their advantage. A coach who understands the nuances of different admissions processes for schools of all different types can help provide tailored guidance that aligns with your child’s goals.
8. Assess Their Ability to Provide Constructive Feedback
Feedback is an incredibly important part of the essay drafting process. Implementing feedback into your writing can help you see and understand perspectives you might not have originally thought about, help develop a cleaner, more concise, and more persuasive tone, and help get you back on the right track. With this in mind, finding a coach who will provide constructive and effective feedback to support your student throughout the writing process is important.
Feedback looks different for each individual coach, but effective feedback in essay writing contains a few basic things: positivity, questions/clarification from a higher level to a lower level, and a critique of the writing, not the writer themselves. Additionally, pay attention to the tone of the critique and whether it follows the golden rule of effective feedback—it should be considerate and not bash or negate the student's work.
9. Look for Personalized Attention
Students are unique, and so is their writing! Each student has their own perspective, voice, experiences, interests, and aspirations, and their college essays will be the lens admissions officers have into the student who is applying. Knowing this, choose an essay coach that provides a personalized approach throughout each step of the process and gives your student the best chance at developing a story true to themselves.
From mind mapping and brainstorming to final edits, your student’s essay coach should focus on tailoring their guidance to your student’s goals and writing style from the get-go. A coach who takes the time to get to know your child’s background and ambitions will provide more effective support and, in turn, help your student write essays that will be sure to wow the admissions officers!
10. Check Their Ethical Standards
Ethical integrity is paramount when selecting a college essay coach. Avoid coaches who act unethically in their work, such as writing essays for students or making false promises about admission outcomes. These practices undermine the student’s learning experience and can have serious consequences, including jeopardizing the student’s admission prospects and damaging their academic reputation.
When evaluating potential coaches, prioritize those who are honest, transparent, and promote ethical conduct in their coaching practice. Essay coaches should work to empower students to express their own thoughts and ideas authentically and provide guidance and support, helping students brainstorm, outline, and revise their own personal essays, not the writing of the coach.
Transparency is also important to ethical coaching. Look for coaches who are upfront about their methods, expectations, and realistic outcomes of their assistance. They should be clear about what they can and cannot do, avoiding any admission guarantees to specific colleges. Instead, they will emphasize the importance of effort, authenticity, and personal growth in the application process.
11. Review Their Communication Skills
Effective feedback is essential for enhancing a student’s essay-writing skills and ensuring their writing growth. When searching for a college essay coach, prioritize those who offer specific, actionable feedback that will help students understand their strengths and identify areas for improvement within their writing.
Look for a coach who provides detailed comments and suggestions that clarify why certain changes are needed. For instance, instead of correcting a vague sentence, the coach should explain why it lacks clarity and offer strategies to make it more precise. Additionally, avoid coaches who simply rewrite or heavily edit essays without offering an explanation. While this might result in a polished essay, it doesn't teach the student how to improve their writing skills. The goal is to develop the student’s ability to think critically about their work and make informed decisions about their revisions so they can become a better writer and thinker in the future!
12. Compare Costs and Services:
Finally, when deciding on a college essay coach, it’s important to consider the cost of coaching services and what is included in the offered package! While price shouldn’t be the sole determining factor, ensuring that the coaching services align with your budget and expectations is essential, especially considering the applications' costs. Be sure to compare the costs and services different coaches offer to find the best value for your investment and find a coach that provides the best service quality without breaking the bank!
Finding the best college essay coach for your student requires careful consideration of their practice, including their credentials, coaching style, expertise, and ethical standards. Use these 12 tips to help select a coach who provides personalized guidance, supports your child’s individual needs and aspirations, and helps them craft compelling essays that stand out to admissions officers!
Looking for extra essay support? Empowerly’s here to help! Our team of expert essay editors and counselors is here to support your student during the stresses of the college admissions process. They are available to provide edits, help brainstorm, and empower your student to create essays that will not only wow the admissions officers, but show students all they have achieved on their own. Schedule a free consultation to get started with our team today!
