College Admissions Essay Coaching

Applying for college admission? Want to give yourself a leg up on the competition? Then make sure your application is accompanied by an exceptional personal statement essay.

While grades and test scores are important, the personal statement is a key factor in determining who gets in, and who doesn’t. There’s no formula for writing a great personal statement because the best essays are as unique as the people who write them. You want it to be original, focused, and authentic. Style counts. As does word choice and grammar.

Gotham offers one-on-one coaching to help with the process. Our essay coaches are writers experienced at assisting with college application essays. They’ll help you write the essay you want to write—the one that will make the admissions committee sit up and take notice.

To begin, fill out the form at the bottom of the page. Then a Gotham staff member will consult with you to determine your specific needs. Next, you’ll be matched with a college essay coach.

We offer the following options, each including real-time meetings with your coach on Zoom:

Start To Finish: Essay
If you aren’t sure how to get started on your essay, your coach can guide you through the entire process, start to finish. This five-hour package works like so:

You start with Gotham’s brainstorming worksheet, which will ask questions about you to get the process started.

Then you meet with your essay coach on Zoom, for about an hour. Together, you’ll use the worksheet as a springboard for getting to know each other, finding an essay topic, and discussing how to fit that topic into the Common App. At the end of the session, you should have a topic you’re excited to write about and a game plan for writing it.

Then you go write a draft of your essay. It’s fine if it’s kind of a mess. You send the draft to your coach, then you and the coach go back and forth a few rounds, via both email and Zoom, discussing every aspect of your essay, major and minor, until you’ve got a personal statement that’s ready (or close) to send off.

Tuition: $595

(Gotham offers an annual scholarship for this service, available to students of color)

Start To Finish: Essay Plus
This eight-hour package includes everything in the five-hour package discussed above, plus an extra three hours to work on extras that are sometimes required. Such as:

• Supplemental essays
• Short essays specific to the school/application
• How to tailor one essay to multiple schools

Tuition: $895

Final Pass
This package is ideal for those who have their personal statement essay already written but want to fine-tune it. This three-hour package works like so:

Your coach evaluates your essay and then meets with you on Zoom to give you suggestions.

Then you and the coach go back and forth a few rounds, via both email and Zoom, discussing how to refine your essay until it’s in shimmering shape.

Tuition: $395

Notes:
Our College Admissions Essay Coaching packages unfold over several weeks at least, and often several months. The service is not available for last-minute feedback.

Gotham essay coaches are expert storytellers, and they understand the nuanced logic of college admissions boards. However, our coaches do not write essays for anyone, and their instruction is no guarantee of admissions into any school. Gotham coaches teach college-bound students the fundamentals of good essay writing, so that they, in turn, can complete an essay that most accurately reflects their capabilities and uniqueness.

Also…

True Story: Creative Nonfiction for Teens will help you learn much of what you need to write that application essay. This course, too, will be helpful: Unbound: Teen Creative Writing.

Here you can view all Gotham One-on-One services.