FAQ

Why do I need a coach?

In almost every arena, the most successful participants turn to experienced guides to help lead them toward their goals. Writing application essays is no different. Targeted and insightful support and counsel help students through a streamlined process that develops skills, voice and rich content. The goal is an essay that avoids clichés and stands out for all the right reasons. Students quickly focus on crucial elements of good essay-writing, minimizing false starts and wasted time.     

When should I start college application essays?

We recommend starting the summer before senior year. The Common App personal statement prompt generally remains the same year-to-year but most individual schools make their new supplemental prompts available around August 1. Theoretically, juniors could start sooner on the personal statement, but they might miss thoughts, experiences, work or growth that another year of classwork and life may bring. Starting the summer before affords plenty of time to meet Regular Decision application deadlines ranging from January to February and Early Action and Early Decision deadlines in November. Consider the number of schools a student is applying to when establishing an essay-writing schedule. The more schools, the more time to allot. And since applications require many tasks other than essay-writing, an early start allows students to manage the work at a leisurely pace and minimize mistakes and stress. 

I'm not a good writer. How can I write a good essay?

Not everyone likes to write. The good news is that, to a great degree, writing is thinking and everyone can think. For many people, a disconnect occurs between thinking and setting thoughts on paper. By breaking down the process into separate, doable components, we work around that disconnect and simplify what may otherwise feel like an overwhelming task.   

Some students think they are bad writers based on a mistaken assumption that other people can sit down and effortlessly craft beautifully written first drafts. The reality is different.

All first drafts are terrible, awful, ugly, embarrassing and – for all those reasons – also  the best and only way to start.  

Coaching navigates students through that hardest part, getting those first words on paper, and further to productive next steps. Coaching helps students effectively judge their own work so they can cut and amplify their way to the next draft and the ones after that. The result is a final draft to be proud of.  

How long does the essay-writing process take?

If you are at the start of your process – you haven't selected a topic for the personal statement and you haven't selected prompts or topics for other essays – the first one-hour session will cover brainstorming topic ideas. 

Subsequent sessions focus on structure and drafts, with editing and rewrites after each draft. 

Sessions go no more than one hour. Shorter meetings are scheduled as needed to move the rewriting process along.   

How much do your services cost?

We offer packages for one, three and ten colleges or graduate schools. For students with completed essay drafts, we offer one-on-one edit sessions at an hourly rate. Click here to request a free consultation and further details.

How much parental oversight do you recommend during the process?

Every parent-child relationship is different. Some students welcome parental counsel. Others may feel they can't express their truest thoughts under a parent's watchful judgment. Encouragement and support are the best gifts parents can give to their students during what can be a stressful time for both. 

What if my student refuses to stay on track, misses sessions, doesn't do homework?

Motivated students do the best work. Many lack the enthusiasm for getting started until they see friends and classmates filling out applications and writing essays. Some won't be interested until they visit colleges and fall in love with one. Parents who can determine their students' level of commitment will be able to make practical decisions based on the answer to a key question: When will your student be eager and excited to work with a coach? Students who are ready don't come late to sessions, miss sessions, skip homework or otherwise demonstrate lack of commitment. An early start is great, but readiness is critical and should be discussed before beginning a process that only works with student buy-in. 

Do you guarantee your work?

Right Your Essay can't guarantee a student's admission to a top pick. Many factors other than the quality of an essay enter into college and graduate school admissions decisions, including where an applicant lives, what they plan to study, the number of applicants in a given year, and other unpredictable and idiosyncratic criteria. We do pledge that students who follow the program and do the work will produce the best essays they can write.