OFFERS AND PRICING
Services
My Full Process: The Six-Hour Sessions
Working with me generally consists of six hour-long sessions, either in-person (if you are local to San Francisco) or remotely. Each session focuses on a different step in the process of writing the Common Application essay, from the first spark of an idea to the final shine of edits. (See below for more details on each step.) After each session, I will follow up with a summary of what we discussed as well as reminders on what to think about, read, and work on before our next session. In between each session, I will also provide a round of remote feedback on your most current work, so that we can both come into the next session to best effect, as long as you share it with me two days before our next meeting. (If you haven’t read about my philosophy and background yet, please have a look at the homepage.)
How the Full Process (The Six-Hour Sessions) Works
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1. THE SPARK
Do you know that moment in a conversation when someone leans forward and their face and hands get animated? That’s when you know they’re talking about their passion. In the first session, we want to find that moment for you. We’ll discuss the stories that define you and see how they align with the self you want to show to colleges.
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2. THE STORY AND THE SENSES
Once we’ve settled on one or more stories to move forward with, it’s time to pack it full of the sensory details that make the tale uniquely yours and latch on to a reader’s attention long after they’re finished reading.
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3. THE SHAPE AND THE SYMBOL
With your story outlined, now we have to find the best way to tell it. How do we establish stakes and create tension? What is the climactic moment? How is that tension resolved? Additionally, perhaps one of those concrete details we spotted earlier can become a symbolic thread tying the piece together.
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4. THE SLICE AND THE SPLICE
By this point, we usually have a piece that is well over the word limit for the essay. Now is the time to identify the absolute must-have beats and streamline the rest. At the same time, we can often find an opportunity to weave in other aspects of your life to make the essay multi-faceted and add some sparkle.
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5. THE STYLE
In my experience, students tend to write college essays in an overly formal style. That makes sense, after years of academic writing, but it usually masks their own personality. At this point, we know each other well enough to focus on tone and word choice to transform the essay so that it sounds like the student is sitting with a friend and telling the story in their own way.
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6. THE SHINE
We’re almost done! Now we’re focused on the small details to make the essay sound just the way you want it and really stick in the mind of the reader. We’ll look for those memorable moments and vivid details that are uniquely yours and polish them to a perfect shine.
In rare cases, six sessions may not be enough to reach a finished draft. Should this be the case, additional sessions may be added on as needed for $150 per meeting. Similarly, we can set up a la carte meetings for work on University of California essays or other supplemental essays upon request.
The cost of the full package described above is $2400.
A Smaller Service:
The Written Feedback
While most of my services are focused on longer-term collaboration, I can also be hired to provide one round of written feedback on an already-composed essay for $200. This does not include an in-person or remote meeting. Please reach out at least two weeks before the application deadline to ensure enough time for the feedback to be useful and actionable.
$200
Let’s work together.
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