College Essays with Barak Rosenbloom

Hi, I’m Barak. I help high school students write memorable college essays they’re proud of, and that help get them into the schools of their choice. Starting as early as January, my Stress-Busting, Get Ahead Program for Juniors makes the application and essay process much easier in the fall.

I know this can be a stressful experience (it was for me!). I’ll help you relax a bit, focus, discover your strengths and the stories you can tell, and write essays that show you at your authentic best.

Parents, this takes a lot of pressure off you, and removes a common source of friction. You won’t have to worry about one of the most challenging and critical parts of the college process, the essays.

I provide coaching in person in the Issaquah/Bellevue/Seattle area. I also do video and phone coaching, or essay review by email, for students nationwide.

Please contact me for a complimentary fifteen-minute parent or parent/student phone consultation or essay review.

Learn more about writing great college essays by reading the articles below.

“…hiring Barak was one of the best decisions we made.”

You want the admissions officer who reads your essay to go home and say wow, I read 75 essays today. I’m sick of high school students, of their summer trips and grandparents and their views on the Civil War and Romeo and Juliet. But there was this one kid whose essay I brought home for you to read…

You want to be that one kid.

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Writing college essays is very different from most of the writing you do in high school. Your audience isn’t a teacher, and you are the subject of your essay. Here are some basic thoughts I like to keep in mind when I want to write something that’s effective and meaningful.

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…unless you know for a fact that the schools you’re applying to don’t care.

Why leave anything to chance?

Unless you’re applying to a school where you get in automatically based on grades, make every part of your application as good as you can.

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Maybe.

Before I explain that, you need to understand the difference between proofreading and editing. Editing is the process of going from a rough draft to a finished essay; it deals with what you’re saying, how you say it and how you organize it. Proofreading is checking for final errors, and happens at the end of the process. You should absolutely have someone help with both stages.

It’s also important to know what makes a good editor:

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Yes! You don’t want the admissions officer to find your typos!

I always have one or more people proof important pieces of writing. The more important it is, the more eyeballs I get on it.

I do this for two reasons:

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Your essay makes you a real person

Your grades, test scores, and lists of accomplishments don’t say much about who you are, what you believe, what you think or how you fit in with your community.

Your interview (if you do one), recommendations and essay turn the raw data into a living, breathing person. The more selective the college, the more important this becomes.

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College admissions officers are all over the internet giving great first-hand advice on what to avoid when writing college essays. These are the people who know best!

This list covers the major issues they warn about, and I add a few of my own.

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By September, seniors are dealing with the stresses of school, choosing colleges, filling out applications, and living the life of a teenager. Tossed into this is the most time-consuming and, for many colleges, the most critical part of the application: the essays. Read the rest of this entry »