college application essay tutors

college application essay tutors

The Impact of College Application Essay Tutors on Student Success

1. Introduction to College Application Essays

This opaqueness coupled with the high stakes of college admission fuels demand for tutors who assist students. Essays are time-consuming and difficult to write. Students are usually asked to write essays when they are busiest with schoolwork. In 2013, the National Association for College Admission Counseling reported declining average admission test scores despite rising test takers, a sign that test-takers were attempting the tests for the first time. U.S. students received an average composite score of 20.9 out of 36 on the 2019 ACT, the lowest it has been in 10 years. Nearly 60 percent of 2019 graduates took the test. The higher demand has been accompanied by higher prices for advice and guidance in college admissions. Race and social class also shape the demand for tutors and essay writing in the college application process. Wealthy parents and students can afford to spend much more on test preparation and other forms of college counseling. College applications, however, become popular with a wide range of people and all levels of ability.

For students who aspire to attend a U.S. college or university, the college application essay is a key part of the application. An essay, sometimes also referred to as a personal statement or a writing sample, helps admission offices in the U.S. decide which students to accept and which ones to reject. College admission is more selective in the U.S. than in almost any other wealthy country. The rejection rate at top U.S. schools is higher than 90 percent. Only a quarter of four-year colleges accept more than half their applicants. About 2 percent of colleges accept more than 70 percent of their students. Hence, even a small improvement in the essay has the potential to substantially alter students’ futures. Many aspects of the essay are invisible when the application is submitted. A reader will have no information about the student’s economic background as well as the assistance the student received. A poorly-written essay may indeed doom a student’s chances, but it is difficult to tell from the application.

2. The Role of Tutors in the College Application Process

Zeng, Cruse, and Malaynen examine the application essay as it pertains to the application process. They explain that the application essay serves a communicative function by which “students present themselves in a context of competition for a scarce and highly valued collegiate resource”. The essay also serves “an administrative function that helps colleges manage the ever-growing flood of applicants”. However, while the essay does help colleges to sort out and categorize students, at times it served as a “transparent and interchangeable function, further weakening its application value”. While their reading of the “writing test” rather than the application essay, claims that the current pool of writing test takers is derived from a population of subpar writers who would not otherwise intend to attend college. Nonetheless, some say that the essay should still hold “construct validity” to determine “students’ freshness and originality, or effective voice and solid development, or well-organized structure”. Focusing on “traditional” and “urban” students with different essay scores on the “old” SAT, debatable, reading filled with sentences constructed of half-expressed ideas. Trailing comments mentioned much of the above references some authors and sources.

Tutors have been seen to aid students in every part of the college application process, but nowhere do they seem to be more impactful than with the college application essay. Bergin relates “conversation” to knowledge, arguing that through conversation, people construct each other’s “realities”. Bergin contends that tutors provide the space for students to discuss the college admissions process and explore possible areas from which to write their college essays. Tutors are beneficial throughout the college application process, as they help reduce the anxiety students experience during the college tour and interview, the administrative process of high school transcript acquisition and financial aid processes, and through standardized testing. Tutors bring a wide variety of strategies and expertise to the table. Catherine comments that she and her colleagues have the dual role of discussing the pre-application “learning” process and the college application process. Along with guiding students through the college application process, tutors have the expertise. Tutors have a heightened awareness of and cater to each student, giving individualized advice, which enhances the tutoring process.

3. Benefits of Working with Essay Tutors

Essay tutors help students write more from their own voice, which tends to keep the essay more original as well. Often, admission committees are looking for a student who is capable of putting together a cohesive original thought before they are putting together a class of leaders. It is apparent whether it is mostly the student’s voice reflecting from the essay or the tutor’s. It is also noticeable when the main point remains the student’s individual perspective. Applicants who work hard to work the program into their vision of their future are also looked at favorably. Students also can best prove this point by using the school’s specific examples in their essay. Students seeking professional coaching from private counselors and/or editors during the college application process sometimes overuse or misuse these services. As a result, tutors have an outsized role in the application-to-admissions interface. This includes a strong selection of students who are prepared. Tutors help students tell their stories. In large part, education is about writing and essays continue to be key capstones of the education experience.

There are many benefits to working with a college application essay tutor. When tutors assist students with essay writing, students submit essays of higher quality. Essays that are more effectively express the student’s story and their relationship to the program to which they are applying are more effective. These essays are also more likely to be original. The tutors help the students write the essays by asking students about themselves and guiding the student to tell their story.

4. Key Strategies and Techniques for Successful Essay Writing

Next, embrace the narrative. The most memorable personal essays present readers with a compelling character-driven storyline. Fascinating stories that captivated the tutor writing this response range from a son cooking for his father only to learn that dear ol’ dad does not consume vegetables to a student accidentally adopting a tartan shawl when retrieving a lost scarf. Personal anecdotes provide readers with an insight into the world through your unique point of view, and they make the essay stand out from the rest. Avoid pontificating and, unless the prompt specifically asks for it, deeply philosophical or academic responses.

First, get personal. The “personal” statement is called that for a reason – college admission officers need to see you in it. Dig deep to share unique anecdotes and experiences. Often, students gloss over the most compelling content, believing it to be “mundane” because of its routine occurrence. However, these are the stories that make an essay memorable, and they very well may be universally relatable. Share your responses to these instances, making your personality and thought processes tangible. College admissions officers appreciate this content when it is authentic.

As college application season ensues, students across the world are beginning to navigate the often stressful but always rewarding process of constructing a personal statement that will set them apart from the rest. Over time and through practice, tutors tend to have a firm grip on the dos and don’ts of this particular application section, and now is the time to put that expertise to use!

5. Case Studies and Success Stories

Some of these can address specifics of why a tutor was especially helpful for one application or application component. For example, “Because the University of Southern California essay question specifically asks for a course of study, Spencer just could not get an essay completed that worked. But Ryan’s editorial suggestions provided both inspiration and focus.” Others may refer to a single application that has turned out particularly successful. “Many months after finishing his applications, Vinny has received countless compliments from admissions committees on the originality of his essay. He gets special mention for his George Washington application, and also for his Honors College application.” As needed, the owner can provide updates on students’ success.

In addition to the bulk information about student accomplishments, many of our case studies will feature short student success stories, where we ask leading questions to the students to collect quotes for the case studies.