College Essay FAQs

General FAQs

When should I start meeting with a college essay coach?

The ideal time is the summer before you plan to apply to college. If you start earlier, you’ll probably be swamped with other responsibilities; if you start later, you risk rushing your essays and writing them at the last minute. Having said that, we take on students year-round, and many students write outstanding essays when working against a time crunch.

So if you’re the type of person who plans ahead, we recommend starting in June. But you can get in touch whenever you’re ready to start.

Do you know what college admissions officers want to hear?

No one knows what college admissions officers want to hear.

Admissions readers are individuals, and you don’t control who reads your essay or how they respond. What you can control is the quality of your writing — and whether it holds up for a wide range of thoughtful readers.

We’ve read and responded to thousands of student essays, and we know what distinguishes strong writing from weak writing. Our goal is not to help you say the “right thing,” but to help you express your ideas with clarity and precision.

Anyone who claims to know exactly what a particular school is “looking for” is oversimplifying the process.

What’s the problem with using ChatGPT to write a college essay?

AI doesn’t just make essays sound similar — it removes the kind of specific judgment and lived detail that makes an essay feel real.

The result usually isn’t obviously “AI-written.” It’s something more subtle: an essay that feels interchangeable.

The problem isn’t that AI is detectable. It’s that it produces writing that lacks judgment — writing that sounds polished but doesn’t reveal how you think.

At best, it gets you to something like a B or B-. And in a highly competitive applicant pool, that’s not enough to stand out.

What qualifications do your tutors have?

Our tutors are highly qualified writers and educators, including published authors and PhDs from top universities, with extensive experience helping students develop their ideas and writing.

We’ve read and responded to thousands of essays — not just as editors, but as instructors — and that experience shapes how we guide students. We focus on helping you develop ideas, structure your thinking, and write with clarity, rather than simply suggesting surface-level edits.

Do I need a college counselor or a college essay tutor?

It depends on what you need.

If you’re early in high school or still building your college list, a counselor can help you plan classes, activities, and application strategy.

If you already know where you’re applying, the priority shifts to the essays. That’s where focused, high-level writing guidance can make a meaningful difference.

Do you help students with the Activities List on the Common App?

We’re happy to review Activities Lists, but most of our work focuses on essays — because that’s where writing quality has the greatest impact.

The Activities List is primarily about being clear and concise. As long as your descriptions are specific and easy to follow, you’re in good shape.

Where are you located?

We’re based in Los Angeles, and we meet with students in person here. We also work with students across the US and around the world via Zoom.

One-On-One FAQs

What’s the process like working with one of your tutors?

In the early sessions, we’ll ask you all sorts of questions about your life experiences, and when we pick up on an interesting connection, we’ll take note and ask you more questions. Usually we’ll get a sense of your topic within a session or two, and after a fair amount of back-and-forth, we’ll help you come up with an effective structure for your essay.

At this point, we’ll shift to the mechanics of writing, and we’ll break the writing process into smaller tasks and assign you work between sessions. We’ll review what you write at the beginning of each session, and when you have a complete draft, we’ll refine it so your essay is ready to submit.

Here’s a link to a more detailed description of our approach.

Will you work with me if I already have a draft of my college essay?

Absolutely. If you come to us with a draft, we’ll take a few minutes to read it at the beginning of the first session, and we’ll give you immediate live feedback. This is often a clarifying experience, because you’ll see our reactions in real time (similar to seeing how an admissions reader might respond). In the vast majority of cases, you’ll still have a lot of work to do.

Having said that, you’ll probably save time if you come to us at the beginning of the process because we’ll help you come up with your essay topic (which is the hardest part).

Will a college essay coach write my essay for me?

No. Not only is this deeply unethical, but it’s also ineffective. An essay written by an adult often sounds unlike the student and defeats the purpose of the application essay. If anyone offers to write your essay for you, our recommendation is that you run.

Will you ever tell a student that their essay is bad?

Maybe not in so many words, but we don’t believe we do you any favors by pretending your essay is good when it isn’t. This will only come back to bite you when admissions decisions come out. As a result, we are completely honest with our clients. We often say this to strong students: “You have great grades, a near-perfect SAT, and tons of extracurriculars, but this essay is the equivalent of a B. Here’s what you need to do to make it an A.”

Writing an effective college essay is hard work, and most candidates underestimate the amount of effort required. But that can work in your favor: taking the essay seriously gives you a much better chance of submitting writing that stands out.

Do you delegate any work to junior team members?

No. If you sign up for our one-on-one service, you’ll work directly with your assigned tutor.

Do you work with students in real time or asynchronously?

All coaching and feedback happen in real time. If you work with us, there will be no comments or edits appearing on your document when you’re not present. You’ll work directly with your tutor as you develop ideas, review drafts, and revise your writing.

We believe the point of college essay coaching is not simply to improve a document, but to help you understand the decisions that make your writing stronger.

How much do your services cost?

Our coaching is billed hourly, so you pay only for the live, one-on-one coaching you use.

Most students need approximately 4–5 one-hour sessions for a Common App personal statement or 4–5 one-hour sessions for all four UC Personal Insight Questions. Supplemental essays for most colleges typically take about one session per school; more demanding supplemental sets at highly selective colleges often take around 3 sessions.

For current rates, get in touch.

DIDN’T FIND THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION?

Email us at ben@realcollegeessays.com.