What It’s Like to Work with a College Essay Tutor
If you’ve landed here, you may be looking for help with the college essay writing process. Maybe you’ve heard of college essay tutors, or know of a friend who has a college essay coach, yet aren’t quite sure what that means. If you’re a little lost, you’re not alone. The college application process is complex enough without a whole marketplace of support services. We’re here to explain what a college essay tutor can do, how a great tutor works, and to help you consider whether this sort of support is right for you.
What is a college essay tutor?
A college essay tutor is an expert in personal essay writing and deeply knowledgeable about the college admissions process. A great essay tutor is someone who knows a compelling story when they hear it and can help draw out your most interesting and unique stories. College essay tutors are coaches, advisors, and writing experts who can keep you on top of deadlines, bring a sharp and supportive eye to your work, and help you reach a polished final draft. College essay tutors are not parents, school teachers, or admissions officers - so they can bring a unique perspective to your work and application.
What’s the process of working with a tutor like?
The process of working with a college essay tutor will be different for every student depending on the stage of the process and on their individual strengths and weaknesses. But most students will go through a process that looks like this. First, you will meet with your college essay tutor to discuss your goals and progress. Second, you will brainstorm college essay ideas and work together to hone in on the most important stories for you to tell. Third, you will draft your essays and engage in a back-and-forth dialogue involving feedback, revising, and editing. This will begin with general feedback on themes and ideas, and end when the last comma is in the perfect place. Finally, you’ll work together to identify a finished draft. Generally students meet with their tutor once a week during the college admissions season, but this is something you can decide together with your tutor and reassess as you go.
A great college essay coach will never write for you. They will never suggest there is a single right way to write a great essay. And they will never dismiss your ideas. Instead, they will help you reflect on your experience, find your authentic voice, and tell the most powerful stories possible to support your application.
Is a college essay tutor right for me?
A great college essay tutor can be a tremendous asset in the college admissions process. We believe that every student could benefit from tutoring, from the highest performing to the students who struggled the most in high school. At Real College Essays we work with students face-to-face and read and edit drafts together. We believe that this allows us to make the greatest progress in the least time, and teaches lasting skills that will serve you way beyond the college application process. If you’re interested in learning more about working with one of our experienced tutors, please reach out and let us know what questions we can answer.