College Essay Guidance

Many times, it’s the most mundane topic that makes the best college essay. A student writing about their hair, the drive every other week to their Dad’s house or the chicken soup their Mom makes, brings the writer to life from a piece of paper, drawing in the reader and giving them invaluable insight to who you are. The college essay is unlike any other writing piece that the student has undertaken and can play a powerful role in the admissions counselor’s view on acceptance to their school.”
~ Elizabeth Levine, Founder, Signature College Counseling

Your Story

We work with you to find the right story, the one that defines you to the core and can exemplify who you are. It is not about touting how great you are or the immeasurable contributions you have made to the world today. After all, let’s remember, you are just 17 years old. It’s about you and only you.

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Write Something Special About You

Parents ask us what colleges are looking for in a student’s college essay. Should Joey or Katy write about their travels to South America when they helped build a house or about a club that they were a leader of. Maybe, but maybe not. Trying to guess what a college admissions counselor will view in a positive light and tailoring your essay accordingly, trying to be someone you’re not or write about a topic that isn’t near to your heart won’t make the cut. These admissions counselors read thousands of essays and can tell if you are writing to impress them vs. writing something special about you.

We’ll Help Find that Story

It is our job to help you find that right story, guide you through writing it, in your words, and bringing it to life. It is not about someone else writing your essay and it reading as though you weren’t the writer. College admissions officers can tell if you wrote it. It is about portraying you for who you are. Everyone has a story and we help you find out what your story is.

The Supplemental Essay

There are essays that are pertinent to an individual school, sometimes more important to the reader than your personal statement/primary essay. These are typically shorter in length and prompts that are specific and intentional so the admissions counselor can further understand why you may be a good match for them. We guide you in portraying your responses in an insightful manner that presents to the admissions counselor who you are and why you are a good match for them.

Looking for more information or want to get started?
Call (845) 551-6946 or click here to contact Signature College Counseling.