Getting into a competitive engineering program like Cooper Union meant Catherine had to write essays that stood out in a pool of high-achieving applicants — and she knows how to help others do the same. She teaches students to identify the one specific story or detail that makes their application memorable, then structure the draft so admissions readers stay hooked from the first line.

Having gone through both undergraduate and law school admissions — plus a current master's program at Stony Brook — Monique has written and revised more personal statements than most people will in a lifetime. She walks students through every stage, from brainstorming a genuine topic to crafting an opening hook that admissions officers won't skim past. Her legal training also sharpens her eye for persuasive structure and precise word choice.

As a Macaulay Honors College student balancing pre-med coursework, economics research, and clinical volunteering at NewYork-Presbyterian, Robert knows how to shape a compelling personal narrative from a busy, multifaceted life. He teaches applicants to identify the one specific story that reveals something an admissions reader can't find anywhere else in the application, then structure it with a clear arc.

Writing a college essay that actually sounds like you — not like a thesaurus or a motivational poster — is harder than most students expect. Matthew has experience teaching English through a UNESCO-recognized organization and brings that communication-first mindset to brainstorming, drafting, and refining personal statements. He zeroes in on finding the specific story or detail that makes an essay memorable.

I am excited to tutor because I know what it feels like to get stuck and I'm happy to help people who encounter challenges in their studies. Though frustrating, there's something really valuable about these moments when you're not quite getting it. It means that by proceeding slowly and practicing a new concept or strategy you'll learn a new skill that will stick with you even more because it took some work to master. My focus in teaching is in French and, more broadly, language arts. I studied French Literature at New York University because of my passion for literature, creativity, and expression. Learning a new language opens up more than just a new literary world but also lets you tap into another set of human experiences, expression, emotion, history. I think the greatest reward in teaching French and language arts is helping a student connect with a text and gain access to someone else's experience, what someone else thought important enough to write down, and then how this connection can help reframe the reader's thinking - deepening, challenging, or shifting the ways our own thought. Apart from the study and appreciation of literature, learning a language at a linguistic level is invaluable. It promotes human connection, openness of thought, and pushes one's own capacity and diversity of self-expression.

Getting into a competitive program like Northeastern's Honors College premed track meant Laveda had to write application essays that stood out — and she brings that firsthand experience to brainstorming, drafting, and revising personal statements. She's especially sharp at turning a vague "why this school" prompt into a specific narrative that connects a student's interests to a program's strengths.

As a current junior at Macaulay Honors College who went through the admissions process recently, Christopher knows what makes a personal statement land and what makes it blend in. He pushes students to find the one specific story or moment that reveals something an admissions reader can't get from the rest of the application. His own love of writing and reading gives him a sharp editorial eye for voice and structure.

A strong college essay doesn't summarize a résumé — it reveals how a student thinks. Tatiana holds an MFA in English and applies that narrative training to brainstorming, drafting, and revising personal statements that sound like the applicant actually wrote them. She's particularly sharp at cutting the filler that admissions readers skim past.

A strong college essay doesn't summarize a résumé — it reveals how a student thinks, and that's a surprisingly hard thing to put on paper. Liza, an avid reader and writer with a STEM background, brings an unusual perspective to the brainstorming and drafting process, especially for students applying to engineering or science programs who worry their essays sound too technical or too generic. She tackles structure, voice, and specificity in a way that makes each draft sharper than the last.

A strong college essay does one thing most students resist — it gets specific and personal instead of trying to sound impressive. Fayad, who scored a 1500 on the SAT and spends his own time writing and reading widely, teaches applicants how to find the one concrete moment or detail that reveals character, then build an essay structure around it. He's particularly good at helping students move from a generic draft to something an admissions reader actually remembers.

A strong college essay doesn't summarize a résumé — it reveals how a student thinks. Daniel went through the pre-med admissions process himself and understands how to shape a personal narrative that feels specific and genuine, whether the prompt asks about intellectual curiosity, a challenge overcome, or a community contribution. He zeroes in on voice and structure to make each draft sharper than the last.

The hardest part of a college essay isn't the writing — it's figuring out which story to tell and why it matters to a specific school. Olga went through this process recently as a Macaulay Honors admit, and she knows how to turn a rough brainstorm into a personal statement that sounds like a real person, not a thesaurus. She's especially sharp at trimming essays that try to say too much.

As a business major at Boston University, Winson approaches college essays with a strategic eye — every sentence should reveal something specific about the applicant that grades and test scores can't. He digs into brainstorming to find the one story or detail that makes a personal statement memorable, then tightens the narrative until the voice sounds unmistakably like the student writing it.

An avid reader and writer outside the classroom, Martin brings a storyteller's instinct to the college essay process — he zeroes in on the specific detail or moment that makes an applicant memorable. He also knows the engineering-applicant perspective firsthand, which is useful for students trying to convey technical interests in a personal, compelling way.