
Chris Newton
5.0
(18)
1,680 min coached
110 followers
Studied at New York University
Works at Central Piedmont Community College
Successful clients at
Available tomorrow at 1:00 PM UTC
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
About Chris
Update (4/20/26): This application season, I have had several students accepted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Brown, with a few admitted to two or more of these universities. Others include Duke, USC, Carnegie Mellon, Pomona, Occidental, the University of Rochester, Williams, Barnard of Columbia University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, UCSD, Georgetown, Wesleyan, Macalester, University of Richmond, Reed, Whitman, Virginia Tech, and NYU. A few also received Gates, Jack Kent Cooke, and Coca-Cola scholarships. I earned my Master of Theological Studies in Religion, Literature, and Culture from Harvard, Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from NYU, and Bachelor of Arts in English from UC Berkeley. I also studied philosophy and law abroad at Oxford. I have a decade of experience teaching and coaching writing at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels, and most recently served as a Writing Instructor at the Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA), hosted at Princeton and Yale Universities. Last year, among the many admissions offers LEDA students received, 37/100 earned spots at Yale. Previously, I taught writing at NYU, and I currently teach Generative AI and Responsible AI at the University of Maryland Global Campus, qualified by my experience as a Content Engineer and Reviewer at Google. My unique background and trajectory prove that I know how to reflect on my experience to consider my next steps, and I will help you do the same.
Why do I coach?
As a first-generation, low-income graduate who worked hard to find my own mentors throughout undergrad and graduate school, I understand the importance of having a caring mentor or guide. I find true joy assisting students in crafting their stories to share with admissions committees. The personal statement is a unique opportunity not only for admissions committees to learn more about students, but it is often the first time students take a serious, reflective look at themselves. I know I'm in alignment with my purpose when I guide students through the college admissions process and watch them discover a new, deeply rooted part of who they are-- and who they will be. In short, I take the role of personalized mentorship in students’ lives seriously, and I am committed to the transformative nature of professional coaching.
Work Experience

Part-time English Faculty
Central Piedmont Community College
October 2025 - Present

Writing Instructor
Leadership Enterprise For a Diverse America
June 2025 - January 2026

Creative Writing and Personal Statement Coach
Oriel Admissions
June 2025 - Present

Adjunct Instructor of Artificial Intelligence
University of Maryland
January 2025 - Present

Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing
New York University
January 2025 - June 2025

Content Writer and Reviewer
February 2024 - January 2025

Academic Coach
Zsoldos Coaching
September 2023 - Present
Chris was also given offers to work at

Meta (Facebook)
Education

New York University
Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing - Nonfiction
2023 - 2025

Harvard University
Master of Theological Studies, Religion, Literature, and Culture
2021 - 2023

University of California, Berkeley
Bachelor of Arts, English

University of Oxford
Study Abroad, Philosophy and Law
Exeter College, Oxford
Chris was also personally admitted to

University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Santa Cruz

University of California, Davis

University of California, Santa Barbara

Syracuse University

University of Chicago
18 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
Knowledge
5.0
Value
5.0
Responsiveness
5.0
Supportiveness
5.0
Chris has helped clients get into these schools:
Chris has helped Leland clients get into Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians