You've been stressing about the college Personal Statement for months. Or maybe you already have a draft. Maybe you've revised them multiple times, gotten feedback from teachers, maybe even paid for editing - or are considering all of the above.
And yet the pressure of this one piece of writing feels monumental.
Here's the truth: the most Personal Statement essay mistakes aren't about writing ability. They're about understanding what admissions officers are *actually* looking for when they read.
As a former Harvard admissions officer, I read thousands of essays. As an independent college advisor with a 30% success rate of my students receiving at least 1 Ivy League offer (and much higher for Ivy+ or T30), I've helped guide students' essay writing from quietly forgettable into essays that genuinely stood out.
In this free live session, I'll show you exactly what separates an essay that "impresses" from one that *moves* an admissions officer ... and the surprisingly common mistakes that even strong writers make.
You'll learn:
- Why "telling your story" is good advice that most students execute completely wrong
- The essay topics/patterns that admissions officers see hundreds of times and immediately shift into scanning mode
- What a Harvard admissions officer is actually thinking as they read your essay
- The most common mistakes that high school students make in essay topic selection
- The things that may feel like good ideas to write about but actually send up flags for admissions officers
This is not about writing more drafts. It's about understanding the reader on the other side of your application and how they are approaching the Personal Statement.
Who this is for: Juniors and Seniors (and their parents) working on college essays for selective schools who want honest, experienced feedback on what actually works from someone who has been on both sides of the process. Younger students who are planning ahead are of course more than welcome to join but I *always* advise students to not write their Personal Statements before the summer between Jr & Sr year. (You have so much life left before then!)
If you've been stressing out over this crucial component to your college application, this session will give you a clear answer and a clear path forward.
