The Common Application Essay

The Common Application essay (aka the personal statement) is the single most important essay you will write on the path to your college education. It’s scary, it’s intimidating, and you’ve probably been thinking and obsessing over it ever since the moment you learned you needed to write it.

As an expression of who you are, the personal statement is an opportunity to show admissions officers how your mind works, what’s in your heart, and what kind of student you will be on their campus.

Through a series of fun, casual conversations, we will talk about your experiences and point of view and discover how to convey to admissions officers who you really are. What I am searching for is that formative moment, often one whose significance you may not have noticed at the time it happened. Once I hear the germ of what I feel is a compelling idea, I will help you find your way to express it.

Then during a series of unlimited notes and consultation calls, we review, revise, and reveal your truest self. My goal is to help you find a unique personal story – one that will make an indelible impression and help you get accepted to your top choice school.
Our Process:

• Via telephone, we brainstorm Common Application essay ideas. This in-depth interview/ brainstorm session (or sessions) is where we find a story both of us believe in. Once we discover their story, I teach them how to create a structure for the essay, which the applicant will use to write a first draft.
• We then discuss the first draft, identifying ways to make it stronger. The applicant then uses our notes and suggestions to write a further draft.
• Next up is another review, before turning that draft into a final one.

“We thought we could do the college admissions process on our own – but you can’t! My daughter looked forward to working with Robert, liked him and liked his process. She was accepted to her top two choices along with an additional 12 schools – 5 with merit scholarships. I cannot say enough about the role Robert played in my daughter’s success.” 

—Susan I., Columbia, Class of 2025