Frequently Asked Questions

Grades and test scores are only one part of the application.  While they might keep you from being automatically rejected, they will not necessarily earn your admission.  At the most selective schools, almost all applicants can cut it academically. Admissions officers are looking for YOU in your application, not your numbers.  We can help you showcase your best attributes effectively to craft an outstanding application.

All of our consultants are trained and experienced.  They are assigned based on availability and expertise in particular areas to be most helpful for you.  If you wish to request a specific consultant, let us know and we will do our best to accommodate that.

We attempt to replicate the actual holistic application review process many schools use.  Obviously they each have different methods.  We do an excellent job of suggesting improvements to the application and providing a baseline assessment of quality.  Our application review clients have seen impressive results.

Sure.  We offer a variety of services, and you can choose whatever level of help you need.  We offer a Simple Essay Review that covers two drafts of one essay, with email feedback following each draft.  If you would like extra confidence in your entire application, we consider our Essential Application Review to be the best value in college admissions. 

Our reviews are comprehensive and quite detailed.  It’s common for our feedback to be three times longer than the essay itself.  In addition to other feedback specific to each individual essay, we generally cover the following:

  • Content, topic, and theme:
    • How compelling is the actual content? Is it unique?
    • Does the essay demonstrate depth of thought, intellectual vitality, initiative, originality, etc?
    • Does it fit the prompt well or does it feel like it was written for a different prompt and shoehorned to fit?
  • Style and structure:
    • Is the essay authentic, creative, and compelling?  Does it avoid cliches and showcase a distinctive voice?
    • Is the style consistent throughout the essay and the rest of the application?
    • Is the essay easy to read and well organized? Does it communicate clearly? Does it flow smoothly?
  • Impression:
    • Does the essay express your personality and strengths well?
    • What will a reviewer likely think of you after reading it? Are you likable and magnetic, aloof, or boring? Will the essay make you memorable and attractive as a candidate?
  • Diction, grammar, and syntax:
    • Are there errors, omissions, or poor word choices?
    • Is the word count appropriate for the prompt?
 

Absolutely not.  That would be completely dishonest and a clear violation of the NACAC Code of Ethics and Professional Practices.  It wouldn’t do you any favors anyway, because admissions officers can easily spot ghost written essays.  We can assist with choosing an essay topic, help you edit your essay, and even review multiple drafts with you, but we will not write any part of your essay for you.

Absolutely.  You can purchase our Better College Apps Guides package.  This package includes the Better College Apps Introspection Worksheet; our guides to essays, extracurricular activities, awards, interviews, and letters of recommendation.  Our worksheet helps you focus on your ideal essay topics, and our essay guide walks you through the complete process of crafting an outstanding essay.  This package includes over 150 pages of our best advice!  

Sorry, but we do have time constraints in order to ensure quality feedback for all of our clients.  Our current turnaround time for a Simple Essay or Application Review is four business days. If you choose to “rush my review” for an additional charge, we will get back to you within 48 hours of receipt of your essay or application.

Since both you and we want the outcome to be outstanding, a Complete Essay or Application Consult will take some time.  This process involves multiple rounds of conversations and drafts of your essay or application. We will not accept a Complete Consult within two weeks of an application deadline, to ensure we have time to develop a stellar end product.

We love scholarships.  It’s what got us started on this from the beginning.  A stellar scholarship app is well worth the investment in our help!  If the application is full form like admissions applications, just go to Services and find the level of assistance you need.  If your scholarship app is a unique situation not addressed in our offerings, email us for custom offerings.

We’re going to need a bigger boat.  But yes, email us and we can arrange a custom package.  There is often a lot of overlap from one application to another, and our offerings and pricing will reflect that.  

We sincerely hope that is not the case.  However, there is no way we can guarantee admission to college or the receipt of scholarships.  Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information. If you are not pleased with our services within sixty days of the date of contract, contact us and we will try to make it right.