”My daughter's experience working with Jan was terrific! At the first meeting, Jan helped my daughter come up with a new twist on a somewhat tired essay prompt. From there my daughter was able to get motivated to get her essay written in order to be prepared for the next meeting with Jan. (I can't say enough about a deadline set by someone else other than Mom or Dad.) In a matter of days, my daughter and Jan had their second meeting, luckily only a small amount of polishing was needed, and the essay was complete and ready for the common application!”

– Allyson G.

The college admissions process can be overwhelming and perhaps you have not heard of the concept of an essay coach. Here are a few Q&As that I hope will address some of your concerns.

• Is it wrong or kind of cheating to work with a coach on an essay?

No. Admissions officers say that there is nothing wrong with students receiving some outside help with their essays, such as suggestions on what to write about and emphasize. Of course you can find services online that offer essays already written. This is not that type of service, which is highly unethical.

Think of it like working with any type of sports coach or an SAT tutor. I assist a student and point him or her in the right direction, but the work is entirely up to them. The student will write every word of the essay and it will be in their voice.

I guarantee your essay will not receive the “DDI” distinction some admissions officers use. That stands for “Daddy Did It.” These people have read tens of thousands of essays and they can spot if the work is not done by the student.

1. •Why can’t the parents just handle the essay process?
   

Parents are welcome to try. I know in my situation I decided that helping my kids with the college essay was like teaching my children to drive - it was just better for the sake of our relationship (and sanity) for all of us for someone else to do it. Let’s face it - parental/child relationships can go through a lot of strain during senior year and the college application process can add a whole other layer of anxiety. Why not reduce that stress any way you can?

I have done a lot of research into what admissions counselors are looking for, what topics students should avoid and the number one thing students need to do to write a great essay. In addition I bring more than 20 years of editorial experience to the process so I know how to get the best work out of a writer. Think of it like you would if you hire a tennis instructor. If you play tennis at all you can probably teach your child to serve. But perhaps with a bit of professional instruction, your child can serve an ace!

• What was your experience like with your own children?

I had it pretty easy when my daughter went through the college essay process. (Not the whole college application process, not so much fun there. There were tears, rejections and freak-outs along the way. But it all turned out quite well.) Anyway she wrote her essays, I looked them over for her and all was well.

But fast forward three years, and life was not so rosy. My son, whose whole goal in life had been to get into the University of Virginia, had ignored all my efforts to get him to write his college essays over the summer before his senior year. No big surprise there. But I figured he still had time because Virginia no longer had the early decision option.

Then he went to visit Vanderbilt that fall, loved it and promptly decided to apply early decision. Which meant he had about three weeks to have everything completed. Including his essay. He and I had talked about topics and he felt good about the one he had chosen. I knew he was a good writer so I wasn’t too concerned.

My husband and I were out of town for the weekend when he emailed me his first draft. I read it in the car on the way home. It was so not right. All the way back from St. Simon’s, along that endless stretch of I-16, I dreaded the conversation we would have to have. We have a great relationship, but I knew he would be defensive about any suggestions I offered.

After a tense 15-minute conversation in the kitchen, during which I offered my suggestions that were not too well taken, I was about to give up. I finally asked my husband what he thought. “I’m not getting into this!” he wisely said and bolted to the safety of the family room.

My more-than-irritated son went back in his room and in less than half an hour had revised his essay and improved it immensely. He admitted that the first time he had tried too hard. The second time around he relaxed, and his essay was much better.

1. •What did you learn from this experience?
   

I learned quite a bit from this experience, and those lessons have led me to start this business.

1. 1.Just because your child is a good writer does not mean he can write a good college essay.
   

Although this may be the most important thing your student writes in high school, it is an entirely different type of writing. It’s not an academic paper and it is definitely not a status update on Facebook.

2. There are so many misconceptions about what the college essay should and should not be, and what admissions officers are looking for.

The June before my son was a junior in high school we were in Charlottesville for my husband’s college reunion. I attended a session on getting your child admitted to University of Virginia and was surprised by what the admissions people said about the college essay. I learned a great deal that day about the purpose of the essay, what admissions people are looking for and the two topics they really hope to never see again.

3. Parents are not the best people to help in the process.

A lot of us don’t know what admissions officers are looking for either. And any interference on our part has the potential to backfire.There is a lot of tension in the whole college application process. Why not step back from this portion and let someone else help out?

1. •How do we get started?
   

If your student has not started writing the essays or selected a topic, we can arrange to meet for an hour to begin the process. During that meeting I talk with your student about their interests, discuss what admissions officers are looking for, discuss writing styles and review possible topics from the common app. We also review and analyze two essays that were successful for admission at top schools.

If your student already has a draft of an essay, he or she can email it to me and I will review and comment on the essay.

I prefer to keep the process primarily between me and the student. If you wish, I can copy you on any correspondence I have with the student, but I find that it works best if the parents are involved in the latter stages, when we have a final draft.

Please review the additional information in the FAQ section and if you have more questions, please contact me by email at jan@janschroder.com or call me at 404-312-9382.