I’ve been an award-winning writer and a teacher of writing for 25+ years. As an English teacher and assistant director of the Mountain School of Milton Academy, I taught High School juniors and seniors the art of the personal essay, and oversaw their college application process. I also worked as the director of Where There Be Dragons, an organization dedicated to meaningful travel programs for teens. I am one of those rare people who LOVES teenagers. As a trained personal coach, I know how to interview them to get their best ideas powerfully told on the page. My system includes multiple tools, honed with experience, that they can use in college and beyond to write clearly and persuasively. The top five schools attended by the students I’ve advised are Brown, Middlebury, Yale, Bowdoin, and Cornell.
This process was overwhelming: how do you say who you are in 650 words? Your guidance made it easy and helped me to find my voice. It was challenging, but you made it fun. Your interview process gave me clarity and helped me to focus on one great story. My writing was better, clearer and flowed beautifully. In the end I was so happy with what I wrote and I got into my top choice schools!!”
—Maureen M.
Packages & Rates
I offer a few paths forward:
Bundle & Save for Common App
Over 300 minutes of 1-on-1 coaching to complete the Personal Statement plus 90 minutes of 1-on-1 coaching sessions to strategize and build a blueprint for the Supplemental Essays (school-specific questions) + guidance for stand-out Activities & Honors descriptions. This package guarantees a spot on my busy summer & fall calendar. Customized organizational system and spreadsheets included. Also 21 videos to reinforce coaching. $1979 $1929
Bundle & Save for UC System + Common App (the most comprehensive package)
Over 300 minutes of 1-on-1 coaching to complete the Personal Statement, plus 300 minutes of 1-on-1 coaching for the 4 UC essays, plus 90 minutes of 1-on-1 coaching sessions to strategize and build a blueprint for the Supplemental Essays (school-specific questions) plus stand-out Activities & Honors polished descriptions. This package guarantees a spot on my busy summer & fall calendar. Customized organizational system and spreadsheets included. Also 21 videos to reinforce coaching. $3979 $3582
The Standard Package (Personal Statement + Strategy for Supplemental Essays, but no Activities/Honors)
Over 300 minutes of 1-on-1 coaching to complete the Personal Statement plus 90 minutes of 1-on-1 coaching sessions to strategize and build a blueprint for the Supplemental Essays (school-specific questions). This package guarantees a spot on my busy summer & fall calendar. $1729
A La Carte Services:
Personal Statement/Main Essay
Includes 300 minutes of 1-on-1 coaching, customized outlines, winning sample essays, editing, and 21 videos to reinforce coaching. $979
Supplemental Essays Strategy & Coaching
This package includes 90 min of 1-on-1 coaching (can be split into 2 sessions), custom outlines, sample winning essays and a useful organizational spreadsheet. Note: This package will not be enough to guide students who are applying to Ivy League colleges or any school asking for 3+ essays. Ask me about adding higher levels of support. $750.
Discover Your Path: Coaching on Finding Top 3 Majors
Pre-work plus 60 minutes of one-on-one coaching to find a college major and potential career path based on 25 years experience guiding high school students on their values, interests, and strengths. $489 alone, $250 when combined with Personal Statement or Make the Match
Make the Match: Build a Custom College List
Identify the best-fit schools and uncover colleges/programs you may never have heard of before — based on extensive interviews with each student, a thorough discovery process, and 25 years of experience in college advising. $1250 $979 when combined with Personal Statement or Discover sessions
One Hour Consultation
For Returning clients only: a 1-on-1 follow-up coaching session. $250
4-Pack of One Hour Consultations
When you want to give your child more support than they think they need. The advantage of buying in bulk is that you secure a spot on my busy calendar. $1000
UC System PIQs (Personal Insight Questions)
300 minutes of 1-on-1 support for choosing the right questions, and expert, custom, high-touch coaching on composing 4 unforgettable essays for all the UC schools including Berkeley and UCLA. $2000
Activity and Honors Descriptions
With just 150 characters per description, every word matters. Students must be strategic, concise, and intentional to make a strong impression on admissions officers. This package includes an organizational chart and strategy sessions. $250 when combined with Personal Statement or another package
Results-Driven 1-on-1 session +Video Course
One session with me 1-on-1 plus a 21-video series of my successful coaching strategies for the Common App personal statement. This package is for the self-starter student who needs minimal support. $489
Susie is a miracle worker! She has tremendous empathy for students as they write (or procrastinate) an essay that requires self-reflection and storytelling. She is patient yet firm and most importantly can pull compelling writing out of these students that will surprise both the student and their parents. As an experienced educator who has taught and run a school with students exactly this age, she has a deep understanding of what will be a successful essay from the perspective of the admissions office. Her process reduces stress and anxiety for both parents and students, and instills fun into the task. I highly recommend her!”
—Tom V.
The Process
Pre-Meeting. Before we meet, I’ll send you a few questions to help me get to know you. This frees us up to dig in immediately when we connect and begin the 3-step process.
- Brainstorming. This is a no-judgement space. I do a series of interviews and share my favorite tools for finding the story that makes you distinctive. We have fun diving in and uncovering your developing sense of self.
- Structure. With a topic in hand, how do you write in a compelling, focused way? How will this essay stand out from the rest? We work on creating a “storyboard” for each essay. I’ll challenge you to take risks. I’ll teach you how to take something that seems so ordinary, so mundane, and write it so vividly that it ends up extraordinary.
- Fine-Tuning. Plan to write 3-5 drafts. We work together to find the best hook, to end with a “bang” and to get rid of any prose that weighs down the writing. I’ll help you with grammar and spelling to avoid distracting errors. I’ll also provide that outside perspective: does this person come across as curious, open, likable?
Our son didn’t always want our advice on his college applications. So we found it very reassuring to have Susie guiding him through the process. It greatly decreased our stress level to know that he was getting first rate advice. He really enjoyed working with her and found her feedback very helpful. She pushed when she needed to and helped him to elevate his writing. Susie cared about his success and in the end, he was excited to hit submit! Absolutely worth it.”
—Kelly R. S.
There is nothing on a college application that is half as daunting as the Personal Essay. With writing prompts such as ‘what makes you unique’ or ‘what’s an experience you learned from’, it’s a massive challenge to come up with a unique idea, much less write an interesting, coherent essay about it. Susie was amazing at working with my son to take an experience from his summer (a road trip with friends), interview him at length to get his perspective, and help him craft his words into a quality essay. As a parent, I don’t think I’d have been able to help him create such a solid essay with his authentic voice.
— Karen S.
Thank you for your guidance!! You drew out of me what I wanted to say and helped me find my voice on the page. By the time the deadlines came, I was happy and confident about my work. I’m so grateful for your help with the stressful college process!
— Austin S.
Your coaching when I applied to post-bac programs brought to light the clarity and purpose that I had within myself. You helped me take myself seriously. Your questions helped focus my story and simplify my writing. I am excited to begin my journey into medicine at Scripps College this summer.
—Catharine D.
Susie did a masterful job of encouraging my teenage son to become a better, more passionate, less reluctant writer. She helped him find his own unique voice and inspired him to do the hard work necessary to write clear, well-written personal statements, essays, and more. While the skills he built are important, equally important is the fact that he really enjoyed working with Susie; she made writing interesting and fun!
—Mara R.
Susie you helped me feel much more confident in my writing ability. With your help I was able to make my writing clear, concise and thoughtful. I now enjoy writing more and feel comfortable getting my thoughts down on paper. Having someone to help me brainstorm and look over my work helped me become a more skilled writer.
—David B.
You helped me narrow down what to write about. It was nice to work with an expert essay writer to help me express my words and turn it into an essay that colleges want. Thank you!
—Lucan W.