SERVICES
- Writing Coach for personal essays, the entire college application, and supplements.
- Consultations regarding any aspect of the college admissions process.
- Application Reviews for students who want feedback from a seasoned college admission professional on applications already written.
For more information about process and FAQs see my consulting page, here: http://www.otherwords.us/.
Or, if you want to discuss your specific needs and how I can help:
Why Jill
- Over twenty-five years of professional experience as a writer, teacher, college admissions expert, and speaker on the topic of parenting through college admissions.
- Admissions Committee Evaluator for seven years at two elite liberal arts colleges. Evaluated thousands of incoming applications. Deep and broad understanding of admissions criteria.
- Expert advice appearing in the news at Forbes, The LA Times, The New York Times, CNN, NPR, and elsewhere.
- Author of College Admissions Cracked: Saving Your Kid (and Yourself) From the Madness (Little, Brown Spark), a month-by-month survival guide and support group from junior year through college drop-off.
- Teacher of college personal essay writing, creative writing, and expository writing at New York University, The New School, City University of New York, Gotham Writers Workshop.
- High school educator for both high-achieving and at-risk students in New York City, Iowa, and Massachusetts.
- Published personal essays in The New York Times, Family Circle, O the Oprah Magazine and many other national publications.
FEEDBACK FROM CLIENTS:
“Jill has the uncanny ability to help students distill the many experiences, unique perspectives, and ideas that are swirling around in their heads into a highly personal and cohesive essay. We really feel that the time spent with Jill was a master class in writing which went far beyond anything our daughter ever learned at school. Not only was our daughter accepted into her first choice college, she’ll be taking her new and improved writing skills with her!”
Pam, daughter at Duke University
“Jill, you are a total magician. I read my son’s essay and I think it’s great — and I also think it’s true! I’m so impressed with your process. I knew you were a great writer and I knew you’d be a terrific and compassionate coach in this process. But you do much more than that. My son was trying to say what he thought “they” wanted to hear in this whole application marathon, and I’ve been complicit in treating the process as a game. You turned it around by asking him to think about what’s actually true, what matters to him and moves him — and it is a much, much better essay as a result. He’s happy with it too, which is even more remarkable. So THANK YOU! You’re amazing at what you do.”
Eve, son at University of Pennsylvania
“Your help and assistance completely transformed my essays. Before speaking with you, I had many ideas of what my college essay might look like; however, with your insight into the college admissions process and great writing skills, you bring out the most unique and standout qualities of someone in an essay. I am extremely happy with my final essays, and I would have never imagined that my essays could represent me that well! I even had college admissions personnel call me and specifically comment on how great the essay was! Thank you!”
Asher, George Washington University
“Your guidance, counseling, and coaching have been invaluable. While he is not overly expressive with his parents, my son greatly appreciates all your wisdom and encouragement. I greatly appreciate the confidence he has in this process, mainly due to you.”
Theresa, Asher’s Mom
“Jill was amazing to work with. Her process of helping my son write his college essay was so impressive. He really enjoyed all parts of it, from the brainstorming to the editing. Working with Jill was a pleasure, and he ended up with an essay that was truly from his heart. Many schools actually commented on how touched they were by the story he told, and how they related to it themselves. We could not be happier with the outcome. Jill was also extremely knowledgeable about the college process and the colleges themselves. My son got into 16 of the 18 schools he applied to, and is attending his first choice, Bowdoin College, in the Fall. Thank you Jill!”
Christine, son at Bowdoin College
“Having our son work with Jill on not only his college essays but also how he presented his extra-curricular activities and his application in general eliminated a major point of stress in the process. She kept him on task with reasonable, but enforceable deadlines. He felt very supported, and as parents, we didn’t have to badger our son to get things done. He worked with Jill over the summer and went back to school in September with his essays and applications pretty much ready to go. Jill was a dream for our son to work with. She will be the first person we contact when our younger son is ready to apply to colleges!”
Kathy, son at Bates College
“We came to you after our son was deferred from an Ivy League school in the Early Action process. You showed us what was lacking in his application and what he should change to be more competitive. It worked! Our son was accepted to Dartmouth College, and we know it was because of his revised application. You were a true professional who could read a student’s Common App and instantly know what needs to be improved. Thank you!
Kristine, son at Dartmouth College
“Jill’s coaching work with both of our high school juniors was extremely helpful. Jill brings the relevant expertise to the table and has a useful and friendly, but structured approach to keep students working towards their vision and meeting the tight timelines. I particularly appreciated the way she encourages the student’s unique voice and compelling narration to shine through. As a family living overseas and somewhat removed from the intimidating US college application process, it was comforting to have guidance from someone so keyed in to what works. We can highly recommend Jill!”
Sarah, son at Williams College, daughter at Swarthmore College
“Everything you did to help me through this process is the reason why I am going where I am this fall. Had it not been for your feedback, or your boost of morale, I don’t know what I’d be doing or where I’d be going after graduation. Thank you for everything you did, and I hope that future college applicants choose to work with you, because they won’t regret it one bit.”
Luke, University of Maryland
“I was very nervous about applying for college and you helped me with my whole application, making the process so much easier and less stressful. In the end I was accepted to my first choice college and I can’t thank you enough for helping me get to that point! Thanks again for all your help!”
Claire, Wellesley College
“I think your suggestions are spot on. I’m amazed that you were able to give such thorough revision ideas so quickly! (I knew you were a pro, but this was rather dazzling.). Most of all, thanks for the encouraging words. This process can undermine the confidence of even the most well- adjusted kid these days.”
Tracey, daughter at Bowdoin College
