I spent twenty-five years teaching at Wellesley and Harvard, where I won an award for excellence in teaching. I’ve taught courses in the personal essay, academic writing and fiction writing. At Wellesley, I spent many years directing and training the writing tutors and developing innovative tutoring programs. I also served on the Wellesley College Board of Admissions and conducted workshops to help students write their graduate school personal statements.
My short stories have been published in The New Yorker and in numerous anthologies. I am the author of the award winning novel, A Stranger on the Planet. My writing has been recognized with grants and awards from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the National Jewish Book Awards, The Iowa Writer’s Workshop and the MacDowell Corporation.
I decided to become a college essay consultant after helping my daughter apply to college. My daughter has successfully overcome serious learning disabilities and writing does not come easily to her. But we spent many hours on her personal essay, using my understanding of college admissions process and years of experience teaching writing. As a long-time writing teacher, I know how to help young people tell their stories without writing it for them. My daughter applied to ten colleges and was admitted to every one, including the three or four that were considered “reaches.” Indeed, on two of her acceptance letters the admissions officer wrote a personal note about how much she loved her essay. Many of my daughter’s friends then began asking me to help them with their essays and applications, and before I knew it I was in the business of being a college essay consultant. I love helping young people discover their stories and find it deeply rewarding to know that I’ve enabled them to submit the strongest possible college application.