College Essay Coach Testimonials

Expert and Experienced College Essay Tutoring by Dr. Adam Schwartz

Recent Testimonials

“Adam is the best, a sensational teacher and guide, and having our son work with him was invaluable. My son is not the outwardly expressive type. Going into the college essay process, I worried mightily that he would struggle to express himself on the page. But by working with Adam, that became a total non-issue. Adam is extraordinarily gifted in working with young adults. He very quickly gained my son's trust and was able to draw out my son's experiences, thoughts and inner-most ideas -- resulting in my son writing riveting, detailed essays that were totally authentic. It was very gratifying for my husband and I to watch from the sidelines. Adam taught my son to be a better writer -- full stop. That is a lifelong gift. With Adam's coaching, my son now has a far deeper appreciation for how to frame ideas, dive into the writing process, and avoid vapid, generic writing that doesn't say much of anything. Undoubtedly, those skills will serve my son well in college and beyond. Adam is a calming and supportive presence. The college application process, particularly for top schools, is inherently stressful and insane. Working with Adam was a salve for all of us (son and parents!). Adam kept my son on schedule -- there were no writer's blocks or lost weeks. Each of their sessions together was productive and Adam was accessible throughout. We also benefited immensely from Adam's deep experience and insight as a former college admissions officer. Having Adam's support and guidance during this time was nothing short of a blessing, and we were ecstatic with the outcome. Thank you, Adam!” - Parent of a Duke Student



“Adam transforms the daunting prospect of college applications into a truly enjoyable experience. I'm extremely grateful for Adam's experience and attention to detail—I always felt that he was considering the best approach to college applications for me personally. He seemed to know exactly what to ask me to draw out the most critical details of my experiences. Adam's brainstorming and editing skills helped me piece together stories he understood would authentically and fully represent me to an admissions officer. One of the reasons I looked forward to our weekly meetings was because of Adam's kindness and humor. With the productive and steady pacing of our sessions and his superpower to masterfully shorten my wordy sentences, I never stressed about deadlines or word count limits. Instead, with his guiding hand, I felt free to write everything I wanted about a variety of topics and was given a clear purpose of how to answer all of the essay prompts I faced. I can't thank you enough Adam!” - Amy, Columbia



“Adam not only helped me develop a college essay that represented a part of me that I didn’t often get the chance to show, but also helped me grow as a person. I had written many drafts before I started working with him, but none of them seemed to be “the one.” He helped me put words to emotions I had experienced and understand beautiful lessons I had received from experiences in my life. The process of writing my college essay, thanks to Adam, is one that brought me a lot of clarity in my life and helped me appreciate small, but significant, moments even more. His teaching style also taught me to love and appreciate writing. I learned to be ok with not always having the “right” word for what I wanted to say, and to enjoy going back to revise an old paragraph with new perspectives and ideas. I am extremely grateful for all the time, patience, and support he dedicated to me during the entire process, and I can’t thank him enough.” - Victoria, Barnard



“Adam is a miracle worker! Yes, we know our son is gifted, but we also know that many gifted children get rejected/deferred from Brown. We believe that Adam made the difference. He helped my son get into Brown University by getting to know him authentically as a person. Adam helped my son dig deep and tell his story effectively. He is so much more than a college application essay coach, bringing his heart and soul into caring for the student and family. Sign up now because Adam’s schedule fills early and it is a gift to work with him. I think he saved us a lot of family stress as well. As a college instructor myself, I thought I knew a lot about admissions, but Adam takes it to the next level.” - Parent, Brown Student



“I came to Adam with a draft of a personal statement and a few supplements, hoping to just polish them up a little and be done. So when we first met and started brainstorming for a new essay, I was a little reluctant (and, honestly, I was a little lazy and hurt as well). But I can truly say that starting over with Adam was the best decision I’ve made in my college application process. Adam was able to amplify my voice and story. He helped me find the truest version of myself and express a part of my identity in under 650 words. Writing the essay definitely wasn’t easy; the perfectionist in me wanted to scream. During our weekly meetings, I would pour out all of my thoughts, ideas, and emotions into my draft. And then, together, we would read through the writing I had produced and Adam would work his magic, highlighting the most important details to craft an elegant, concise masterpiece. I cannot recommend Adam enough. He knows exactly the right questions to ask to spark your old memories and give you that “Aha!” moment. Through working with Adam, I was able to develop a better understanding of myself and express my qualities and identity in an essay. I loved working with Adam and am beyond grateful for his support.” - Dana, Georgetown



“Working with Adam was truly one of the best experiences I had throughout the college process. Not only did he make the workload so much easier to handle, he provided excellent advice and feedback about my writing. He was also incredibly knowledgeable about many, if not all, of the schools I was applying to. Before we started work, Adam dedicated a significant amount of time to getting to know me. He learned about my interests, my classes, and my goals. He wanted my essays to be well written, but he also wanted them to sound like me. His calm, kind demeanor and genuine care and attention made the process of getting to know each other easy and enjoyable. The sessions themselves were incredibly productive. Adam broke the work up into manageable portions and I never found myself feeling stressed during the week. In fact, due to Adam’s work ethic and devotion, all of my applications were in weeks before the deadline. Although I only saw him once a week, I felt organized and calm when it came to my applications. He provided me with the skills and advice I needed to navigate my way through this difficult process and he did so with genuine empathy and compassion. I looked forward to our sessions each week. Working with Adam was truly one of the best decisions I ever made, and when I got into my top choice, thanks to his help, he was the first person I wanted to tell.” - Emily, Bowdoin



“When I first met with Adam, I had two draft essays - one which I wrote in school and one I wrote on my own - both of which I was relatively happy with. He looked over them and then selected a small detail I had written about and told me to free write about that detail. Every week during our sessions, I would bring a brainstorming paragraph or two about a topic Adam had suggested and Adam would cut and paste parts of my brainstorms to create the final essay. Adam not only managed to break down the essay into tiny bite-sized pieces, he also made sure I was fully on board with any edits he was about to make. My final essay turned out to be worlds better than the ones I had drafted without Adam. When I was accepted to Dartmouth, my top choice school, I got a handwritten card from the admissions officer along with the acceptance letter. The officer wrote about how he loved the creativity of my essay topic - the exact same topic Adam had pointed out on the very first day and told me to write about. At first I thought everyone got a similar letter, yet later realized very few people had received one. There is no doubt that my essay played a large part in my acceptance and I would not have had as good an essay without Adam.” - Lindsey, Dartmouth



“Adam is the absolute best! The college process is already stressful enough, so having Adam by my side guiding me through the writing process took a lot of pressure off my back. I knew what I wanted to write about but had trouble putting my thoughts on paper. Adam knew exactly how to get the thoughts out of me by asking specific questions and encouraging me to write freely. The best part about working with Adam is that I got to tell my story in my own words. He encouraged me to write about an experience that was unique to me, which I think made my essay stand out from others. My college adviser even mentioned to me that my essay was one of the best she had read. I am so thankful I got to work with Adam because I think my essay played a big role in helping me get into my number one school” - Akhil, University of Chicago



“Adam has been an incredible help throughout the entire college application process. I couldn't have gotten into any of the schools I wanted to go to without his help. He allowed me to understand what I wanted the college admissions committee to understand about me, and how I could best get that across while still being authentically myself. I've always struggled with writing in school, but Adam made it easy for me to organize my thoughts and write with an intellectual flair I've always been trying to achieve. I found our meetings far more enjoyable than any of the times I was writing alone, as I had someone to guide me through each sentence with care, humor and a genuine personal connection. I can't recommend him enough!” - Oliver, Carleton



“When I started writing the personal statement, I found that Adam was easy to open up to. He enabled me to find specific, pivotal moments in my life and make those experiences shine in my essay. Adam’s focus on the structure of stories and the power of words helped me write the best essays possible. Most importantly, he cares about his students and their success. In the stressful days before application deadlines, Adam worked tirelessly to make final edits and resolve my concerns. We would sometimes send commentary and questions back and forth five or six times a day. With Adam’s help, I was proud to present my essays to admissions officers. Now, after finishing the college application process, I am certain that my essays improved my college admissions chances” - Lily, NYU



“Adam helped my son bring many disparate essay concepts together in a way that truly reflected my son's personality and interests. Throughout the process, working with Adam was seamless, calm and unstressful. In order to progress on the essay, Adam provided regular manageable assignments for my son and then spent time with him reviewing and brainstorming. They worked together until they were both satisfied with the final essay. Even after the essay was complete, Adam was generous with his time as small questions arose. There's no doubt, we'll be hiring him again for our daughter's application!” - Parent, Yale student



“There was no one I trusted during the college process more than Adam. He inspired me to share my story and to express my true identity. Over a few months, he helped me shape an essay that described who I was in less than 650 words. By the end, I felt that my essay was insightful and even eloquent; I couldn’t have accomplished the same result without his advice. Although I felt hesitant taking many risks that strayed from the traditional college application standards and expectations, Adam made me feel comfortable and proud to express myself. He was incredibly responsive, organized, and flexible with scheduling. After hours, I found myself discussing all aspects of the college process that I couldn’t discover from my parents or school college counselors. While helping me explore my identity, he gave me insights about some of the schools, which allowed me to discover the place where I really belonged. Luckily, that place ended up being the very school I got accepted into. I am incredibly grateful to have had Adam as a mentor, guide, and college companion. Adam, thank you.” - Amir, Cornell



“We were extremely fortunate to have Adam work with two of our children on their college essays. Adam was crucial to the application process for us. Not only did Adam generously share his wealth of experience and knowledge, both as a writing coach and a former college admissions officer, but he was also a calm and always reliable resource and friend during what can be an extremely stressful college application process. Adam really cared, and he always went the extra mile. Each of my children applied to well over a dozen schools that required extensive supplemental essays, but Adam steadfastly and successfully helped them meet the deadline for each school, with the best essays that they could have written. I would definitely and highly recommend Adam.” - Parent, Lexington High School students



“I could not have produced a successful college essay without Adam’s help. At the beginning, I was so overwhelmed with the whole college process and had absolutely no clue what to write. However, with Adam’s help I was able to find a unique topic that helped me stand out above the crowd. I know that I wouldn’t have gotten into Harvard without Adam. He brings so much expertise as someone who has reviewed hundreds of college applications. Whenever we worked on the essay, he was always considering how the college admission officers might view it. Adam constantly edited and helped me revise my essay so that it could be the best. I am so grateful to him and his dedication to making sure that my essay was perfect.” - Sarah, Harvard



“Adam played an instrumental role in my college application process. From working with me to craft my personal statement to editing my supplemental essays, Adam helped me add a unique and authentic dimension to my applications. Adam clearly cares about his students’ lives and interests and as a result is able to identify details and stories that they can expand upon in their writing. Throughout the process, Adam was able to use his expertise in both writing and admissions to guide and support me, and I am ultimately so grateful to him that I have been admitted to several of my top schools.” - Hannah, Washington University



“I came to Adam with zero ideas and enough apprehension to fill a blimp. Amazingly, however, he helped me draw inspiration and cultivate the content and style to make me stand out. He remained fully committed until I had an impactful piece of writing that I could be genuinely proud of. Now, I am ecstatic to be attending my first-choice school. Thank you so much for your patience and investment in me!” - Sonya, Yale



“My daughter has trouble starting writing projects and spent the summer before senior year writing only a few lines that she felt went nowhere. She wanted to apply to a school early, but I did not think it would be possible for her to get her essay done in time. However, she met with Adam once a week for about 4-5 weeks and in that short time, Adam guided her to finding a meaningful story that was truly hers. Adam’s gentle, unassuming demeanor immediately put my daughter at ease. Each time they met, they discussed a few ideas and he sat with her as she wrote. He then assigned something to work on until they met again, and they also corresponded by email. Her final personal essay was clearly her own, but it would not have been written without Adam. When she panicked before the early decision deadline, wanting to change the essay, he read through her changes, and reassured her that it was excellent as it was. She was accepted at her first-choice school.” - Parent, Washington University student



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