Testimonials from Previous Years
“Adam was exactly what I needed when it came to writing for college. He was a writing tutor, an admissions specialist, but most importantly, a friend. Adam's wealth of knowledge about helping me express my best self was only paralleled by his tremendous concern. Throughout the process, I felt less that Adam was a hired consultant and more that he was an approachable friend. I would always look forward to working with him. Adam cares about good writing. He cares about your application. And you can tell he certainly cares about you. Adam cares most about what's behind the words, the story. I remember in the writing process, we would spend a lot of time talking about not what to write but about what my life was all about, what I had done in the past, who I really was, and where I was going. After just talking with Adam, writing was easy. It just flowed out and I never found my self at a loss of things to write about. Adam made me think about my life experiences in a different, perhaps deeper way. He was able to point out to me what at first seem like banalities but ended up embodying the principles which my life was really about. I was able to talk about structure generally and effectively. Thanks to Adam, I believe that I was able to write a focused and genuine representation of myself.” - Justin, Harvard University
“Hi, Adam, I just wanted to update you now that I have heard back from all the colleges I applied to. I was accepted to Brown and their 8-year medical school program, MIT, Amherst, Cornell, Middlebury, Northeastern, and UVA! I am so excited! I wanted to thank you for all your help with my applications and essays. I am confident that my essays helped me stand out, especially for Brown's Program in Liberal Medical Education, which only accepted 90 students from over 2000 applicants. Thanks again!!!” - Anna, Brown University
“Adam gave me the confidence to find my voice and share it with college admissions. Before Adam, I struggled to find topics both authentic to who I am and meaningful to admissions. After extensive discussion about my life, who I am, and what motivates me, Adam was able to guide me in a direction I never expected I would go. His unique perspective is invaluable. I am so grateful for his guidance, support and incredible ability to grasp who someone truly is in such a short period of time. Adam believed in me and my ability to get accepted into my dream schools and his belief in me made all the difference. Truly, I could not have done it without him!” - Jennifer, Boston College
“Adam was a great asset to our entire college application process. When I came across his website, I immediately recognized Adam's credentials as a published author, professor and former admissions officer. I also appreciated his fair and reasonable fee structure. Now, having worked with Adam over five months, I can say simply that he is the best. He will help your son or daughter with the care of a teacher, the expertise of a professional writer, and the perspective and experience of an admissions officer. My son attends a high pressure private school and even though the academics and college counseling there are superior, we still found ourselves much on our own during the summerbefore senior year. In May of junior year, when I reached out to Adam, he immediately becamean invaluable resource. Adam sent my son a few writing prompts by email, and in June, rightafter finals, my son started brainstorming with Adam. They set up times to meet and deadlines forshort assignments, and it was always a pleasure to see and hear them working together. They met multiple times, and Adam was always patient, thoughtful and very knowledgeable. In fact, my son told me that Adam's guidance made a task that would have been torture into something that was actually fun and enjoyable. Needless to say, we are very thankful to Adam for our son's early acceptance into Harvard.” - Parent of Harvard Student
“Adam transformed my essays efficiently and magnificently. Before Adam started helping me, I worked with a college application advisor and made very slow progress on the essays for one school over the course of three months. With Adam's help, I applied to twenty schools in that time. He was also very generous and personal with his work. I could send a draft to him and be certain to receive it back with thoughtful notes and edits within two days. I don't know how I could ever have made it through the college application process without him.” - Tyler, Tufts University
“The whole process working with Adam on the college essay has been wonderful. Unlike other professionals who almost writes the essay for individuals, Adam has been an extremely helpful guide and gave me important advice while still allowing me to express my own voice in my writing. Adam helped point out extremely interesting directions to take my personal statement especially during the beginning stages of my paper when I am most undecided on what to write about, and I don't think I would have been as proud of my personal statement as I am today without his help. Thank you so much for your patience and all of the assistance you have given me.” - William, Harvard University
“I am so grateful for everything that Adam has done to help me through the college admissions process. By assisting me with my writing, he simplified and assuaged my fears over crafting essays and helped me put my best work forward. With his help and in-depth knowledge, I was able to receive admittance to Yale University. Thanks Adam!” - Kevin, Yale University
“Adam aided me in writing my essay and setting a well thought-out schedule to complete it on time. Adam ensured that my essay was focused and coherent. His experience as an admission officer for a reputable college who has read thousands of admission essays gave me much insight as to how I would best present myself and my ideals. With Adam's help, my essay improved and really communicated my identity for admissions. My acceptance to my dream school was in a huge part due to Adam's help.” - Christine, Tufts University
“My son was a reasonable writer but a terrible procrastinator. I knew that if I didn’t schedule time for him to sit down with someone who wasn’t his parent to work on his college essay, it would become a last minute task. But I was a bit worried that if I did this, the essay might not be his own. Adam was extremely good at ensuring it was my son’s voice and my son’s ideas throughout the entire essay. He knew what the admissions staff were looking for and helped my son keep this in mind throughout the process from choosing an appropriate topic through the final draft. He was extremely patient and didn’t mind starting over when my son’s first attempt wasn’t working well enough and he wanted to work on another idea. Adam’s goal was our goal, making sure that the essay presented a personal and unique aspect of my son that cannot be gleaned from his GPA or SATs and set him apart from the other applicants. With Adam’s help, my son crafted a compelling essay. It was memorable enough that both his letter of admission to Skidmore and his letter of admission to Lafayette referenced what he wrote. In all, my son got accepted to 10 of the 13 colleges he applied to, including several reach schools. We are very proud of his achievement and we know that Adam was instrumental in the whole application process. He not only helped my son complete his essay but also gave us some tips about the whole college process from visiting to interviewing. He was always prompt about returning emails and helped ease some of the stress off an extremely stressful experience.” - Parent, Oberlin College student
“Before I met with Adam, my personal essay was un-focused. Adam helped me develop and organize my thoughts into a personal essay that truly represented me in the best way possible. Adam also helped me with my supplemental essays. Many of the colleges I applied to required multiple supplements, and he helped me personalize each one to fit the prompts for every school. Adam’s experience as an English professor at Wellesley College clearly served him well, as he helped me get accepted into my top choice of colleges, as well as many others that I applied to. I am so grateful for Adam’s help during my college application process.” - Rachel, Brown University
“Adam worked very effectively with my daughter. She had chosen a difficult topic and, frankly, I was not sure she would be able to bring together all her ideas in a coherent essay. Through patient guided questioning and discussion, Adam helped my daughter put her thoughts to paper. He facilitated the clarification of the concepts she wanted to convey and was very instrumental in her finding the words and organizational structure with which to knit them together. All the while, he was very respectful of her strong desire to make the essay her own. I have no doubt that the admissions office at Emory University gained insight into my daughter based on her essay and that was, I am sure, part of the reason they accepted her into the school.” - Parent, Emory University student
“Dear Adam, Jonathan got accepted at all 8 schools he applied to! He decided on UMass Amherst. Thank you so much again for your help....we couldn't have done it without you! Have a wonderful summer!” - Parent, U. Mass Amherst student
“We turned to Adam for help with my son’s personal statement after using a college application advisor. My son’s essay was already good but Adam helped him turn it into a truly outstanding essay. Adam helped my son clarify and tighten the essay’s focus and provided great suggestions for improving the writing. I was amazed at how much Adam was able to accomplish in a brief amount of time. We used him for help with supplemental essays. His “behind-the-scenes” knowledge of the college admissions process was invaluable in helping my son write the supplements. My son was admitted to his first choice, and I know his application was much stronger because of Adam’s help.” - Parent, University of Michigan student
“Adam helped me create my Common Application personal statement and all of my supplementary essays. Prior to starting the writing itself, Adam spent time getting to know me, and he helped me discover a unique theme among my stories, interests, and anecdotes. Adam never provided me with words or ideas. Through our discussions and his questioning, he helped me discover my own voice. I truly believe it was not my test scores, grades, or extracurricular activities that granted me early admission to my first-choice college, but my unique and well-written personal statement and supplements.” - Shivani, Georgetown University
“As a first-generation American, I had no idea how to approach the college application. I showed Adam some free writing I did before meeting with him, and he helped me organize it and generate more ideas. Adam does not write the essay for you. Instead, he suggests interesting directions and asks thought-provoking questions to inspire you to write. After countless drafts, my jumble of ideas started to form into a coherent story. Adam definitely knows what he’s doing, and I greatly appreciate his meticulousness and diligence in helping my essay stand out and reach its full potential. I received an early acceptance to Yale, and I couldn’t have done it without Adam’s assistance and expertise!” - Ryan, Yale University
“Throughout my college application process, Adam was extremely helpful. He did not write my essays but helped me express my voice in words and transformed my rambling thoughts into coherent sentences. Not only did Adam help me with my Common App Essay and my supplement essays, he always answered my emails about the college process and my letter of continued interest promptly. With his guidance, I was accepted into Dartmouth College! Thank you so much Adam!” - Cheryl, Dartmouth College
“Being an international student from China, I started my application process confused and overwhelmed with stress. But Adam, with his expertise in college application and teaching English as a second language, helped me regain my strength and confidence. Adam has been both a counselor and a friend to me. As an experienced counselor, Adam helped me find stories of myself that are truly unique. He was fast to respond, and was always there when I need him. As a friend, Adam was also patient and caring. He encouraged me to go for the schools that I was once afraid to apply for, so regardless of the result, I finished my college application with no regrets. I finished my application with ten offers from top Universities both in the US and in Canada. Thank you, Adam. I couldn’t have done it without you!” - Grace, Vanderbilt University
“Going through the college essay process with Adam was an excellent experience. What I think makes Adam special is his knowledge of creative writing, his passion for understanding stories, and his knack for recognizing powerful ideas. Through the deep conversations we had, Adam patiently helped me make meaning of my life in ways I had not thought about before. He was instrumental in giving me encouragement in writing about an idea that ultimately became my final essay even when I was frustrated and wanted to change topics. He really knows how to make an applicant "shine" and can help any writer get out of a "dead end" in their writing. Furthermore, Adam's deep knowledge of the admission process and how it specifically relates to individual universities can help any applicant understand what to write about. I know the improvement in my writing skills will be useful at Harvard and in all my future endeavors.” - Alex, Harvard University
“Adam does exactly what he says he'll do. He helped my daughter to find her best story and then helped to extract the nuances of her story that would create the best impact on this very specific audience-- college admissions officers. Finally, he didn't change my daughter's voice or tone, but simply helped her polish her own words. He does all this in a calm, coaching kind of way, which is fantastic because it's such a stressful time otherwise. This was our second child applying to college and we wish we had used him the first go round. We highly recommend Adam!” - Parent of Bowdoin College student
“Adam was invaluable in helping me put forth my best possible application. I’m not a very good writer and was very daunted in face of churning out all the college essays. Adam helped me identify a topic that worked immediately He also broke down the essay into manageable bits so I was able to do my best writing with each element without staring for hours at a blank screen. Discussing the essay with Adam is like talking to a good friend. In the end thanks to him I was accepted to my ED college.” - Nancy, Cornell University
“Adam is a miracle worker. Even though I am a writer and teacher, I knew that it made more sense for my son to work with a professional who had both the experience and distance needed to draw him out. Adam was able to connect with my son and created the perfect balance of structure, trust and support. My son felt safe to take risks in his writing. The finished product was an authentic, poignant, and well-crafted essay. He also helped my son complete supplemental essays and provided ad hoc strategic advice so that my son was able to complete the application process long before the deadlines. We have already heard from three colleges, all of which have been acceptances” - Parent, University of Wisconsin student
“I entered the college process like many others do - stressed out and anxious about what the coming months would hold. The idea of showing colleges “who I was” in a neat 650-word essay definitely scared me. I came in with a few ideas about what I wanted to write about, but no clear direction as to where those might take me. Adam saw the potential in me and encouraged me to just write. He encouraged me to entertain all my ideas, one at a time, and to worry about the flow and connectivity later. Over the next few sessions, he carefully helped me to trim down my writing and clarify my thoughts. Adam saw something in me and subsequently helped me see it in myself. By the end of the process, I had crafted an essay that I was proud of and felt confident submitting to all of my schools. Thank you, Adam, for allowing me to enjoy the college process!” - Jessica, Middlebury
“I worked with Adam over four months and he has been a great help throughout my college application process. Although I was shy and reserved at first, Adam was patient and knew how to draw more information from me. He also did a good job helping me keep my essays focused and concise. Adam's guidance not only helped me express my ideas effectively, but also ensured my ideas were expressed in my own words. Working with Adam allowed me to take risks I wouldn't have if I didn't have a college essay coach. Knowing Adam would be there to look over my work took the pressure off of me. I truly felt I was better at writing after working with him. In addition to his help, Adam sent me additional resources he thought I might have liked based on our conversations and the topics of my essays. I highly recommend him!” - Kim, Brandeis
“Before meeting with Adam, my common application essay was a jumble of thoughts and descriptions that were practically incoherent. Within one session, I had produced about seven pages of writing. From these brainstorms, Adam helped me choose the passages that were most significant to me and format them into a piece I am proud to call my own. Adam helped me beyond just writing an essay- he asked the questions that ultimately led me to find myself. I knew in my heart who I was but had trouble articulating it. Thanks to Adam, my personality and accomplishments were presented to all my colleges in essays I was proud of. I was also admitted to every college I applied to, despite my test scores being lower than average at some schools. I think that my essays definitely played into this.” - Grace, Tufts
Recent testimonials