A college essay coach helps students identify meaningful experiences, develop authentic stories, and refine their writing through multiple drafts. In addition to providing feedback on personal statements, supplemental essays, and scholarship essays, a coach also helps students stay organized, manage multiple application deadlines, and stay motivated throughout the writing process. The goal is not just to edit essays, but to help students think deeply about their experiences and express them clearly in their own voice.

Most students begin brainstorming their personal statement in the spring or early summer before senior year. While supplemental essay prompts are typically released in August, many schools ask similar types of questions—such as community essays or “Why this major?” essays—so we often begin brainstorming ideas for those earlier. Starting early gives students time to reflect, draft, and revise thoughtfully.

It varies, but most strong personal statements take about 3 drafts to develop fully. The first draft helps students get their ideas on the page, while later drafts focus on strengthening the story, deepening reflection, and clarifying their voice. In my coaching packages, students receive up to three rounds of feedback per essay, which usually provides enough opportunity to thoughtfully revise and refine the final essay.

Supplemental essays often require fewer drafts. By the time students begin writing them, they’ve usually internalized the narrative writing process we use for the personal statement. Supplemental prompts also tend to be more straightforward, and many colleges ask similar types of questions—such as community essays or “Why this major?” essays—so students can often adapt ideas across schools and focus on tailoring the essay to each institution rather than starting from scratch.

Yes. Coaching packages include support for the Common App personal statement and supplemental essays across multiple schools. Students receive guidance brainstorming ideas, developing strong narratives, and revising their writing throughout the application process.

I also provide support for scholarship essays, although those are typically handled separately from the college application coaching packages.

Most students begin working with me in mid-to-late May, after AP exams, when they have more time to reflect and begin brainstorming their personal statement. From there, we continue working together throughout the summer and fall as students draft their personal statement, develop supplemental essays, and revise their applications.

Our work typically continues until all applications are completed, usually by January of senior year. Coaching is also flexible, since I recognize that students have busy schedules during the summer and school year. We adjust meeting frequency and feedback timelines to ensure students stay on track while balancing other commitments.

For coaching packages, 75% of the fee is due upfront to reserve a spot in my coaching schedule. The remaining 25% is due once a student’s applications are completed. This structure allows families to secure their place early while keeping part of the payment tied to the completion of the process.

A single hour of à la carte coaching can be purchased directly through the website. For packages of 5+ hours, reach out to me directly at nick@learnrevision.com to set up billing. After purchase or outreach, I follow up within 24 hours with instructions for scheduling a Zoom session or submitting a draft for review.

Yes, in two ways. Need-based aid is available for all of my coaching services. Mention it when you book a free consultation, and I'll share the application. Separately, each year I award fully funded scholarships to first-generation students for one-on-one support on their Common App personal statement. Applications open in January and are due March 31, with recipients notified by April 15. Sign up here to be notified when applications open.

I ask that students provide at least 24 hours notice when rescheduling or cancelling a session. Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice are charged at 50% of the session fee, and no-shows are charged the full session fee. You can read the full policy here.

Coaching hours can be used flexibly for live 1:1 Zoom sessions or for asynchronous feedback on your drafts. Live sessions are billed in 30-minute increments, and asynchronous draft feedback is billed in 5-minute increments. It is typically 5-10 minutes for a supplemental essay and 10–20 minutes for a personal statement, depending on length.