The college essay process can be stressful and may pose many questions. What makes a strong college essay? How do you know what to write in your Common App personal statement versus your supplemental essays? How can you depict yourself as a strong candidate? And finally, can you hire someone to help with college essays?
With so much riding on your essays, seeking outside support can be a smart move—but it’s important to understand your options. Should you work with a teacher, a mentor, or a professional essay coach? What kind of feedback is most helpful, and how do you ensure your essay still sounds like you?
There are many factors to consider when looking for essay help. Read on to learn more about why college essays matter, what makes a compelling essay, and how you can get the right support to craft a standout application.
Why College Essays Matter
Your college essays are a chance to showcase who you are, holistically, to your selected colleges. The essays communicate so much that your grades and extracurricular list cannot: your personal strengths and sense of purpose, your interests, passions, your commitment to your communities, your identity, and more.
College essays can also help contextualize your application to admissions officers. For example, if there is an area that you struggle in academically, or you experienced a personal circumstance that affected your academic performance, your college essays are a chance to explain that information to the admissions officers. They are also often a chance for your selected colleges to imagine what kind of student you might be on campus. College essays are a critical component of your application, so it’s important to strategize their tone and content.
Can You Hire Someone to Help with College Essays?
The short answer is yes, you can hire someone to help with your college essays. However, the process must be done professionally and ethically so as to not jeopardize your chances of admission, nor standards of meritocracy in the college admissions process.
College essay coaching is allowed, while hiring someone to write your essays for you is certainly not permitted. There is a massive difference between working with an expert with experience in the college admissions and essay prep fields who can help guide you, provide feedback, and offer time management strategies and someone who will generate content ideas for you. The latter will feel inauthentic to college admissions officers, who are experts in reading students’ writing and jeopardize your application.
Additionally, using ChatGPT or other AI writing tools is not permitted in the college essay process. Even though it may seem that these tools can save you time or generate original ideas for your application, an AI-generated essay will feel inauthentic in the context of your whole application. Remember, the whole point of the college essays is to humanize your application! Plus, colleges are getting pretty good at detecting AI-generated material.
Benefits of Hiring Someone To Help with College Essays
There are numerous benefits of hiring someone to help with your college essays. An essay coach can provide expert guidance; this is a trained professional, who understands what colleges look for. A coach can help you to execute your essay topics with stronger storytelling, crafting a compelling and unique narrative from your own experiences. Well-trained coaches can help you to improve the clarity and structure of your essays, ensuring that they are well-organized and impactful to admissions officers.
For families as well as students, essay coaches can help reduce the stress of the college admissions process. They can provide support and confidence throughout the process, as well as facilitate discussion between guardians and students around the essay process when needed. Finally, a coach can aid students with time management, something that poses difficulties for many busy high school students. A coach is responsible for keeping students on track with deadlines, so that they do not pose an added stress in the process.
What to Look for When Hiring Someone to Help with College Essays
How should students and families choose an essay coach? Looking for a coach with experience and expertise in the field of college essays and admissions is a must. Coaches who are trained and well-versed in the Common App and typical supplemental essay topics will bring a wealth of expertise to the student’s essay process.
Additionally, coaches who have backgrounds in the fields of writing, editing, and education will be able to bring that expertise to your students’ essays. Families should keep an eye out for a track record of success not just at a few name-brand colleges, but a wide range of educational institutions.
Families should also ask questions about the coach’s style: someone who encourages the student’s authenticity and supports the student with constructive feedback is a good fit. Finally, a coach should make the college essay process a little more fun!
Alternatives to Hiring Someone to Help with College Essays
There are many alternatives for students and families who aren’t ready to move forward with a coach. Many schools offer free resources to students during the college admissions process. School counselors are trained to support students specifically in these areas. Other resources such as teachers and writing centers can provide excellent free support. Additionally, peer review and feedback from friends or mentors can be valuable and should not be underestimated, because these are community members who know the student well!
Conclusion
It is totally appropriate to ask for help during the college admissions process—after all, crafting a compelling essay is no small task. However, it’s essential that families seek support from the right experts. Whether you work with a teacher, mentor, college consultant, or essay coach, the goal should always be to refine your ideas while making sure your essay remains in your own voice.
Remember, admissions officers want to hear your story, in your words.
If you want to learn more about how you can benefit from hiring professionals for guidance on your college essays, schedule a free consultation with HelloCollege today.
