Frequently Asked
Questions

The University of California is a system of 9 schools: UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, and UC Merced. Students submit one application for all UC campuses they apply to, and UC's expectations for students' Personal Insight Questions, or PIQs, are precise as well as different from more traditional college application essays. I specialize in the UC system, and my experience preparing students for these applications has provided me with inside knowledge pertaining to majors, programs, demonstrated qualities, and more.

While I specialize in the UC system, I also offer coaching for schools that use the Common App, Coalition App, and other application systems. Please visit the Common App and Coalition App page to review details or request a quote.

You may, though it's not a requirement. Part of my process is helping students arrive at new ideas, make new connections and find inspiration through writing exercises.

I help students narrow down their interests and experiences through self-reflective writing, and through these exercises students are able to pinpoint themes and determine a direction for their writing. Communicating self-knowledge and focus in one's essay is key, so even if a student is unsure of their major, a solid and self-aware essay can still be written and competitive for admission.

Decisions are released around throughout March for freshmen and the end of April for transfer students. If you would like to pursue appealing for admission or crafting a waitlist statement, I will review your initial application and make recommendations for areas to address or emphasize in these new statements.

The written portions—PIQs, Activities and Awards, and Additional Comments for UC; Personal Statements and supplemental questions for other colleges. I do answer general questions about the UC process and application, but my service is focused on the writing aspects and I do not help with college lists.

I don’t look at any essays unless you have booked a service with me, but I am happy to answer any general questions you have about the process without needing to book a service first.

Working with me on both UC and Common App essays allows you to accomplish all your coaching and writing in one place. You will have already generated information and ideas during the UC writing portion and developed a rapport with me as a coach. In addition, I will track all of your essays for different colleges (UC and Common App), handling and organizing the workflow so you don’t have to, enabling a smoother application process.

Yes. Adding more colleges may cost more, and any changes would need to be made prior to one month before the deadline, or when we begin working on that college (whichever comes first).

I coach remotely. Drafts of essays are exchanged digitally and coaching feedback is given over the phone or in writing.

I do offer discounts to low-income students. The discount depends on the need presented. Please reach out to me individually to discuss your situation if you are interested and believe you qualify.

I work with students to develop a schedule and timeline to ensure they maintain momentum and that I’m only working with a small group at a time. This allows me to devote enough attention to each student. Students may miss a deadline within that schedule without repercussions, but repeated missed deadlines or a failure to complete all the work within the given timeline may result in my ceasing to work with that student. The point of this structure isn’t to penalize students, so if scheduling conflicts arise, students or parents can always talk with me about adjusting the schedule before multiple deadlines are missed.