The Approach
The application essay presents a student the opportunity to convince the reader of their most compelling character traits. A student can use their essay to prove drive, curiosity, leadership, compassion or any other trait that defines their character. The key to the application essay is to tell an anecdotal story rich with vivid imagery and personal voice to allow the reader to experience how the student thinks and sees the world. When a student places the reader in their own mind, they’re not telling them what’s great about them— they’re proving it.
When students pursue an anecdote under Rob’s guidance, a theme always emerges. The places where we invest our time and effort reveal insights that apply to diverse aspects of our lives. The application reader wants to know: how does this student work? What makes this student tick?? Whether it is the patience a student applies to programming that they developed when farming mangos at their grandparents’ farm in India every year or the humility that a surfer takes with him into the face of insurmountable conflict that he learned from sets of 10-foot waves tossing him around like a rag doll, every student learns key insights and lessons from engaging with their passions and overcoming challenges that serve them throughout their lives. Our task is to pursue an anecdote close to the student’s heart to reveal key takeaways that serve a central theme and demonstrate unmistakable development and maturity.
Unfortunately, without guidance, students often make the mistake of rewriting their resume. They list their accomplishments and accolades, squandering their opportunity to transport the admissions officer into their mind. Rob helps students to write anecdotal stories from their life that accomplish three primary goals:
• Transport the reader into the student’s mind. This way, the admissions officer is captivated, experiencing life from behind the student’s eyes. The way you see the world is a mystery you can solve for your reader!
• Demonstrate the student’s personal voice and writing prowess. Get some personality into the application so the admissions officer knows they’re dealing with a real human being. Also, show that you can write!
• Prove the student’s most compelling personality characteristics. Claiming ingenuity or leadership isn’t going to cut it! Prove to your reader your best traits through anecdotal evidence.
“When my son started his college application last Summer, we reached to Rob. Rob immediately stood out while I was talking with a few experts. They are all very knowledgeable and professional, but Rob came across very sincere, had the best interest of the student in mind, and showed a great degree of flexibility. My son also found Rob to be very relatable. Rob spent great amount of time letting my son share his own ideas and asked open-ended questions to stimulate his creativity.
Throughout the mentoring sessions, my son learned from Rob how to use creative writing to express his feelings and emotions, and articulated the significant and far-reaching impact of certain events in his life. The obvious outcomes of the sessions are the beautifully written essays/self assessments (along other things) that got my son accepted by a number of top-20 US colleges. But what’s far more important is that the thought process and work ethic Rob helped instill in my son will continue to benefit him for the many years to come.
I would recommend Rob to any parents/students who not only need guidance/advice in college essays/application, but also want to hone their skills in creative writing, critical thinking, and problem solving.”
-Peter L., parent of David L., Dartmouth class of 2027
