E.B.White, who wrote Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, once remarked: “The essayist … can pull on any sort of shirt, be any sort of person, according to his or her mood or subject matter — philosopher, jester, raconteur, confidant, pundit, devil’s advocate, enthusiast.”
Truth is, you have to be different from anybody else. You have to pull on a shirt that shows you in a light that lights up that page, that makes your essay stand out from every other sent to the college of your choice. You have to use your own voice, you need to be genuine, you have to speak uniquely. You need to reveal a grasp of your own world and show it to be both secure and wise. And yet, your choice of words, the imagery and vividness of prose, the compelling strength of personality, have to say:
“I am exceptional, I belong here, at this school.”
That can happen. That killer essay can happen.
We can make it happen.
We can make it happen.
The trick is not to write an essay that has nothing wrong with it. The trick is to write one that has everything right with it.
I am a professional writer, having spent many years in the advertising and promotion fields where selling an idea and creating an image for a product meant its success or failure.
So what do I have to show for those years?
Only a proficiency in knowing what it takes to shape words that are blindingly rich, that spell out a unique picture. I have the mind-set to create a commotion that, at the end of the day, rewards you with “the big essay.”
I know how to help you sell yourself.
Just like the students that arrived, with my help: at Cooper Union and NYU, Bard and Columbia, The School of Visual Arts, The Art Institute of Chicago, Boston College, University of Hartford, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Marist, Parsons, Pratt and quite a few others. Like the State Universities.
I am that someone who will get to know you better than you expected, work with you one-on-one, be there when needed, advise in a professional, non-judgmental manner, guide you in an objective way, recommend and adjust, and improve.
I will help you make your essay memorable. And still keep it yours.
I will suggest, edit, correct, recommend, and push. You will avoid the cliché, the generic, and most of all, you will avoid the predictable. You won’t repeat your resume and anything else you’ve already written on your application.
You will open yourself up. Charm. Show spirit. Be insightful. Have an attitude.
Finally, you will ask yourself: Could anyone else have written this?
No, of course not.
No, of course not.
And for that, the admissions officer will remember you.
To contact your Personal Essay Mentor, email michael@thebigessay.com
