College Essay Coach Testimonials

I’m deeply touched by these endorsements from students and parents I’ve helped. I never imagined these college essay coach testimonials could lead to so many lasting relationships.

I love helping students find their voices and their destinations in this crazy college competition.

Liz’s Note About Transferring:  Every year I work with a few students who want to transfer to another college. Transferring into the usual top-10 colleges is MUCH more competitive than regular admission. Openings depend on students who’ve left, leaving room for transfers. The more selective the college, the fewer the spaces. Harvard may admit a handful of students. Princeton did not accept transfers until last year.

I’ve helped students transfer to UPenn, Barnard, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Emory, Boston University, and Yale, whose transfer admission rate is 1.2%. For Yale, you need a stellar record, a compelling personal story, killer essays, and more than a little luck. 

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NEW!!! “Liz was not only a mentor and writing coach throughout my application process, but an amazing friend. She consistently kept me on track despite my constant tendency to procrastinate. She was an excellent communicator–always answering her email within a couple hours. To put it simply, Liz was a true lifesaver in this process. What makes Liz stand out is not just her ability to edit written essays, but to help her students think differently and to guide them through the entire writing process–  from ideas & outlines to first drafts & final pieces. I’ll definitely be keeping in touch. Thank you, Liz!!!     Stanford, Class of 2027″

NEW!!!  “Liz helped me sort out my ideas and polish my essays so I could submit my applications with confidence! She also helped me ‘get into the minds of the admissions officers,’ since I wasn’t entirely sure what they were looking for when I began to draft things. I’m so grateful for all of her support and stoked to be committing to Harvard, Class of 2027.”

NEW!!!  Liz is outstanding! We came to her not knowing what to do, but we knew that she could draw out the best in our high school senior for the 2023 college application cycle. Liz worked 1:1 with our kiddo on several essays for many of the top universities, including MIT and the University of California system. Liz is very accessible to students/families, caring, and has a strong commitment to her students. Our kiddo ultimately was admitted to the #1 university for Mechanical Engineering, 3 of the top 20 colleges in the world, 2 Ivy League schools and 9 of the top 30 engineering colleges in the US.  We are so privileged and blessed to have had the opportunity to work with Liz, she is truly phenomenal!”  Columbia, Cornell, Tufts & Others, Class of 2027

 “Liz helped me immensely in my writing and in the transfer application process overall. I knew that transferring to Yale or Georgetown would be no easy feat, but with Liz’s guidance, I was able to write essays that conveyed my story and my goals in wanting to transfer. I will always be profoundly grateful for my experience working with her. She is truly a phenomenal resource for anyone applying to colleges.” ~SR Admitted as transfer to Georgetown & Yale College, 2022.

NEW!!! “Liz was so helpful throughout the entire application process! Her thoughtful feedback helped me turn even my most convoluted ideas into beautiful, polished essays. My experience with Liz made the whole stressful affair of applying to college bearable.” — JH, Early Decision, Brown, Class of 2027

NEW!!! “Dear Liz: My daughter was officially accepted ED to Middlebury, and she’s over the moon.  Huge thanks for all you’ve done to help us out.  Can’t wait for daughter #2  to use you next year!”  — JC, Early Decision, Middlebury, Class of 2027

NEW!!! “After working with Liz, my son embraced the art of storytelling.  His confidence in his ability to craft and tell a story concisely and articulately has increased substantially.  He was accepted into his top school, but the most important lesson learned was rooted in the belief that a left-brained learning mathematics student can tap into his right-brained creative side. Yes, she succeeded in assisting him with college applications, but more importantly, she made him a much better writer.”  — USC, Class of 2027

NEW!!! “I had my eye on Boston College, with a plan to apply Early Decision, so I wanted to make sure that both my common app essay and my Boston College supplemental essay were well written. I was having trouble picking a topic for my Common App essay, and Liz had some great ways for me to tease out a bunch of ideas and ultimately pick the best one to expand on. The BC supplemental prompts were very deep and overwhelming to think about, but Liz helped keep my focus on what I wanted to write while making sure it answered the prompt. I learned some great writing tools that certainly made writing other supplementals easier and will definitely serve me well in the future. I really believe my essays played a big role in my acceptance.” — MT, Early Decision Boston College 2027

From an East Coast Mom: “Our son just got in early to Harvard! Liz’s help was invaluable. Liz worked with our son on Zoom and immediately grasped who he was as a person and saw how he could shine on paper. She made the process for our son and our family seamless. He improved as a writer and learned a tremendous amount from her.  I slept better knowing Liz was helping our son. She was extremely creative, flexible and efficient–truly brilliant!” Early Action-Harvard Class of 2026

From a Georgia Mom: “My son has just been accepted Early Decision to Cornell.  Liz was an integral part of his success in getting there. She worked tirelessly with him on his essays and they were perfect by application time.  She is an incredible writer and her advice and guidance was spot on. What’s been the most wonderful about Liz though is the way she has supported my son (and our family) throughout this whole process.  As we all know, applying for college is stressful.  However, Liz was always there to answer our questions and help reassure us that we were on the right track to getting my son accepted to a very selective school. Quite frankly, I’m not sure how we would have made it through without her. Her services were an investment in my son’s future and it has already paid off.” Early Decision, Cornell, Class of 2026

From a New York Mom of twins: “Thank you again!!! You were fabulous! Absolutely praise worthy and one of the most important parts of the process! See you in a few years for our daughter!”  Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, UVa, University of Texas at Austin, University of WIsc Madison, Class of 2026

From a NY Mom:  Working with Liz was the best decision we made during the college process. Because of the pandemic, my son was stuck in his bedroom during the summer before his senior year, and meeting with Liz (on Zoom!) helped him concentrate and think deeply about himself—his interests, his strengths, his desires for the next four years. The college essay is such a particular genre, and even though I’m a professional editor, I would never have been able to elicit the great essay he ended up writing; Liz helped him take his wide-ranging interests and weave them into an engaging story that brilliantly displayed his personality. And somehow she managed to make the whole experience stress-free and even enjoyable for him.”  Tufts University, Class of 2025

From a Florida Father: “Liz was immensely helpful, from start to finish, during my son’s 2021 college application process (Class of 2025), which yielded acceptances at Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Carnegie-Mellon’s School of Computer Science, and The University of Michigans School of Engineering.  Liz was a trusted thought-partner, writing coach, and psychologist helping my son find his authentic voice throughout his essays, pushing back constructively, and encouraging my son through the long and stressful process. Liz was also highly responsive, 7 days a week.  We were thrilled with the outcome.  Thank you, Liz!”

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From a Mother About her Son:  “There is a significant difference in his writing, which provokes a change in his thinking patterns, ability to analyze, and act. As a philologist, I know that the quality of writing is an indicator of the internal world. Your contribution to my son’s personal development is much more valuable than college acceptances. It is commonly known that who we are greatly depends on the people surrounding us. Your influence on my son’s perception of himself was profound.  Again, I thank you for your work, care, and presence in his life.” ~ T.D., Accepted to University of Illinois, Class of 2021

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From a Father“As parents, this was our first time going through the college application process and Liz “de-stressed” the whole process.  From our first contact with Liz, we were reassured by her guidance and support in the essay process.  She is an excellent writing coach and, by taking a personal interest in getting to know our son, she helped him highlight his strengths and voice in his essays.  We were impressed with Liz’s responsiveness and her ability to keep our son on task as well as inspiring him to keep improving his essays.  Our son is excited to start Stanford, Class of 2023!!  Liz, we are reserving you to work with our daughter.  ~ C. L., New England.”  UPDATE: Daughter accepted at Bates, Middlebury, Northeastern, BU, William and Mary, and Syracuse Honors Program. Class of 2025.

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From a Father: “Liz helped our 8th grade son write seven application  essays for very selective New England boarding schools. Liz met with him entirely via Skype and was able to quickly get to know him and help his voice come through in those essays. They bonded over weekly cycles of talking about the essay topics, reviewing first drafts and suggesting how he could improve them. The results were authentic essays written by the student with encouragement and terrific suggestions by Liz – and best of all, he was admitted to two of his top choice schools in spring 2020.  ~ N.S., New York

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New!!! From a Mother: “I could not have hoped for better results from your time working with my daughter. I originally reached out to you to help my daughter with her personal essay. I had helped my eldest daughter with her college applications, but found myself too busy with work to help my middle daughter. I’m so happy I was too busy! My daughter received a lot more than guidance on her personal essay. You took time to get to know my daughter. You helped her write an essay that she felt really captured her essence. Her writing is forever improved. In addition, you really took time with both of us and offered information on potential colleges that we had not been considering. In fact, she’s attending Smith College next year, which is a school we originally were not considering. My daughter fell in love with the campus when we visited and really feels this is the perfect school for her! You’ve made a life-long impact on my daughter and on me. I’ll be seeking your guidance in a couple of years for my youngest daughter!” M.C. Smith College, Class of 2025

New!!! From a Mother: “When it was time for my son to start his college essay, he couldn’t begin to fill that blank page.  Liz began working with him via Skype, and I couldn’t believe his progress. She really got to know him and he learned a lot in a short time. His dream school was a reach. We called Liz one last time for advice on what to send and set him apart. If we had not called her, we truly believe he would not have gotten in. Thank you so much for bringing out the best in our son. Forever grateful. His sister will be calling you.” The Wards, Massachusetts, University of Miami, Class of 2025

New!!! From a Mother:  Applying to colleges is no joke. It is an intense process for someone who is just barely of age to buy a lottery ticket (if that), and possibly a tense time for the entire family. Liz helped our daughter to excel not just as a high school senior frantically writing college essays, but as a young woman writer. With more confidence as a writer than I imagined, our daughter heads into her freshman year of college ready to write those longer papers. If you ever question whether a tutor for college essays is valuable, know that with Liz you will gain tremendous benefit as a writer and editor well beyond these few crazy months… on top of feeling you left everything on the field as you submit supplements to your top choice schools.” M.B., Northwestern, Washington University, Boston College, Class of 2025 

Testimonials from Students:

“Liz is absolutely brilliant. Her suggestions really made my essays reach their full potential, flow more naturally, more logically, and become more powerful. Liz also helped me emphasize my strengths on my application and gave clear, insightful advice on the application process in general.” ~ V. P., Accepted to Harvard College and Yale College, Class of 2017

“Dear Liz,  Thank you so much for everything!! It was amazing to work with someone who knows what admissions officers are looking for and embraced my personal writing style. Speaking with you helped me to approach each of my essays with a clear sense of direction, and I am truly proud of my final drafts. You helped make my dream school, Columbia, a reality, and I was also admitted to Northwestern, UCLA, and UC Berkeley! The college admissions process can be so overwhelming, and your help was truly invaluable. My dreams came true! 🙂  ~ K.W. California, Columbia University Class of 2024

“Liz is one of the finest resources a student can have during the college process. The countless articles or videos claiming to ‘crack the common app essay’ can only take you so far. What Liz offers isn’t some sort of mechanical ‘perfect’ essay that’s been run through a million algorithms. She works one on one to bring out the best in you, guiding you seamlessly towards producing essays that represent you as a student, and more importantly, as a person. She’s kind, friendly, and manages to make one of the most stressful parts of applying to college something to look forward to. I cannot recommend this phenomenal teacher enough.” ~ P.K. New England, New York University, Class of 2024

“From the first time I met Liz, it was clear that she really cares about her clients. She took the time to understand my needs and personalized her service for me. Liz was there with me through the whole writing process. She helped me find original topics that were personal to me, gave me the confidence to write on them, and got me through any writer’s block. In this way, Liz improved my writing and saved me a lot of time. I’m extremely proud of the end result. Liz, thank you for helping me transfer to Barnard College!” B.R., New England, Transferred to Barnard College, Class of 2021

“Writing personal essays has always been my weakness, and the idea of being judged so carefully off of a skill I was not proud of was considerably daunting. Liz gave me a sense of security in my college application that I never would have had otherwise. She was great at working with me to take the vague, complicated version of an idea in my mind and make it make perfect sense. Not only that, but she is so easy to talk to! We would always go over time because we’d start talking about some book she recommended for me, or an idea I had had. She was also so willing to help with any part of the process, giving me advice on everything from my Common Application activities list to my On-Campus interview. She has an uncanny ability to pick up on exactly what made me unique — the very aspect she said to emphasize in my application was what my admissions officer wrote about on the note she sent me after my acceptance!” ~ L. E, New England, Early Action to Yale College, Class of 2022

New!!!! “Liz’s extremely patient, thoughtful and encouraging teaching process helped me gain a deeper understanding of my graduate program’s expectations. The process not only helped me write a statement I am incredibly proud of, but it challenged and allowed me to develop a critical way of thinking about the prompts at hand which is a perspective I will carry on in my studies. Our initial sessions helped shape my final statements, and I received acceptances from Cornell, UPenn, Columbia, RISD, Pratt, UCLA, and CCNY. Highly recommend her guidance!” -A.Z, New York, dated: April 2021

New!!!! “Liz was incredibly helpful and helped my gather all of my ideas together to form an essay that reflected my personalities and passions. I had no idea where to start with the college essay process and she made it so much easier. I would definitely recommend her to anyone!!! Thanks so much” – M.W. Vanderbilt University, Class of 2025

New!!!!   Liz is great at helping you come up with Rule Number 1 of college essays: grab the attention of an exhausted admissions officer and even bring a tear to their eye by the end of the essay. She coaches you along making sure your authentic voice shines through, which is crucial in the eyes of admission officers. Ready for the best part? Liz helped me plan and “work smart” beforehand in choosing prompts and core ideas that aligned well between schools to save me much needed time and energy. That said, every essay was unique to each school, and Liz always made sure we were answering the question asked — advice I heard many times from the college information sessions I attended.

“She guides you with honesty, humor, and incredible authorial skill until you feel 100% confident in each of your essays (and until they follow the word limit!). Beyond the writing, Liz was my cheerleader, always there to help me through an essay, especially at the final hour. When it comes to writing and college essays, she is truly the expert and much of the reason I was accepted into top tier schools (including some scholarships!)” – H. S.  UCLA, UCSD, Washington University, Northwestern, William & Mary, Wake Forest, Boston College,  Santa Clara;  scholarships at William & Mary, Santa Clara, and WashU, Class of 2025.

“My final college decision is to attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall. I am ecstatic at this opportunity and all of the avenues my life can go on from here, and I would like to thank you for all of your help and guidance during this process. My family and I appreciate it immensely.”  S.R. UPenn, Class of 2024

“I truly enjoyed everything about working with Liz. She really helped me organize my ideas and turn them into quality essays that I felt passionate about. Our sessions significantly reduced the stress of this generally foreboding process. I highly recommend Liz based on my positive experience with her.” ~ B.B., New England, Early Decision to Dartmouth, Class of 2022

“It was absolutely wonderful working with Liz. After countless hours discussing essay improvements on Skype and spending much time preparing for interviews, Liz and I got to know each other quite well throughout this long college process. The time we spent together brainstorming essay topics and discussing overall strategy was an invaluable resource for me, and it was always so nice to have a real mentor to talk to about how everything was going, and work to temper any budding anxiety. Liz, thank you so much for everything!”  S.P., New York, Early Decision, Harvard CollegeClass of 2024

“Liz helped calm  any anxieties I had regarding writing the essays, and together we came up with topics that were personal to me and truly conveyed my best qualities through my writing. She was a comforting and encouraging force ,and I was always satisfied with the end result. I’ve really appreciated her guidance throughout the process. I even learned some nifty grammar rules along the way!! ” – A.R. New England, Georgia Tech, Class of 2024

“I contacted Liz about three weeks before I sent off my first college application. A nervous senior, I was anxious to get my essays ready in such a short time. Liz replied very quickly and very promptly, and offered to help me improve my essays. From the very beginning, it was clear that she really cared about me as an individual and that she really wanted me to be as successful as possible in my college process. She was so responsive and insightful that is often felt like she had known me for years instead of weeks! After I sent her my first essay, she replied within a few hours with detailed corrections and suggestions. Each time, she would help me further develop my distinctive, creative voice while also illuminating my errors. Every time, I could learn from the suggestions, make my own changes, and send her back a newer version for more advice. It was absolute pleasure to work with her– she was both incredibly efficient and helpful. Now that I’ve been accepted to my dream school, I not only appreciate Liz as a great mentor, but also a great friend. Thank you so much”! ~ A. M. R., Early Action, Harvard University, Class of 2017

“I started the application process particularly worried about my essay. I spent the first half of my summer trying to think what I would write    about and had no luck. Within an hour, Liz helped me find a experience in my life that truly changed me and would express some of my best qualities to colleges. Moving forward, she helped me write an essay that I felt truly put my best self forward and was proud to submit. Furthermore, she helped me become a better writer and thinker. I cannot thank her enough.” ~ R.D. Early Decision to Vanderbilt University, Class of 2022

“Dear Liz: I just wanted to write you an email to convey how glad I am to have worked with you and to say thank you so much for all your help with my essays. I have decided to go to University of Texas at Austin!”  ~ T.S. California, Class of 2023

“To future clients of Ms. Benedict, I was in your position a few months ago. I pride myself on being a powerful writer who never needed help in high school, but when college application season came around, I felt quite overwhelmed. The style of writing that is required for colleges is very personal and unlike anything else I had ever written before (i.e. literary analysis). Liz was very prompt in responding to my first request for information, and she worked with me to ensure that I felt comfortable with her legitimacy and reassured me that she would not be writing anything for me—she would simply teach me how to write personally and clearly. When working with Liz, she was funny, creative, and helpful. If you are considering hiring her, I can assure you it will be money well spent, and it will not be hiring someone to “do your work for you.” Liz is strict in not writing anything, but rather helping her students craft creative personal stories that sound pleasing and flow well. I am very thankful to her, as I have received acceptances from UCLA, USC-Marshall, NYU-Stern, and UC Berkeley!” ~ M.D., Southern California, Class of 2018

“It was an absolutely wonderful experience to work with Liz. Being a nervous international student desperately looking for help and advice to compose essays for a system I knew nothing about, I’m so glad that I found Liz. I was quite skeptical about this whole process at first, to work with someone from the States while I’m in Hong Kong. I never thought this whole thing could work over internet with her being 8000 miles away from me! But here we are. We worked the whole thing out through Skype and Google Docs. She was very helpful, inspiring, and patient, and she encouraged me to dig up stories within myself that I wouldn’t have considered as writing materials otherwise. She helped me to see a bigger picture of where my words were heading, while correcting minor but essential grammar mistakes. She also helped me organize my stories. Liz is an amazing tutor, and I’ll always be grateful for her guidance and understanding.”
~ S.P., Early Action and Merit, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Class of 2018

“Before I met Liz, my family and I felt stressed out by the entire application process. The Common Application and countless other supplements were daunting obstacles that had me twisting into awful contortions. While I was initially hesitant to work with an essay editor because I wanted to make sure my work was my own, it turned out that I had nothing to fear. Liz provided me with a comfortable environment where I could reflect on my interests and personal experiences to draft compelling stories about myself. The essays I wrote were unmistakably my own, and over a series of low-stress meetings, she helped me to refine my writing until I had an application that I felt very proud of. The advice and lessons I’ve learned from Liz will undoubtedly help me whenever I’ll need to write applications or grants in the future. Thank you!”
~ S.M., Early Action, Yale College, Class of 2019

“Liz was one of the most helpful people in my application process, which, like most people’s, was hectic. She uses her familiarity with the schools and the process and her skill as a writer to improve your essays on every level. Whether you’re having trouble with the big picture, like picking an appropriate topic or deciding what ideas to include in your essay, or with the small details, such as style and grammar, Liz will help make your essays fantastic. She helped me on all these levels, and the results were quirky, personal, and successful essays that landed me a spot in my first choice school. Thank you, Liz!”  ~ K. E., Accepted Early Decision to Columbia College/Columbia University, Class of 2018

“Dear Liz: I just wanted to let you know that I got into Tufts! I’m very excited and wanted to thank you for everything and all you did for me these past few months!”  ~ E.S., Early Decision 2015-16, N. Jersey

“I started my college applications (particularly the essays) very late. There was no real reason other than procrastination. My hopes for reaching the Ivy League soon became hopes for simply getting into college. However, with the little faith I had left, I browsed Google for useful college application resources/mentors, and I found Liz’s website; I remember reading the amazing testimonials for her services, and yelling to my mom, “Mom, we NEED to call this lady!” I was initially concerned she wouldn’t even have the time and availability to help me so late into the year, so upon hearing she would welcome me as her student, I was shocked. Over the next two months, she guided me throughout not just the essay-writing process, but my entire college application process, providing me invaluable information with her wide range of college-related experiences. From helping me transcribe my creative voice onto paper to helping me write my resum�, Liz taught me things that will last into college and beyond. Thank you so much, Liz. Writing this testimonial is an honor, and I hope mine will inspire others as your previous testimonials have inspired me.”
~ C.Z, Emory University & Cornell University, Class of 2019

“Liz was able to take some of my rough ideas for an essay and lead me to creating an amazing personal statement for my law school application…. A handwritten note on my acceptance letter commented on how powerful my essay was.” ~ S. H., NYU Law School, Class of 2015

“Hey Liz! I just wanted to let you know that I was accepted into Colgate early decision!!! I wanted to thank you for your help on my Common App essays and my supplements. Thank you so much for always replying so quickly, for helping me clarify important moments in the essays, and giving me ideas on how to cut down my essays when I was way over limit. I couldn’t have done it without your help.”  ~ N. M., Colgate, Class of 2015

“I spent months ruminating over my college essays before I sought Liz’s help. Her guidance and knowledge of the admissions process gave me the extra push I needed to get into my top choice college! In my case, the admissions essays were crucial as UC Berkeley uses holistic review. Liz helped me turn my experiences and ideas into effective essays! She will help with everything from structure to theme to diction, all while preserving your unique voice as a student. It was extremely reassuring to have my writing reviewed by someone who knows what she’s doing. My admission to UC Berkeley is due in part to her help.”  ~ E.H., San Francisco, also admitted to UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, and UCIrvine, Class of 2020

“Liz truly helped me simplify the essay writing process. She helped me break it down into smaller, more achievable steps. The end result was a powerful essay that would have never come together without Liz’s process. Once again, thank you so much for the help!!” ~ M.B. Hong Kong, admitted to Cornell University, Class of 2020

“I wanted to let you know that I am going to be attending the University of Virginia. I am so grateful for all of your help during my application process. I absolutely could not have done it without you and I am incredibly proud of the essays that you helped me to write. The lessons that I learned gave me a new confidence in my writing skills both in and out out of the classroom. I will be sure to pass your name and contact information on to my friends who are rising seniors.”  ~ M. L., University of Virginia, Class of 2017

“I was stuck, and the essay was taking over my life. There was so much riding on it, and my friends had already finished theirs, which made me even more nervous…. You drew me out, but you didn’t put words into my mouth. You helped me to understand what it was that I wanted to say. Thanks to you, I’m proud of my final essay and confident in what I wrote.: ~ T. G., Smith College, 2015

Testimonials from Parents 

“I am not a gratuitous flatterer, but I am just gobsmacked by your talent.” ~ A mother, New York, Barnard College, Early Decision, 2015

“I am so thrilled with how you and my son worked together. He and I are very close and I didn’t want to jeopardize that by trying to work with him on my own. I was enough of a nag with everything else we had to do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”  ~ Early decision, Northwestern University, L.K., Southern California, December 2015

“I wanted to express our deepest gratitude for all your help. You have taken time during holidays to work with my daughter and help her with finalizing all the essays. Your guidance was invaluable and has helped her articulate her thoughts and ideas in an eloquent manner.”   ~ P.K., Minnesota, admitted to UPenn, Brown, Cornell, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Class of 2020

“Elizabeth Benedict helped our son with what seemed like the daunting task of writing and editing the Common App essay and several other supplemental essays. She was fantastic at helping him calmly figure out his topics and write in his own distinctive, creative and unique voice. She has an amazing way of relating to a 17-year-old that made our son feel confident in his own writer’s voice. She also helped review all the short answers on the Common App for the various colleges to make sure everything was clear and not redundant. This made the entire process feel very much under control and contributed to reducing the stress level for everyone. As parents, we were able to be much more in the bystander role, which seemed better for everyone. And we have even more confidence in Liz’s work and her judgment once he was accepted to Yale for early action!”  ~ M. K., New York City, Class of 2017

“I cannot imagine having lived through the essay writing aspect of college applications without Elizabeth Benedict. Liz worked with my daughter during the summer between her junior and senior years. By getting an early start, Liz was able to encourage my daughter to revisit her essays multiple times. The end product was outstanding and really conveyed a sense of her individuality and strengths. Liz and my daughter worked from different states initially and finished up their work in a live session. Liz’s help was particularly critical in avoiding frustration and conflict, moving the process along and sparking my daughter’s imagination and creativity to produce multiple original and thoughtful essays. She was admitted to two of three of her early application schools, and I have no doubt that Liz’s coaching contributed to this success.” ~K. O., Arizona, Class of 2015

“Liz is the calm in the midst of a storm. Her honesty, integrity and conciseness are the essence of her soul. She has the gift of gently and skillfully guiding the student without altering or influencing the thoughts of the young person she is shepherding. My daughter found her voice and matured academically through Liz’s guidance and was able to condense and express her thoughts so eloquently with the end result being that she was accepted to the college of her choice. As a mother, I will always be grateful to Liz, who came into our lives and magically and patiently transformed the overwhelming college essay into a positive and cheerful situation. Brava! Thank you!”  ~ S. L. C., New York City – Vassar, May 2014

“My daughter scored more than 2300 in her SATs. Besides the academic achievements, she also takes upon leadership roles at school and volunteers regularly. When her early applications were deferred, she was in total shock and decided to increase her applications to ensure a better shot at an esteemed college. Winter break was not a break for her at all. She devoted all her time to write the essays and research the colleges. As a parent, I felt powerless to help her in the process. I turned to online blogs trying to find some thoughts and experiences shared by other parents. I came across some articles by Ms. Elizabeth Benedict, who had a very calm and logical tone in her suggestions. It turns out that Ms. Benedict is not only an author, but an avid college essay consultant. She was quick to address my concerns and charges reasonably. Even when she traveled, she informed me of her schedule and availability. There are many consultants out there. If you need to talk to one, Ms. Benedict is the person to go to. My daughter was admitted to her dream school!”
—From a grateful parent, Southern California, April 2014

“Although we were initially hesitant to seek the help of a writer, we are now extremely happy that we did. Ms. Benedict was wonderful. She was very helpful and was able to communicate and help our daughter, who is very shy. The essay was our daughter’s work. Ms. Benedict was a pleasure to talk to and was always accessible. We were very pleased with her work and the responsible manner she handled everything.”
—G. M. A., Northern New Jersey – Early decision University of Pennsylvania

“Elizabeth Benedict has been a Godsend for our son and our family in the overwhelming process of applying to college. She provides focused, good-humored, and experienced support in both the essays and the application process. Elizabeth does not write your child’s college application essays. She draws them out of him or her with the same skill she exerts as a superior college writing professor. Our son’s experience of writing and re-writing and re-writing again his various essays under Elizabeth’s guidance was the equivalent of a mini-essay writing course with tangible results. Our senior and Elizabeth worked together via phone sessions, e mails, and two face-to-face weekends of college application “boot camp.” The end result: college essays that ring true and that our son owns and feels proud of. What could be better? It was worth every penny. UPDATE: Our son got into his first-choice school with a scholarship.” ~ D. N., Chevy Chase, Maryland

“I just want you to know that my daughter made it through the college process with her mind and sense of humor intact. I would like to think your assistance played a major part… Thanks so much for all your help. She has decided to attend Smith College this fall.” J.P. Bronx, NY

Testimonials Elizabeth’s undergraduate writing students at Princeton:

“One of the most stimulating, helpful courses I have ever taken. Liz was extremely accessible, and also encouraging. Her comments were always insightful, and given in a positive way.”

“Benedict is an insightful teacher. She knows how to get us to improve our writing, and, most importantly, knows how to tell us how to make our writing better without making us feel badly about it.”

“Liz’s encouragement and sensitivity enabled me to explore and grow. I feet that I am a much better writer with the experience of her class, and having been exposed to her wisdom.”

“I’ve really learned a ton about myself and good writing. I feel better able to self-criticize and also more competent to be critical of others’ work.”

Please call me toll-free at 855-99-ESSAY or email me: ElizabethBenedictOK@gmail.com