Nothing makes me happier than sharing another pro bono success story. When Allyson emailed me, she had gotten rejected from Questbridge so we knew something had to change in the personal essay.

We focused mostly on tone, which many students struggle with since this is their first time writing about themselves. Some of her humor came across as cold and insensitive, so we removed anything that didn’t make her sound like her empathetic self. Remember that the voice you share in your essay is just as important as the content of your story.

Then, we added a deeper self-reflection about the adversity she had to overcome. She was reluctant to add that layer of tragedy and didn’t want to sound “depressing,” but that vulnerability is what transforms a good essay into a memorable one. I’m so excited to share her kind words below!

"As a high school senior who has never written personal essays, I was terrified of college applications. Though I had the test scores, GPA, and extracurriculars, I knew that my lack of writing skills would get me rejected from the most selective colleges. Luckily, when I asked for help, Google led me right to The Admissions Essay Guru, Yelena.

Since day one, Yelena has been committed to helping me develop powerful essays. From responding to emails or texts promptly, to sending back edits on or before scheduled, she exudes professionalism. Her expertise in writing is also reflected in every single one of her edits, from structure, to line-by-line analysis, to overall impact. What makes Yelena exceptional, however, is her guidance throughout the essay writing process. She doesn't only care about bringing essays to perfection; she also cares about my success as an applicant overall. It gives me great confidence knowing that Yelena has my back in the college application process. Getting into top universities would be her victory as much as it would be mine.

I cannot recommend Yelena enough to anyone. She is a professional and caring writer who truly knows how to create moving narratives. I am sure that anyone who chooses to work with her will be far more than satisfied."

-Allyson, accepted to Georgia Tech, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB & University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign