The Personal Approach to the Personal Statement
The latest news, tips, & tricks for surviving the college admissions game
Angel had a unique situation. She was applying as an internal transfer to NYU Stern from NYU CAS (College of Arts and Sciences), which is notoriously difficult to accomplish. We knew she needed a standout transfer essay to explain why this major switch was necessary.
Read MoreWhen Ben reached out to me, he was convinced he had the best admissions essay topic about helping out in a factory for a summer. After all, his family, friends, and even teachers all said this was a unique way to show his personality. Unfortunately, after multiple revisions, his authentic self just couldn’t come across no matter how hard he tried to make it work. It was an important lesson in not forcing a topic —even if you’re convinced it’s the coolest idea ever— if it’s just not working. Maybe the idea is great but your experience wasn’t impactful enough to write a whole essay about it. The language felt verbose and overwritten, which is another sign the idea wasn’t working.
Read MoreAfter working with K, she secured a $40,000 scholarship and guaranteed acceptance in the program of her dreams to UNC. I’m excited to share how we worked together with her testimonial!
Read MoreMaddie reached out to let me know that she got a full ride to UChicago after applying early action. I’m so proud to share her process and testimonial!
Read More“I wanted to share my gratitude for the guidance and support you gave me those months ago. Your feedback was immeasurably valuable, and I truly appreciated your accommodation of my various constraints. Most of all, I was moved by your words of encouragement during an application process riddled with worry. Thank you again!”
-Nick, accepted to Pomona, Columbia, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara
Read More“The Common App and Supplemental essays I crafted with Yelena's help helped me achieve my dream of getting into UC Berkeley! When I contacted her last summer, my essay had several bumps. Yelena suggested starting from scratch with a completely different prompt, and while the task seemed daunting to me, I'm thankful that she was with me every step of the way. We had many phone calls and brainstorming sessions, and her advice was incredibly thoughtful, detailed, and personalized for my needs. One thing I loved, in particular, was the Thought Starters activity she gave me to brainstorm which I continue to use today.
During the essay-writing process, I found it impressive how, after I literally dumped my disorganized thoughts onto paper, she was able to connect them into a cohesive and compelling essay. My final products were a lot more polished than I could have ever accomplished on my own. I was forced to think and reflect every step of the way, and I admire how she pushed me to write everything in my own words. Whenever I go back and read my essays, I find myself consistently proud of them, and that's all thanks to Yelena's help.”
-Saumya, accepted to Georgia Tech, UCLA, and Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, and Purdue Engineering
"Just a little over a month before my 20+ college applications were due, I had made little progress on my personal statement and decided to contact Yelena. Her understanding and flexibility subdued my anxieties but also allowed me to stay on track towards completing my essay in time for submission. In that short of a time frame, I grew from being relatively insecure about my essay to being extremely proud of it. Yelena gave the narrative I had placed on paper an unrivaled sense of vitality and power. She narrowed in on the formative experiences that made me more than a score or a GPA. Yelena not only transformed my paper, while still preserving my voice and message, but gave me an unparalleled confidence going into the final steps of the admissions process. She made my dreams of going to an elite school tangible. I cannot emphasize enough how helpful and encouraging Yelena has been throughout the process, and I wholeheartedly recommend her services to others wishing to give themselves an edge in writing." -Laura, accepted to the University of Vanderbilt
Read MoreIf you'd like to me to lead an admissions essay workshop at your school, please get in touch! I’m an official registered vendor with the Department of Education in NYC and work with both private and public schools in addition to community centers. Not in New York? I can Skype in and now offer online workshops. (Yay for technology!)
Read More”Yelena was so insightful and an absolute delight to work with–– not only did she help with the mechanics of my essay, she took the type to get to know me personally in order to add a special touch. I credit her with bringing my writing to life in addition to reading well on paper! Thank you for your editing magic - I'm oh so grateful for you, Ms. Shuster! " -M.M., Accepted to Princeton, Duke, UNC & USC
Read More”Through countless e-mails, Yelena helped me take the abstract ideas that were in my head and put them on a sheet of paper. And Yelena helped me through the complex challenge of putting my lived experience into a format that other people could understand. Yelena also helped me by bringing me a new perspective for my essays. As someone writing an essay about myself, there were a lot of details that I assumed that a person who was reading the essay would know. However, Yelena helped me include more details in the essays to make the writing tighter. Within the timeframe of several weeks, my essay went from a somewhat forgettable story to a memorable and impactful snapshot into my life as a person and a student. Without Yelena's help and support throughout the process, I am sure that I would have never been accepted to Harvard University." -Sam, Accepted to Harvard
Read More“The time I spent under Yelena's guidance has not only given me an acceptance to every school to which I applied, but also has prepared me so that I can succeed at any of the schools. Yelena's genuine support and care for my improvement has led me to complete each week's assignment while working full time in the military and going to school at night. It was an eye-opening experience to see such an efficient way to write an essay that shows who I really am. Now, I can't wait to use the writing skills at Columbia and future medical schools.”
-H.P., accepted to Columbia University & NYU
Read More“Yelena was easy to work with, fast at responding, and provided helpful and honest feedback. She gave me not only grammar and sentence structure suggestions, but also objective feedback on content and a strategy to tell my story in the best way possible. Because of her, I was able to avoid numerous faux pas and mistakes that could have ruined my application. She helped me refine my tone and convey my best self while being authentic. It was super worth it, I highly recommend getting an outside perspective and Yelena is a great person to do that.”
-Adam, accepted to Cornell and Northwestern as a Transfer
“I looked over the final draft of my personal statement and am really happy with it. Thank you so much for all your help throughout this whole process! This really means a lot and, because of you, a great deal of stress has been lifted off my shoulders when I think about my college essays.”
-Jonathan , accepted to Brown, Pomona, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Wesleyan, Middlebury, Kenyon, and Connecticut College
“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.”
Read More"I have worked hard throughout high school to prepare myself for the application process to get into my dream schools. But when senior year came and the time to start applying to colleges arrived, I didn’t know where to begin with my personal statements. I’ve always heard that you can literally write about anything in your essays and it will be fine. But anything doesn’t always show the best qualities in me.
"That’s where Yelena came and turned things around. Torn between topics, Yelena helped me brainstorm powerful events in my life that helped illuminate my strong characteristics that reveal who I am as a person while also making my statement impactful. She is extremely gifted in noticing significant features about a person just through her writing process. The fact that she actually takes the time to get to know her students before helping us with our work shows her determination to make our essays well written while leaving a great impression on the admission officers. She believes that every person has something amazing to share and she works hard to help us show that. With her help, not only did I come out with an incredible essay but I also learned more about myself and my values. I cannot thank her enough for her tremendous help.
-BA, accepted to Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, Williams, UCLA, UC Berkeley & more
"I got into Columbia!!! Thank you so much for helping me with my essays and bringing them to perfection!! I don't think I’ve ever been proud of any piece of writing as my Common App essay... Being a STEM-related student, I've always had trouble with writing. Yelena knew exactly what to do so that I could freely and clearly speak my mind in my essays. She guided me through creative directions so we could find the write one for me. Her knowledge of how the admissions essays work allowed for us to focus on the important aspects of the essay and leave out the fluff. In addition, Yelena made my essays very interesting with bits of (effective) humor and storytelling that made my essays stand out. Overall, Yelena was able to unleash the creative side of my writing and add life to my otherwise monotonous essays. Thank you again!!!”
-AK, accepted to Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS)
Read More"I sought out Yelena's help just one week before my application was due. Although I considered myself a proficient writer, I was having difficulty tailoring my writing to express my personal identity and my interest for Cornell University. Yelena worked with me over the phone and inspired me to consider the bigger picture and to incorporate a more creative narrative for my essay. She also kept me motivated and focused, providing a timeline of due dates. In just a couple of days, my essays went from bland mediocrity to a vivacious and impactful assortment of words. Yelena helped me eliminate extraneous phrases and wording that didn’t aid the overall momentum and suggested the practice of nighttime journaling to spur creativity and insight. She also helped me incorporate shorthand (like "Cornellian" and "A&S") to give my supplement an additional level of authenticity. Although my stats were competitive for Cornell University, I’m convinced that Yelena's input and editing are the main reason I was admitted."-JT, accepted to Cornell University
Read More"Yelena was so engaging and insightful! She visited my students during the Fall at the High School for Environmental Studies, as they were preparing for the college admissions process. The process can be so daunting for kids, and she really helped to ease their concerns about what to include and what not to include in their personal statements. My seniors were so grateful to have her come in! She provided them with so much useful, valuable advice as to how to individualize their college essays. She answered all of their questions as clearly as she could, as they vigorously jotted down notes and ideas while Yelena spoke. I am happy to say that many of those very same students, especially those who went for early acceptance, have been accepted to so many great colleges and universities. Thanks so much Yelena for all of your help! And we look to having our students work with you again next year!" —Erika Brooks, Social Studies Teacher, The High School for Environmental Studies
Read MorePowered by Squarespace.
