Personal College Essay Mentoring with Barak Rosenbloom
Founder and Chief Essay Mentor
Over and over, students and parents tell me that writing college essays is the most frustrating part of the college admissions process. But it doesn’t have to be.
Since 2009, I’ve mentored more than 500 teens in my personal mentoring program and led workshops and training for thousands of students, parents, and professionals.
I’ll guide your teen through EssayQuest’s unique Write Like a Pro process. Of course, they’ll write better college essays and have better options for college. Even better, they’ll learn and grow as a young adult and become a better writer and communicator with skills they can take to college and beyond.
I mentor students in person in Seattle’s Eastside and globally by video.
Afraid that writing college essays will be a chore?
I’ll help make it an adventure.
A mentor does three things: comes alongside the hero, helps them get unstuck, brings a magical gift or a special tool.
–Nancy Duarte
I’m not a teacher, tutor, or coach. I don’t tell kids what to write or think, and I certainly don’t do any of the writing for them.
Instead, I help young adults discover that they’re heroes, that they have stories worth telling, and that they can write those stories better than they ever imagined.
I empower teens to write the kinds of essays that admissions officers love to read. The adventure makes intuitive sense to teenagers, giving them both the freedom to be creative and the structure to produce their best work.
Parents, I’ve got it handled
The mentoring relationship is between me and the student. Your teen does the work, and I provide guidance, support, and a little bit of magic. I’ll send you regular progress updates, and will let your know whenever I have a concern.
A teen-tested, proven process
The Write Like a Pro process goes beyond what most schools teach. As simple and powerful as it is, it isn’t part of the American writing curriculum. I help students discover that they can use this framework for any kind of writing or communication—from academic papers to presentations to love letters. Or love texts.
This is their journey. It’s unique, enlivening, and often fun. It gives them the chance to express who they are—powerfully and with pride. Of course, there are moments when it’s hard and they struggle. But isn’t that true of the accomplishments we end up valuing the most?
The bottom line is this: my students write their best college essays not just because their skills improve, but because they come to know themselves in ways that few teenagers ever do.
The Class of 2027
This is the last big step in your application journey
The Standard Program
In this program, I give students all the support they need for every college essay they have to write. I’m with them to the very end.
Students write the best essays they can, using their newfound thinking and writing skills. Some students write one or two essays, some write fifteen or twenty.
Need additional college consulting. I’m an expert in helping teens write college essays, so I’ve partnered with several outstanding consultants to provide a full range of services.
By the end of this program, I promise your teenager will have:
- one of the most effective essays that college admissions officers will read—it will be an authentic and engaging short story written to the best of your student’s ability;
- strategically written supplemental essays that respond to what colleges are looking for and that communicate your student’s message;
- new thinking, storytelling, and writing skills that will make all the difference in college and beyond; and
- a clear sense of what they contribute to their community and world, and the self-confidence that comes with that.
Other Program Options (availability may be limited)
Late-Season Programs
As we get closer to deadlines, the Standard Program may not make sense. I offer options for more limited support starting at $1450.
EssayQuest Partners
EssayQuest has trained a small number of outstanding writing coaches at Huntington Learning Centers. They can support students nationwide with programs starting at $750.
Essay Review
I give feedback that students can understand and act on. Options and packages range from $175–$750. Available beginning October 1.
Additional College Consulting
If your teen needs additional application support, from building a list to the full range of professional services, I partner with some of the most respected college consultants in the business to create a streamlined experience.
Flat fee: $5100
Limited availability
I offer a six-month no-interest payment plan through PayPal Credit, as well as a limited number of reduced-rate spots. Please ask if those are still available.
Availability
I currently have openings for students.
Timing
I meet with students as early as March. Many students start after school and standardized tests are finished
Depending on the situation, we can start the Standard Program as close as two weeks before the first due date.
Classes of 2028–2029
Become a better writer now, and write better college essays later
Write easily. Think deeply. Communicate clearly.
Each year I mentor a small number of younger high school students in a program that begins now and ends when they’re seniors, finished with their college essays.
They develop a more personal, natural, and effective approach to writing than what they’re taught in school. They discover more freedom to think and capture their ideas on paper. They acquire new tools to write more quickly, powerfully, and efficiently.
Whether a straight-A student or a struggling writer, the teens we mentor expand their abilities to write, think and communicate.
The results?
They write better school papers now and better college essays later, all with much less stress. In a world where communication is key, they learn skills that will serve them well for a lifetime.
What’s included in the program?
Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Years
We’ll meet three times per semester (or twice per trimester). In these Become a Better Writer sessions, we’ll address underlying skill gaps in your teen’s writing and identify strengths and opportunities for growth. Working with either school assignments or personal writing projects, your teen will start to develop the mindset and skills of our Write Like a Pro process.
Spring of Junior Year through Senior Year
We’ll shift to college essays by late May or early June. This is our Unlimited Personal Mentoring program: we’ll be there for as many sessions for as many college essays as your teen has to write, up to the very end. In addition, we include online tools, written feedback, quick touch-bases, and more.
Class of 2028: $6250
Class of 2029: $8500
Limited availability
I offer a six-month no-interest payment plan through PayPal Credit, as well as a limited number of reduced-rate spots. Please ask if those are still available.