Online College Essay Coach Darcie Whelan-Kortan
Personalized, online coaching for Common App essays, college personal statements, and supplemental essays.
Deadlines for applications might be anytime between now and spring, but most
regular decision deadlines are not later than January 1 of next year.
- Are you overwhelmed by the college essay?
- Are you staring at a blank document and can’t get started? Or…
- Have you written a lot but it isn’t coming together as an essay?
- Are you stuck on the shorter supplemental responses?
- Are your parents backing away, saying, “I’m an engineer (cook, administrator, anything but a writer)!”
College Essay Editing with Darcie Whelan-Kortan
Your college application essay, personal statement and supplemental essays (“supplements”) are your chance to add story, style, and color to the simple data and facts that make up the rest of the application. If you have diversity in your background (ethnic identity, disability or neurodivergence, other unique identities), this may be the only place to highlight it. Don’t miss this opportunity to shine. Put your stamp on it and make it memorable!
You don’t have to do this alone. Get online college essay coaching to complete your essays for the Common App, Coalition App, and other formats for a handful of colleges. On average, students spend 30-40 hours completing the personal statement and the dozens of supplements.
Without expert guidance, many students are spinning their wheels and not producing the quality essays they are capable of. Teachers who offer to help are overwhelmed with massive piles of first drafts and can only give so much time.
“I was feeling super unsure about how my essay was worded and, after giving it to Darcie, she gave me pointers that made me feel more confident handing it in to colleges!”
–Emily L.
“Darcie was incredibly helpful throughout the process of writing my graduate school application essays. She was always quick to respond and genuinely took the time and care to help me refine and perfect my writing. Thanks to her guidance and thoughtful feedback, I submitted my personal essays feeling confident in my work. I highly recommend Darcie to any student looking for writing support. She is truly dedicated to helping her clients put their best work forward!”
–Franziska S.
“Working with Darcie for my son’s college essays was the best decision we made! She was incredibly responsive, professional, and supportive throughout the entire process. Thanks to her guidance, he was accepted into all of his top-choice schools! Most importantly, having her expertise in our corner allowed us to actually enjoy his senior year without the stress. We couldn’t be more grateful!”
–Carrie S.
Who is Essay Coach Darcie Whelan-Kortan?
I am a business writing professor, having taught communications at UC Berkeley and Marist College. I hold an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Through my consulting firm Whelan Group Seminars, I also develop and teach business writing courses for professionals at leading organizations, including Apple, the United Nations, and the World Bank.
I bring creative and professional writing expertise—a unique combination—to college essay coaching. A college application essay is essentially the “best story” you might tell in a job interview, but in writing. It needs to be authentic, engaging, focused, and memorable. Helping students find and tell that story is the perfect marriage of my two areas of expertise: creative writing and business writing.
My approach is collaborative. I help students discover which experiences will resonate for college admissions, organize their ideas, and express themselves clearly and compellingly—while preserving their own voices. Students I’ve coached have been accepted to UC Berkeley, Fordham University, and other selective colleges and universities.
I am a published essayist. For more than twenty years, I have published personal essays about raising a child with disabilities and advocating for him. My own essays reflect the same storytelling principles I teach students: finding meaning in personal experiences and transforming those experiences into compelling narratives. Here are a few of my favorites: Medium.
Essay Coaching Program and Cost
Step 1: Brainstorm with me, looking at the prompts and deciding on your best story/message. Develop an outline with my feedback.
Step 2: Send me the first draft. I will mostly review the essay for structure and content. We meet over Zoom for 45 minutes – 1 hour.
(Steps 1 & 2: $150.00)
Step 3: Send me the second draft. I will review for structure and content and suggest some close edits. We meet over Zoom for 45 minutes – 1 hour.
(Step 3: $75.00)
Step 4: Send me the final draft. I will review for close edits (word choice, sentence structure, clarifying phrasing). We meet over Zoom for 45 minutes – 1 hour.
(Step 4: $75.00)
Pricing is a la carte (purchase just the first few steps or all four).
Total Program (Steps 1-4): $300.00
Help with supplements (average 250 words)
($50.00 each)
Guidelines for the Personal Statement
The Common App is the main application used by most colleges in the U.S. The personal statement is 650 words max (under 1 ½ pages single-spaced). The Coalition App (used by some colleges) is also 650 words. A handful of other colleges (e.g., the University of California system) have different guidelines.
With the Common App, the good news is that there is one choice that allows you to
send “any essay.” Here are the current application prompts. Begin by browsing these and contact me to get started!
Common App Personal Statement Prompts
IDENTITY:
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
CHALLENGE:
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
CONVICTION:
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
GRATITUDE:
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
PASSION:
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
PERSONAL GROWTH:
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
DESIGN-YOUR-OWN:
Share an essay on a topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you help with Common App essays?
Yes. I help students choose a prompt, develop their ideas, write and revise their personal statements, and prepare their final essays.
Can you help with supplemental essays?
Yes. I offer supplemental essay coaching for $50 per essay.
Do you write the essay for the student?
No. Your essay should reflect your own experiences, ideas, and voice. I provide guidance, feedback, and editingto help you communicate those ideas effectively.
Do you work with students outside New York?
Yes. Coaching is conducted online via Zoom, so I can work with students anywhere.
Do I have to purchase the complete program?
No. My pricing is à la carte. You can purchase the stages you need.
