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Berkeley PhD, Harvard Author - Writing Coach for College Essays
Ben U.

5.0 (58 ratings)

166 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $175
Contact Ben

Response time: 42 minutes

Ben U.'s Photo
Ben U.'s Photo Ben U.'s Photo

Berkeley PhD, Harvard Author - Writing Coach for College Essays
Berkeley PhD, Harvard Author - Writing Coach for College Essays
Ben U.

5.0 (58 ratings)

166 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
5.0 (58 ratings)

166 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

About Ben

Bio

I help college applicants come up with compelling, effective application essays.

The application process is daunting for many students. Writing is challenging, but it becomes even more so when you have to come up with a narrative about yourself. Drawing on twenty years' teaching experience and my background as an author published with Harvard University Press, I help students overcome their fears and lead them through every step of the process.

MY APPROACH

I adopt a streamlined approach to...

I help college applicants come up with compelling, effective application essays.

The application process is daunting for many students. Writing is challenging, but it becomes even more so when you have to come up with a narrative about yourself. Drawing on twenty years' teaching experience and my background as an author published with Harvard University Press, I help students overcome their fears and lead them through every step of the process.

MY APPROACH

I adopt a streamlined approach to the essay-writing process by
-Connecting with students to draw out the best possible application narrative.
-Helping students overcome their fear of writing.
-Breaking down the writing process into achievable tasks.

My students find that after just a few sessions, they have already made significant progress on their college essays.

MY BACKGROUND

After teaching history at UC Berkeley for ten years, I was elected to a faculty position in the Harvard Society of Fellows. Given my passion for good, clear writing, I wrote an academic book that received a wide readership and was widely discussed in international media. Since then, I have focused on helping students with their college essays.

MY TRACK RECORD

Over the past three years, my clients have been accepted into many top colleges across the United States, including:
-Harvard University
-Yale University
-Stanford University
-Princeton University
-University of Chicago
-Columbia University
-NYU
-USC
-UC Berkeley
-UCLA
-UC Davis
-UC Santa Barbara
-UC San Diego
-UC Irvine
-Pomona College
-Pitzer College
-University of Michigan
-Boston University
-Lehigh University
-Santa Clara University

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Education

University of Chicago
M.A.
UC Berkeley
PhD
Harvard Society of Fellows
Other

Policies

Schedule

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Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Subjects

Business

Public Speaking

Public Speaking

I have given public talks at venues including The National Archives in Washington DC, The Wiener Library in London, and The German Historical Museum in Berlin. I have appeared on CNN, CBS, and Fox, and I have given dozens of radio interviews on stations including NPR and the BBC. In working with my clients on public speaking, I identify key challenges facing individual students and develop ways to create an effective speaking style.

Corporate Training

French,

French

Fully fluent in French (native speaker level). Conducted research for PhD dissertation in France.
Public Speaking

Public Speaking

I have given public talks at venues including The National Archives in Washington DC, The Wiener Library in London, and The German Historical Museum in Berlin. I have appeared on CNN, CBS, and Fox, and I have given dozens of radio interviews on stations including NPR and the BBC. In working with my clients on public speaking, I identify key challenges facing individual students and develop ways to create an effective speaking style.

English

Public Speaking,

Public Speaking

I have given public talks at venues including The National Archives in Washington DC, The Wiener Library in London, and The German Historical Museum in Berlin. I have appeared on CNN, CBS, and Fox, and I have given dozens of radio interviews on stations including NPR and the BBC. In working with my clients on public speaking, I identify key challenges facing individual students and develop ways to create an effective speaking style.
Writing,

Writing

I’ve been a writing coach for university applicants since 2016. Taught academic writing at UC Berkeley for ten years. Directed 30 senior theses at Berkeley, primarily through individual consultation and mentoring. PhD from UC Berkeley. Published book with Harvard University Press in 2013 (translated into five languages). Articles in New York Times, Harper’s, Hollywood Reporter, Time. Elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows, 2011-2016.
English, Literature

History

American History, European History

Homeschool

French,

French

Fully fluent in French (native speaker level). Conducted research for PhD dissertation in France.
Writing,

Writing

I’ve been a writing coach for university applicants since 2016. Taught academic writing at UC Berkeley for ten years. Directed 30 senior theses at Berkeley, primarily through individual consultation and mentoring. PhD from UC Berkeley. Published book with Harvard University Press in 2013 (translated into five languages). Articles in New York Times, Harper’s, Hollywood Reporter, Time. Elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows, 2011-2016.
English

Language

French

French

Fully fluent in French (native speaker level). Conducted research for PhD dissertation in France.

Most Popular

French,

French

Fully fluent in French (native speaker level). Conducted research for PhD dissertation in France.
Writing,

Writing

I’ve been a writing coach for university applicants since 2016. Taught academic writing at UC Berkeley for ten years. Directed 30 senior theses at Berkeley, primarily through individual consultation and mentoring. PhD from UC Berkeley. Published book with Harvard University Press in 2013 (translated into five languages). Articles in New York Times, Harper’s, Hollywood Reporter, Time. Elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows, 2011-2016.
English

Other

College Counseling

College Counseling

As a writing coach, I’ve worked primarily with university applicants since 2016. My clients have been accepted at top-tier universities across the US. Taught academic writing at UC Berkeley for ten years. Directed 30 senior theses primarily through individual consultation and mentoring. PhD from UC Berkeley. Elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows, 2011-2016. Published academic book with Harvard University Press, 2013.

Summer

French,

French

Fully fluent in French (native speaker level). Conducted research for PhD dissertation in France.
Writing

Writing

I’ve been a writing coach for university applicants since 2016. Taught academic writing at UC Berkeley for ten years. Directed 30 senior theses at Berkeley, primarily through individual consultation and mentoring. PhD from UC Berkeley. Published book with Harvard University Press in 2013 (translated into five languages). Articles in New York Times, Harper’s, Hollywood Reporter, Time. Elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows, 2011-2016.

Test Preparation

College Counseling

College Counseling

As a writing coach, I’ve worked primarily with university applicants since 2016. My clients have been accepted at top-tier universities across the US. Taught academic writing at UC Berkeley for ten years. Directed 30 senior theses primarily through individual consultation and mentoring. PhD from UC Berkeley. Elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows, 2011-2016. Published academic book with Harvard University Press, 2013.

Ratings and Reviews

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5.0 (58 ratings)
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Reviews

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We are forever grateful

Ben helped my son with his college essays during Christmas break. He worked over the holidays with my son, which we are forever grateful. He was very professional and extremely hands on and helpful. Ben recognized his weak points on his essays and figured out immediately how to improve them. We recommend Ben highly to anyone who needs help with their college essays.

Erin, 4 lessons with Ben

Incredible, Caring, and Understanding Tutor!

Ben was an incredible, caring, and understanding tutor who helped me truly express myself in my essay. I came to Ben without an essay two weeks before the deadline and with his help was able to complete an awesome essay. His kind and calm attitude toward the essay helped me during a very stressful time and helped me get it done last minute. Ben helped me get into the college I wanted to and I am so grateful!

Aidan, 7 lessons with Ben

Best Tutor

Ben tutored my sister for several sessions; each time, they were able to move efficiently through over forty essays, creating concise and next-level responses. He was extremely patient, and I would highly recommend him.

Scott, 10 lessons with Ben

Patient and extremely knowledgable

My daughter had 2 sessions with Ben for her college essays. His feedback was invaluable and he covered alot in each of the one hour sessions. We were so happy with him that we plan to use him for my son too.

Radhika, 2 lessons with Ben

Knowledgeable tutor

Faced with a student who had 5 days to finish her essays, Ben was very helpful in my college application process. He helped me finish my essays within 3 days of starting that presented myself as a multidimensional student. Overall the process was very very helpful and I don’t think I would’ve been able to submit my application with so much confidence without Ben.

Madeline, 2 lessons with Ben

Patience and kindness

Ben worked with my daughter on her college essay with a gentle approach to opening her up to tell her story. He helped her develop her essay from a very disjointed essay to an essay she was very proud of and worked extremely hard on with Ben’s guidance. We look forward to using Ben again and highly recommend his services for all students however I find him especially ideal for the student who has a hard time accessing and expressing themselves on paper or in a conversation. He has that magic!

Dana, 8 lessons with Ben
Hourly Rate: $175
Response time: 42 minutes
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