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Gabriel M.'s Photo Gabriel M.'s Photo

Expert Ivy/Top-Tier College Essay Coach, English PhD, Former UCLA Prof
Gabriel M.

5.0 (620 ratings)

1,636 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $240
Contact Gabriel
Response time: 51 minutes

About Gabriel

Bio

College essays are a crucial part of the application process. They are your opportunity to make a lasting impression on admission committees, and to distinguish yourself from other applicants through creative, skillfully written, and memorable essays. Working with a proven, experienced coach will make a huge impact on reaching your top choices—and on having a genuinely rewarding writing experience along the way.

I hold an MA and PhD in English from UCLA, where I taught for a decade. My...

College essays are a crucial part of the application process. They are your opportunity to make a lasting impression on admission committees, and to distinguish yourself from other applicants through creative, skillfully written, and memorable essays. Working with a proven, experienced coach will make a huge impact on reaching your top choices—and on having a genuinely rewarding writing experience along the way.

I hold an MA and PhD in English from UCLA, where I taught for a decade. My writing has been published in both academic and literary journals. For the past seven years, I have used my extensive academic experience, writerly expertise, and understanding of admissions to help students reach their dream schools. My students have been accepted by Stanford, the full range of Ivies, the UCs, Chicago, MIT, Caltech, Michigan, USC, and other top universities and colleges. Every year, I produce a wide range of admissions success (from my 2024 clients, I have Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Penn, USC, UCLA, and Berkeley admits, among a variety of other top schools). However, one size does not fit all--whatever your top choices, we'll craft essays that distinguish your application. I also work with applicants for medical and law school, and other grad programs.

In addition to independent coaching, I have previously coached and written material for the College Essay Guy team, and I have worked with boutique counseling services in Los Angeles.

Whether brainstorming, outlining, writing, or editing, I offer guidance at any phase. And don't worry, STEM-centric folks—you write some of the most creative, potent essays of all! I approach my work with results-driven focus and a sense of enjoyment and humor. Creating a collaborative relationship with applicants is one of the best parts of my job. Ultimately, we will make your essay stand out. In the process, I will help you become a more skilled writer, which will deliver dividends during college and beyond.

I look forward to working with you!

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Education

Reed College
English - Phi Beta Kappa
UCLA
PhD
UCLA
Masters
  • Licensed teacher

Policies

Schedule

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Approved Subjects

Classics

Classics

I hold a PhD in English, and have a broad range of knowledge concerning English and European classics.
College Counseling

College Counseling

As an experienced college admissions essay coach, I have a demonstrated track record of helping students achieve admissions success. I hold a PhD in English Literature from UCLA, where I spent nearly a decade teaching, and where I gained a keen firsthand understanding of elite admissions committees. In addition to my independent coaching work, I spent several years working with students and writing about college essays for College Essay Guy, and I have also worked with boutique admissions counseling services in Los Angeles. My clients have gained admission to the full range of Ivies, Stanford, MIT, Chicago, Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, and many other schools. Year after year, I help students craft outstanding essays that capture their voice and vibrancy, and allow them to truly stand out from those of other applicants. I also work with graduate, medical, and law school applicants.
English

English

I hold a PhD in English literature from UCLA, where I later served as a faculty member. I am deeply versed in America, British, and international literature. I also have years of experience in helping students brainstorm, craft, and edit essays for maximum clarity, argumentative power, and stylistic excellence. I am skilled at advising at a range of educational levels, from high school to graduate and professional school.
Literature

Literature

I hold a PhD in English literature from UCLA, where I later served as a faculty member. I am deeply versed in American, British, and world literatures. I have years of experience in helping students brainstorm, craft, and edit essays for maximum clarity, argumentative power, and stylistic excellence. I am skilled at advising at a range of educational levels, from high school to graduate and professional school.
Personal Statements

Personal Statements

For the past seven years, I have helped students and professionals develop powerful, successful personal statements for college, graduate/law/medical school, and summer program admissions. As a PhD in English, a former professor, and a longtime higher education professional, I have expert writing skills as well as a deep understanding of admissions committees. I take an engaged, hands-on approach to collaborating with students to help them emerge with the strongest essay possible. Year after year, student after student, my clients see the results in their admissions journey.
Writing

Writing

I hold a PhD in English literature from UCLA, where I later served as a faculty member. I have years of experience in helping students brainstorm, craft, and edit essays for maximum clarity, argumentative power, and stylistic excellence. I am skilled at advising at a range of educational levels, from high school to graduate and professional school.
SAT Writing
Vocabulary
Gabriel M.'s Photo

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Response time: 51 minutes

Ratings and Reviews

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Reviews

Perfect tutor for college essays

Gabriel's skill and attention to detail is what makes him the perfect tutor for helping with college essays. He helped me with both my common app essay and supplementals to many top schools, and each time I met with him, I walked away with a new sense of confidence and a better idea of how my essays should be written. His advice and essay refinement strikes the perfect balance between bringing out my voice and providing assistance. He is efficient and effective, ensuring that you get the most out of your lesson. If you're looking for a tutor who has a deep understanding of college essays, I highly recommend Gabriel for his in-depth revisions and advice.

Sophie, 4 lessons with Gabriel

Great tutor

My daughter has lessons with Gabriel multiple times now, and I think he helps her tremendously on her essay writing, we appreciate him very much and looking forward to working with him more!

Yunlu, 5 lessons with Gabriel

Amazing Tutor/Coach for my HS Senior - College Applications, Personal Statement

Gabriel spent 5 sessions (on-line) working with my high school senior to brainstorm, develop, edit, and strengthen her personal statement for college applications. We are so thankful for his help and are very happy with the final version of her essay! He spent the first two sessions getting to know her background and interests, talking about college essays as a genre, discussing different sample essays he sent her to illustrate what works and doesn’t work, reviewing a personal draft statement she had already put together, and discussing her ideas and other ideas for the personal statement. In the next session, Gabriel reviewed drafts of two new personal statements she had written and they picked one to move forward with. He weighed what was working and what could be developed, and laid out ways for her to develop the most interesting themes in her essay. Then went back and forth a couple more sessions to further develop, edit, and strengthen the essay. We highly recommend Gabriel to anyone looking for help developing a personal essay or statement for college applications.

Mimi, 5 lessons with Gabriel

Knowledgable and Patient Tutor

If you're looking for a writing tutor who’s honest, knowledgeable, and deeply committed to helping you improve, I would most definitely recommend Gabriel. He offers wise, thoughtful critiques--always constructive and geared toward making your work the best it can be. He's an excellent writer with a sharp eye for detail and clarity, and he’ll challenge you in the right ways.

Kaitlyn, 8 lessons with Gabriel

College app Tutor

Gabriel was instrumental in refining my UC application essays. He showed me how to present my ideas in a concise, compelling format and clarified every stage of the UC essay‑writing process. His eye for editing and word choice elevated each draft, and his clear, patient explanations made improvements easy to understand. I highly recommend Gabriel to anyone seeking thoughtful, professional feedback on college essays.

Jayven, 2 lessons with Gabriel

Great tutor, easy to work with.

Gabriel assisted me on short notice with multiple Law School personal statements. Gabriel was concise and to-the-point regarding edits and he was able to improve my essays immensely. Each session was incredibly productive. I highly recommend Gabriel to anyone needing edits, suggestions, or any kind of assistance with writing.

Morgan, 5 lessons with Gabriel

Gabriel is amazing!

Gabriel helped me feel more confident in the college applications process. Whenever I sent my essays, sometimes even late at night, he always adhered to my deadlines. His feedback was very detailed, and something I liked was how he not only made feedback comments, but pasted the edited version of the essays for my convenience. During our live sessions, he was very specific and insightful about what I should do to improve my personal statement, and it helped a lot. Overall, he’s an excellent tutor, and very friendly, too.

Lily, 5 lessons with Gabriel

Extremely Helpful/Knowledgeable College Essay Tutor

Gabriel is an expert writer and assisted my daughter with her college essays through a series of time-efficient lessons. He provided helpful feedback and worked through every line of her writing in a very detailed manner. He provided my daughter with comprehensive comments on each essay, making it clear to her how to improve her writing effectively. His schedule is also very flexible, making it easy to find time to work with him. Overall, we are very pleased with the expertise he provided. 

Denny, 28 lessons with Gabriel

So supportive and helpful

We had many college counselors and essay reviewers throughout this whole process, but Gabriel was by far the best. He was so encouraging and simultaneously ensured that my voice was maintained in my writing, while also being very honest about any changes he felt were necessary or would improve things even in the smallest ways. I wouldn't have the polished essays I have right now without his dedicated support, and I highly recommend him!!

Eunhee, 12 lessons with Gabriel

Excellent help for grad school essays

Gabriel was an amazing help at reviewing my grad school essays, helping me restructure and find the proper wording to articulate my strengths. Within the first 15 minutes of my session with Gabriel I could tell he is a phenomenal writer. In addition, he works to make his sessions to as efficient and helpful to his students, curtailing his time to their specific needs.

Ishaan, 2 lessons with Gabriel
Hourly Rate: $240
Response time: 51 minutes
Contact Gabriel