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UPenn-Trained Ivy League Admissions and John Locke Essay Expert
Josh W.

5.0 (108 ratings)

245 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $300
Contact Josh
Response time: 5 minutes

About Josh

Bio

The college admissions process can feel like a black hole - it sucks up energy and leaves you feeling just as confused as when you started. But it doesn't have to be a guessing game. All the college admissions process requires is a willingness to do honest, creative and open hearted self-reflection.

Hi, I'm Josh. As a summa cum laude graduate of the UPenn (Political Science & Russian) and professional background at the US Department of State, Department of Commerce, and military, I bring a...

The college admissions process can feel like a black hole - it sucks up energy and leaves you feeling just as confused as when you started. But it doesn't have to be a guessing game. All the college admissions process requires is a willingness to do honest, creative and open hearted self-reflection.

Hi, I'm Josh. As a summa cum laude graduate of the UPenn (Political Science & Russian) and professional background at the US Department of State, Department of Commerce, and military, I bring a rare blend of elite academic training and real-world strategic communication to your college application.

I have successfully guided students to acceptances at the world’s most competitive institutions, including:

- Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UPenn, Columbia, Brown, and Cornell.

- Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins, UMichigan, Tulane, the University of Edinburgh, and the UC system (with substantial scholarship packages).

- multiple winning finalists and semi-finalists for the John Locke essay competition.

In the age of AI-generated essays, admissions officers are trained to identify authenticity. A good essay reveals character. At Penn, I was formally trained in Metacognitive Reflective Writing, and I guide students through a unique process of self-reflection and interrogation. Together, we look beneath the surface of your experiences to distill the core values, intellectual curiosity, and critical thinking skills that define who you are.

My time in the military and government taught me that high-stakes environments require a diligent strategy and calm, expert mentorship. I bring that framework to identify a student's hidden strengths, cut through the noise, and amplify their genuine voice so it resonates with admissions committees.

Whether you are aiming for the Ivy League, looking to secure life-changing scholarships, or trying to find your footing in a stressful admissions landscape, I'm here to navigate this journey with you.

Reach out today and start commanding your story.

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Education

University of Pennsylvania
Political Science

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $300
  • Rate details: Students cancelling under 6 hours before a session pay a 60% charge. No-shows after 15 minutes with no communication will result in a full payment.
  • Lesson cancellation: 6 hours notice required

  • No background check

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Approved Subjects

Bar Mitzvah

Bar Mitzvah

"Make for yourself a teacher, and acquire for yourself a friend" (Ethics of our Fathers, 1:6) I come from a long line of bnai mitzvah teachers: starting with my grandfather, and continuing to my uncle and father. As an active leader and Torah chanter in my Jewish community, I love teaching Torah and Haftorah trope. As an Ivy League-trained writing tutor, I love helping students craft the perfect the drash (speech). As a natural teacher and deep lover of Judaism, it is my greatest honor to help students think more about what it means to reach this momentous stage of life. I studied for almost two years at a seminary in Israel, am fluent in Hebrew, and am well-versed in both ancient and modern Jewish philosophy. I would love to help your child have the opportunity to prepare for their Bnai Mitzvah with an expert tutor. It is a gift that will pay dividends over their entire life.
Chess

Chess

Avid consumer of chess lessons through books and online resources, with a deep and nuanced understanding of the game exemplified by my over-30,000 online games and 2400 rating. I've taught group chess lessons to varied audiences (skills ranging from beginner to intermediate). While I enjoy explaining openings and trap lines, my favorite part of chess is developing a methodology for creating a plan in a complex position, informed by an understanding of positional strengths/weaknesses, long-term planning, and individual creativity.
College Counseling

College Counseling

I've spent a year and a half working as a tutor in the writing center at the University of Pennsylvania, and I've advised on countless personal statements for graduate schools (medical and law school including), as well as cover letters and resumes. Privately, I've advised tens of high school students on their college essays, and I've noticed that the written application process between undergraduate and graduate school is truly closely analogous. The skills one builds in honing a powerful college essay pay significant dividends down the line.
Essay Writing

Essay Writing

I have 8 years of experience tutoring students in middle school, high school, college, and graduate-level essay assignments and competitions. I was trained as a writing tutor with the University of Pennsylvania's Writing Center, and I've helped students write finalist essays for John Locke, A+ final essays for midterms, and grant-winning papers for summer research projects. I specialize in humanities-focused work (especially political science/government, philosophy, history and english), but I have advised students across a wide range of disciplines, including engineering, psychology, and art history.
Personal Statements

Personal Statements

As a UPenn-trained writing tutor and application coach, I've guided successful personal statements for Tier-1 law, medical, nursing and business schools, PhD and Masters programs. I am certified in Metacognitive Reflective Writing (MRW) from the University of Pennsylvania, and have 6+ years of experience helping a diverse range of students express their stories uniquely and compellingly. Together, we'll explore how your life experiences have shaped your values, habits and critical thinking skills, and jointly create a powerful, authentic and deeply personal narrative.
Government & Politics
Political Science
Proofreading
Reading
Social Studies
Writing

Examples of Expertise

Josh has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 5 questions submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

See all of Josh ’s answers ›
Josh W.'s Photo

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Response time: 5 minutes

Ratings and Reviews

Rating

5.0 (108 ratings)
5 star
(107)
4 star
(1)
3 star
(0)
2 star
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1 star
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Reviews

great teacher

Heading for more sessions to shape the essay to explain in better way.key points were noted in first session. Good experience and expertise.

RAM, 3 lessons with Josh

Intelligent Teacher

He helped my daughter with her essay for the John Locke competition. With the deadline fast approaching, he passionately guided her in the right direction. He is incredibly intelligent and excels at analyzing writing and understanding the student's abilities. I highly recommend him.

Chloe, 6 lessons with Josh

Incredibly Improved My Essay!

Each session, the structure and coherence of my college essay improved significantly, and Josh assisted me in putting the pieces together to create a coherent and compelling story. Besides being so professional, efficient, and strategic, his passion makes me truly comfortable with each session! Josh is the one who knows exactly what students want; as an international student who struggled to effectively deliver what I wanted to say, I learned a lot about useful writing strategies after only three sessions with Josh! I'm delighted to have met him.

Kathleen, 12 lessons with Josh

Gave life to the essay

Reviewed the essay and provide excellent feedback. Core idea of essay was retained and made it more impactful for readers. Best review ever had!

Renjish, 6 lessons with Josh

Well-spoken and overall excellent tutor!

Josh helped me completely reorganize my essay into a more readable, fluid paper that sufficiently communicated my thoughts. He condensed my 2000 word paper by about 500 words along with sharping my persuasive tone and thoroughly reading my work taking out the unnecessary pieces that really pulled my paper into a honed argument. He's very patient and quite responsive. If you ever need advice, Josh is your man!

Ian, 8 lessons with Josh

Really great help for personal statement

Josh was super helpful in helping me find identities to describe myself and linking back to my personal statement. The session went beyond my expectations. Lots of experience on thinking from the perspective of what the question/prompts are looking for. Very detailed and used a new method of writing to explain why I do the activities I do to admissions. I got a better understanding of not just showing my experiences but how they affected me. Writing about how I reason to make decisions was also covered.Thanks so much!

Manju, 1 lesson with Josh

Totally elevated my writing!

Working with Josh was super comfortable and low-stress. He helped pull apart specific pieces of my common app personal essay, transforming it from a generic cliche to a unique telling of MY story. I now feel much more confident in submitting my essays to selective colleges and am very pleased with the whole process. If you are looking to take your college essays to the next level - Josh is your man!

Maisie, 3 lessons with Josh

Essay Edits

Josh wrote great essay edits and ideas to better help my daughter with her common app. He had a quick turnaround and useful information to better strengthen my essay

Kerri, 1 lesson with Josh

Helpful and specific

Josh was very responsive before the session, but we had to spend some time in the beginning reading through the essay because sample drafts were sent to an inactive email. He helped point out topics/ideas I could focus the essay on and offered several questions to prompt me to dive further into my ideas after our session.

QING, 1 lesson with Josh

Incredible Writing Tutor!

Josh was absolutely phenomenal. He took my law school personal statement above and beyond. He was so dedicated, at some points I was inspired to work even harder on my own statement! He is so professional, such a hard worker, and genuinely cared about getting to know my voice and having that be reflected through my writing. After he was finished editing my personal statement, I truly enjoyed reading it. He is such an incredible tutor. If you are looking for help with your personal statement, look no further than Josh! Thank you so much!

Denisha, 2 lessons with Josh
Hourly Rate: $300
Response time: 5 minutes
Contact Josh