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College Essays & Strategic Positioning Expert (Harvard EdM)
Kenneth O.

5.0 (1,598 ratings)

3,535 hours tutoring

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Meet Kenneth O.
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About Kenneth

Bio

With an MFA in Creative Writing and a Harvard Ed.M., I specialize in college essays, personal statements, and overall strategic application positioning.

The real challenge for high-achieving applicants is standing out — not just writing a polished college essay, but building an application where every piece reinforces the same identity. Your college essays need to create a memorable, differentiated picture of how you think, lead, solve problems, or move through the world.

Together, we...

With an MFA in Creative Writing and a Harvard Ed.M., I specialize in college essays, personal statements, and overall strategic application positioning.

The real challenge for high-achieving applicants is standing out — not just writing a polished college essay, but building an application where every piece reinforces the same identity. Your college essays need to create a memorable, differentiated picture of how you think, lead, solve problems, or move through the world.

Together, we build a cohesive, high-signal application — one where your college essays, supplementals, and activities all work together.

Your personal statement stops being a random story.

Your supplemental college essays stop feeling disconnected and become extensions of the same coherent identity.

Your activities list stops reading like a list of tasks and starts reinforcing the same signal your college essays deliver.

The goal: a strategy where your college essays actively distinguish you from thousands of other qualified applicants.

I work with:
Common App personal statements
Supplemental admissions essays
UC PIQs
Transfer and graduate school admissions essays

I don't use templates or generic edits. As a college essay coach, I use a strategic process that helps students identify the patterns, qualities, and positioning themes that make an application memorable. Whether starting from scratch or refining a final college essay, I help you move from guesswork to clarity — so every part of your application works together.

Students I've worked with have earned admission to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, MIT, Penn, Brown, Duke, UChicago, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and more. Working on college essays for any of these schools? I can help.

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Education

University of Utah
Mass Communications
Harvard Grad School of Education
Masters
National University
Masters

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $400
  • Rate details: NOTE: 12-hour cancellation policy enforced.
  • Lesson cancellation: 12 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 12/22/2021

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

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Approved Subjects

College Counseling

College Counseling

I have over 3,500 hours of one-on-one coaching experience helping students through college applications. I hold an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an MFA in Creative Writing, which together inform how I teach both the strategic and the writing-craft sides of the process. I have worked with students applying to highly selective colleges and have helped students gain admission to schools including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, MIT, Penn, Brown, Duke, the University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Cornell, and UT Austin. My work covers college list development, the Common Application, the personal statement, supplemental essays, the activities section, and interview preparation. I have over 1,500 five-star reviews.
Creative Writing

Creative Writing

With a Harvard Ed.M. and an MFA in Creative Writing from National University, I bring both academic rigor and working-writer credibility to creative writing instruction. My creative writing has been produced professionally across multiple media. I am a produced screenwriter whose work was adapted into an indie film, and a playwright with productions featured in a Manhattan festival. These aren't academic credentials — they're proof that the craft I teach has been tested in the real world. My professional memberships include The Dramatists Guild, WGAe, and BMI. I have taught creative writing at the post-secondary level, including internationally in Singapore, developing instructional methods that adapt to writers at every stage — from students who have never written creatively to those refining a distinct voice they've been building for years. Whether you're working on fiction, screenwriting, playwriting, personal essays, or finding your voice as a writer, I bring a practitioner's eye to every session.
Essay Writing

Essay Writing

As a published author, screenwriter, lyricist, and composer, I bring decades of working-writer experience to every essay coaching session — not just academic knowledge of writing, but the hard-won understanding of what it takes to produce work that lands. My MFA in Creative Writing from National University formally qualifies me to teach writing at the graduate level. My Harvard Ed.M. grounds that craft in educational strategy and learning theory. From high school essays to college essays to graduate school personal statements, I have helped clients find their voices, break through writer's block, and produce written work at the highest level of their ability.
Personal Statements

Personal Statements

My experience with personal statement coaching spans college admissions essays, Common App personal statements, supplemental essays, graduate school statements of purpose, transfer essays, scholarship essays, and mock interview preparation tied to essay themes. The purpose of a strong personal statement is not simply to be well written. Its main goal is to differentiate the applicant positively from other highly qualified candidates by revealing how the student thinks, what they value, and the perspective they bring to a campus community. The same strategic principle applies to supplemental essays, short responses, and school-specific prompts. I help students move beyond generic storytelling and build personal statements that create a clear, memorable signal for admissions officers. This includes topic selection, structure, narrative clarity, voice development, revision strategy, and alignment with the broader college application. My experience extends across all aspects of admissions counseling, allowing me to ensure that the personal statement, supplemental essays, activities list, and school strategy all reinforce the same cohesive identity. I hold a Harvard Ed.M. and an MFA in Creative Writing — credentials that inform both the strategic and craft dimensions of my personal statement coaching. Reach out today for expert help with personal statements, Common App essays, supplemental essays, statements of purpose, and admissions essay strategy.
Writing

Writing

My writing coaching experience includes college essays, Common App personal statements, supplemental essays, academic writing, persuasive writing, narrative writing, revision strategy, and interview preparation tied to written applications. Strong writing is not just about grammar or sounding polished. The real goal is clarity, precision, structure, and distinctiveness. Whether the project is a college essay, academic assignment, scholarship essay, or personal narrative, I help students develop writing that communicates ideas clearly while preserving an authentic voice. I specialize in helping students transform generic or over-explained drafts into writing that feels intentional, memorable, and strategically structured. This includes brainstorming, outlining, organization, revision, sentence-level clarity, argument development, and strengthening overall flow. Because my work also includes college admissions strategy and personal statement coaching, I help students understand not only how to write well, but how to write with purpose for a specific audience and outcome. I hold a Harvard Ed.M. and an MFA in Creative Writing from National University — teaching expertise and high-level writing craft working together in every session. Reach out today for expert help with writing, essay development, revision, academic writing, personal statements, and college essays.

Examples of Expertise

Kenneth has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 10 questions submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

See all of Kenneth ’s answers ›
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Ratings and Reviews

Rating

5.0 (1,598 ratings)
5 star
(1,592)
4 star
(6)
3 star
(0)
2 star
(0)
1 star
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Reviews

Exceeded all expections

I came to Kenneth filled with self-doubt about my abilities as a writer. He filled me with confidence and assured me that he was going to help. And boy, did he help. He helped me write one of the deepest, insightful, and raw essays I've ever come across. I know that the college admissions committee will have all they need to know that I'm the right fit. By the way, he's so funny, so I highly recommend him if you need a laugh along with the best academic help you'll ever receive.

Shira, 2 lessons with Kenneth

Best tutor ever!

Mr. Kenneth is truly amazing at helping you think differently and connect ideas in ways you would never expect. I was very stuck on my essays and had no idea how to structure them, but within just two lessons, he helped me turn my Common App personal statement into something I was genuinely proud of. No matter where you are in the process, he knows how to guide you and help you break through whatever is holding you back. His support made a huge difference in my application journey, and I was accepted to both UT Austin and UC Berkeley for tech majors. I’m excited to be attending UC Berkeley EECS this fall!

Sitara, 4 lessons with Kenneth

Strong Direction and Quick Thinking

Kenneth helped me revise my essays and influenced my decision to completely change one of them. He was direct and clear with his advice which helped me make quick and informed decisions.

Rohan, 2 lessons with Kenneth

Outstanding essay writing tutor

Kenneth brought amazing improvements to my son’s essays. He knew what parts to cut, what to highlight on, and how to end in a striking way. Thank you!

Joey, 2 lessons with Kenneth

Understanding and personable tutor

Kenneth showed me how to edit and polish my essay to make it more appealing to a college admissions officer. I came in super nervous but he made me pre confident and met me where I was.

Rebecca, 3 lessons with Kenneth

Amazing admissions essay writing tutor!

Kenneth helped me write essays for admissions to a graduate program. He was honest, kind, and extensively knowledgeable about the admissions review process and what the counselors are looking for in these essays. Worth every penny! Thanks Kenneth

Alec, 3 lessons with Kenneth

Fantastic experience

His clear guidance, patient feedback, and encouraging approach helped me refine my style and grow in confidence. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to improve their writing skills.

Carlos, 32 lessons with Kenneth

Knowledgeable, professional, and engaging tutor

Kenneth is an outstanding tutor who makes everything clear and precise. His professionalism throughout the sessions was truly impressive, and he always approached my questions with expertise and patience. On top of that, his session was enjoyable and productive. Thanks to his guidance, I feel much more confident about my application now. His tutoring sessions were not only informative but also a pleasure to attend. I highly recommend Kenneth to anyone looking for a professional, knowledgeable, and engaging tutor!

THEO, 2 lessons with Kenneth

Great Tutor and Counselor

My daughter needed help with UC app PIQs and Ken was very helpful in providing direction to her and clarifying her ideas. Thank you!

Jag, 2 lessons with Kenneth

Great Tutor and Counselor

My daughter needed help with UC app PIQs and Ken was very helpful in providing direction to her and clarifying her ideas. Thank you!

Jag, 2 lessons with Kenneth