Search
Kenneth O.'s Photo

My Hollywood expertise is key to College Counseling and Essay Writing
Kenneth O.

287 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Hourly Rate: $80
Response time: 1 hour

About Kenneth


Bio

My clients appreciate my "high-dosage" approach; plenty of insight and solutions packed into any session! Not a minute goes by when the client is bored.

When I teach high school English and Social Studies, I emphasize persuasiveness and storytelling to write the most important persuasive argument essays ever: personal statement and supplemental essays for students' favorite colleges. Not only in my own college admissions practice, I work for counseling firms Fahey Associates, Knavigators,...

My clients appreciate my "high-dosage" approach; plenty of insight and solutions packed into any session! Not a minute goes by when the client is bored.

When I teach high school English and Social Studies, I emphasize persuasiveness and storytelling to write the most important persuasive argument essays ever: personal statement and supplemental essays for students' favorite colleges. Not only in my own college admissions practice, I work for counseling firms Fahey Associates, Knavigators, Elite Prep Cupertino (California), and Prime Academics (NYC). For some free, valuable tips from someone with an Admissions reader (UVA, UCLA) perspective, visit my "College Admissions" blog at Prime Academics NYC.

For elite colleges (below 20% acceptance rates), never overestimate credentials, and never underestimate the challenge to show your COMPELLING UNIQUENESS!

For any of my essay writing or college services, I inspire and empower students in ways that their own teachers never could. That's why my clients consider me a "mentor" or "coach". I help discover the best parts that these elite colleges seek. More than they expect, I help my clients learn about self-awareness (which lasts a lifetime) well beyond their eventual written college applications.

At any grade or profession, good WRITING is simply...storytelling. So, if you don't know how to tell a compelling story in your college essays, then obsessing over spelling, grammar, and sentence structure won't matter; embrace a process or framework that is easy to lean on. I went to Hollywood to discover this. By working in creative development for Disney and Oscar-winning producers. I perfected ways to brainstorm ideas, collaborate with people, build simple story structure, and provide useful feedback for next drafts. I teach that for compelling essay writing.

Whether you are in high school struggling with college essays, or middle school struggling with all writing, or even an adult needing more writing confidence, let us figure out a writing approach you can embrace!


Education

University of Virginia
Business
UCLA
MBA

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $80
  • Rate details: This is my College Counseling starting rate; rates increase by $5/hour every month starting 10/1, as demand for tutoring services increases up until the early and regular decision deadlines.
  • Lesson cancellation: 24 hours notice required
  • No background check

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

Loading...

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat


Approved Subjects

Business

Business

I obtained my Finance/Marketing degree from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Business. After spending two years on Wall Street working for Chase, I obtained my MBA from UCLA's Anderson School. I have almost 10 years experience directly assisting C-suite level executives at industry leaders like Disney and Gensler. Nowadays, I focus a lot on entrepreneurial ventures, as I develop two of my own.
College Counseling

College Counseling

While earning business degrees from the University of Virginia (B.S.) and UCLA Anderson School (MBA), I also worked for my alma maters’ Admissions Committee as a student or alumni rep. Your high school teenager doesn't need an English teacher; he/she needs a Storytelling teacher. My background in Hollywood film/TV development helps your teenager to apply self-awareness to become a compelling protagonist in his/her college applications, so that audiences (Admissions Committees) can relate to their stories of growth & potential.
Film

Film

You won't find many people in the D.C. area who have worked in Hollywood with my 8+ years of creative development experience. 4 years reporting directly to the Presidents of Disney Films & Television. 4+ years working for Oscar-winning producers like Scott Rudin, Tim Burton, Ron Howard & Brian Grazer. Nowadays, I write my own screenplays.
Writing
Kenneth O.'s Photo

Questions? Contact Kenneth before you book.

Still have questions?

Contact Kenneth
Response time: 1 hour

Ratings and Reviews


Rating

4.8 (106 ratings)
5 star
(99)
4 star
(1)
3 star
(1)
2 star
(2)
1 star
(3)

Reviews

Engaging and Knowledgeable College Counselor

Kenneth's enthusiasm and expertise regarding the college admissions process was evident from the first meeting we had with him. His engaging personality immediately put my daughter at ease and allowed for an instant connection. He helped her to feel excited and energized about the essay writing process and inspired her to take a more introspective look at her potential college list and examine her choices more closely. Kenneth clearly cares about his students' success and I believe he will be an invaluable resource throughout this process.

Beth, 1 lesson with Kenneth

Very strong tutor

Kenneth is a very seasoned tutor. He provided direction that I never considered for my entrance essays. Kenneth is so busy that he could probably raise his rate. I am happy with his present rate. Please don't go up on me, Kenneth!!!!

Xander, 1 lesson with Kenneth

Amazing guidance.

Provided invaluable guidance and support throughout my college internship application journey. His expertise and insight helped me craft a compelling narrative that truly showcased my passions and aspirations. I'm grateful for his insight, wisdom, and encouragement and will continue to rely on him for my college applications as well.

Rushil, 1 lesson with Kenneth

Amazing guidance.

KennethHere's a possible paragraph: Provided invaluable guidance and support throughout my college internship application journey. His expertise and insight helped me craft a compelling narrative that truly showcased my passions and aspirations. I'm grateful for his insight, wisdom, and encouragement and will continue to rely on him for my college applications as well.

Rushil, 1 lesson with Kenneth

Cuts right to the chase and provides tailored advice

Mr. Ong read 3+ personal statement drafts before our first meeting and provided thorough comments and suggestions. In the end, he helped me brainstorm a completely different topic that I’m incredibly happy with. He also provides resources that I couldn’t find easily on Google. Beyond that, he genuinely cares and sends opportunities such as upcoming college fairs etc. I would definitely check him out because he has experience being a college admissions officer (something most college counselors don’t have)!

Anish, 1 lesson with Kenneth

Amazing college counselor!

In just our first session, Mr. O was able to summarize the entire college application process to me engagingly. The time of our session went by so quickly! During the session, I learned information that I had never even heard of before from my school counselor. His explanations made it easier for me to understand just how important storytelling and uniqueness are in an application. Additionally, just by looking at the basic information I had for him, Mr. O was able to devise a college application plan for me. He has the skill of being able to simplify and emphasize the most important details of your life after a quick look at your information! I went from feeling stressed and somewhat panicked to feeling extremely confident thanks to him! Mr. O is extremely knowledgeable in the college admissions process and I'd recommend him to anyone who is feeling lost/is struggling to give him a try! Good luck to everyone who is currently going through the admissions process!

Christina, 1 lesson with Kenneth

very pleased

Kenneth is great. I wish my daughter started working with him earlier. He has varied and deep past experience. He has a great style - firm but also kind. There are various assignments in between sessions to make sure progress is made.

Holly, 1 lesson with Kenneth

Will not go wrong choosing this tutor!

Excellent tutor with vast amount of resources and clear vision how to structure college essay prep and get student through this very overwhelming and stressful yet critical time of developing a winning Common App Personal Statement. I like how my daughter came out of his session- energized, confident, excited, full of ideas and eager to roll up her sleeves and tackle her college essay!

Tatiana, 1 lesson with Kenneth

Very responsible, Knowledgeable, and frank teacher!

Mr. Ong is a very responsible and frank tutor. He is not only knowledgeable at helping student to write essay. But also very frankly let parent know what aspect that parent need to pay attention to the kid's growing. In US learning environment, most times we heard the appraisals, but we hope we also need to know what is the kid's shortcoming, so we can help him to improve. Mr. Ong is a teacher that frankly to tell us the direction we push the kid may need to change and I'm learning a lot. Even after the class, Mr. Ong also follow up with me and he does concern about my kid! I do appreciate his excellent instructions.

Haiying, 1 lesson with Kenneth

very helpful

Kenneth cares a lot about his clients. He gives examples for reference; he is honest and considerate; very efficient & knowledgeable. Kenneth is very reasonable, wise, and gives good advice. I highly recommend him for college guidance, essay writing, any type of college application assistance you may need. Pretty much anything you want to know, he is the one to ask!

Holly, 1 lesson with Kenneth
Hourly Rate: $80
Response time: 1 hour
Contact Kenneth