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College Essay & Personal Statement Coach | MFA | 11+ Years
Betsy A.

5.0 (1 ratings)
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Hourly Rate: $120
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Response time: 3 hours

About Betsy

Bio

My students have been admitted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, Penn, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, UC Berkeley, and Yale School of Management (MBA). They have also been named U.S. Presidential and Coca-Cola Scholars and earned YoungArts, Regeneron Science Talent Search, and Scholastic Art & Writing recognition.

For more than 11 years, I have worked one-on-one with high school students on college admissions essays, personal statements, supplemental essays, UC Personal...

My students have been admitted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, Penn, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, UC Berkeley, and Yale School of Management (MBA). They have also been named U.S. Presidential and Coca-Cola Scholars and earned YoungArts, Regeneron Science Talent Search, and Scholastic Art & Writing recognition.

For more than 11 years, I have worked one-on-one with high school students on college admissions essays, personal statements, supplemental essays, UC Personal Insight Questions, scholarship essays, and other high-stakes writing. I also work with college and graduate students on English and writing coursework, research papers, literary analysis, and applications to master’s, MBA, doctoral, and other graduate programs. I tutor SAT Reading and Writing as well and work with younger students who need support in reading and writing.
I’m new to Wyzant, but not to this work.

I earned an MFA in Writing as a Truman Capote Fellow and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley.
I listen closely, ask a lot of questions, and help students see what is strongest in their own material. When a draft is not working, I may question the premise, point out where it starts to drift, or ask for more when a student has stayed on the surface. I work with students from brainstorming through final revision, with detailed written comments and clear priorities along the way.

I was a National YoungArts Winner in Poetry, and I remember what it meant to have an adult reader take my work seriously. I bring that same care to my students. I do not write or rewrite students’ work for them; the finished piece should be strong and completely theirs.

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Education

`University of California, Berkeley
Psychology
>Brooklyn College (CUNY)
Masters

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Approved Subjects

ACT English

ACT English

For more than 11 years, I’ve helped students strengthen the English skills tested on the ACT, including grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, usage, organization, and rhetorical effectiveness. I start by identifying where a student is actually losing points, whether that means rebuilding fundamentals or working on more advanced questions involving style, logic, and passage structure. I teach the underlying rules clearly and then use targeted practice so students learn to recognize and correct problems consistently. My background as a writer, editor, and longtime academic coach also helps me teach the reasoning behind strong, effective writing, not just how to pick an answer choice.
College Counseling

College Counseling

I have more than 11 years of experience in college admissions and writing consulting, guiding students and families through school-list development, application strategy, essays, timelines, deadlines, and final submission. Students I’ve worked with have been admitted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, Cornell, Penn, UC Berkeley, Duke, and other highly selective universities. I also work with younger high school students who want to begin planning early, helping them make thoughtful choices and approach the admissions process with a clear sense of priorities. I hold an MFA in Writing, earned as a Truman Capote Fellow, and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley on a full scholarship.
Creative Writing

Creative Writing

I earned my MFA in Fiction as a Truman Capote Fellow, studying with writers including Sigrid Nunez, André Aciman, Dinaw Mengestu, and Ben Lerner, and I was a YoungArts award recipient in poetry while in high school. I’ve spent more than 11 years teaching and coaching young writers, along with years in serious writing workshops where close reading, thoughtful critique, and learning how to respond to unfinished work were central to the practice. I work with students across fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, helping them develop ideas, strengthen craft, and revise deeply; students I’ve coached have earned recognition including Scholastic Art & Writing Gold and Silver Keys and YoungArts awards. I believe good feedback should be both kind and exact. I try to understand what a writer is actually trying to make, point out what is already working, and show them where the work can become stronger without taking over the piece or making it sound like me.
English

English

I have more than 11 years of experience helping students strengthen their writing, reading, and analytical skills, from academic essays and literary analysis to creative writing and personal statements. I hold an MFA in Writing, earned as a Truman Capote Fellow, and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley. I have also worked extensively with students learning English as an additional language, including teaching the building blocks of English grammar, sentence structure, usage, and written expression. Years of teaching, workshop, editing, and close reading have trained me to give precise, constructive feedback on structure, argument, clarity, style, and revision.
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

For more than 11 years, I’ve worked primarily with students for whom English is a second language, many of them native Mandarin speakers. I’ve taught everything from the building blocks of English and the mechanics of grammar to reading comprehension, vocabulary, sentence structure, and advanced academic writing. I’m comfortable meeting students wherever they are, whether they need to strengthen foundational English or refine already strong language skills for school, college, or professional work. My approach is practical and individualized: we identify what isn’t working, make sure the underlying English is solid, and practice until it becomes natural.
Essay Writing

Essay Writing

I’ve spent more than 11 years helping students write and revise college admissions essays, personal statements, supplemental essays, scholarship applications, and other high-stakes writing. I earned my MFA in Writing as a Truman Capote Fellow and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley. My students have been admitted to highly selective colleges and universities and have earned major scholarships and national recognition, but my focus is always on helping each student figure out what they actually want to say and how to say it in a voice that feels like their own. I give direct, thoughtful feedback on ideas, structure, clarity, and style, and I work collaboratively rather than rewriting a student’s essay for them.
Fiction Writing

Fiction Writing

I earned my MFA in Fiction as a Truman Capote Fellow, where I studied with writers including Sigrid Nunez, André Aciman, Dinaw Mengestu, and Ben Lerner. For more than 11 years, I’ve worked one-on-one with young writers, helping them develop fiction from the earliest idea through serious revision. I work closely on character, scene, structure, point of view, language, and the choices that make a story feel alive. Students I’ve coached have earned recognition including Scholastic Art & Writing Gold and Silver Keys and YoungArts awards. My feedback is direct, thoughtful, and specific: I help writers understand what they’re trying to make and strengthen it without turning their work into something that sounds like me instead of them.
Literature

Literature

I have more than 11 years of experience working with students from elementary school through graduate school on literature, close reading, and analytical writing. I hold an MFA in Writing, earned as a Truman Capote Fellow, and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley. Years of literary study, workshop, teaching, and editing have trained me to help students move beyond plot summary to understand character, structure, imagery, theme, voice, and the choices a writer makes on the page. I also help students turn those observations into clear, well-supported literary analysis and essays.
Personal Statements

Personal Statements

I have more than 11 years of experience helping students develop and revise college admissions essays, personal statements, supplemental essays, and other high-stakes application writing. Students I’ve worked with have been admitted to universities including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, Penn, Cornell, UC Berkeley, and Duke, and have earned national recognition through programs including YoungArts, U.S. Presidential Scholars, Coca-Cola Scholars, and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. I hold an MFA in Writing, earned as a Truman Capote Fellow, and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley on a full scholarship. I work closely with students from brainstorming through line-level revision, helping them find the strongest structure and language for their story while keeping their own voice at the center.
Proofreading

Proofreading

I have more than 11 years of experience editing and proofreading academic, admissions, and creative writing for students from middle school through graduate school. I work closely at the sentence level, correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling, usage, and awkward phrasing while preserving the writer’s own voice. I hold an MFA in Writing, earned as a Truman Capote Fellow, and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley. I can also flag places where clarity, organization, or style need attention rather than simply correcting surface errors.
SAT Reading

SAT Reading

I have more than 11 years of experience working with high school students on reading, writing, and college admissions, including SAT verbal preparation. One student I worked with raised his SAT verbal score from a low of 470 before we began working together to a high of 780. I start with where each student actually is: if the issue is reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, or another English fundamental, we build that skill first and practice it until it is solid. From there, we use targeted practice questions and full-length practice tests, reviewing mistakes carefully so students understand exactly what went wrong and how to improve.
SAT Writing

SAT Writing

I have more than 11 years of experience helping high school students prepare for the SAT, including many students who made substantial gains in Reading and Writing. I have worked extensively with ESL and multilingual students, particularly Mandarin speakers, helping them strengthen the grammar, syntax, reading, and rhetorical skills the SAT actually measures. I do not teach shortcuts or gimmicks; strong SAT performance comes from understanding the material well and preparing seriously. I help students build those fundamentals, diagnose the areas that are costing them points, and practice until they can apply what they know accurately and efficiently under test conditions.
Vocabulary

Vocabulary

I have more than 11 years of experience teaching English and writing to students ranging from young children through graduate school. My work has included vocabulary development, grammar, reading comprehension, close reading, and helping students use new words accurately and effectively in their own writing. I hold an MFA in Writing, earned as a Truman Capote Fellow, and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley. I tailor vocabulary work to the student’s level and goals, whether they are building foundational language skills, strengthening academic writing, or preparing for more advanced reading and coursework.
Writing

Writing

I have more than 11 years of experience teaching, editing, and coaching writers, from young children through graduate students. I hold an MFA in Writing, earned as a Truman Capote Fellow, and am a YoungArts award recipient myself; students I’ve worked with have gone on to earn honors including Scholastic Gold Keys and YoungArts recognition. Years of workshop, close reading, and professional editing have trained me to give precise, constructive feedback on structure, argument, clarity, style, voice, and revision. I work with students at every stage of the writing process, from developing and organizing ideas to revising and polishing work for school, publication, or competition.
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Hourly Rate: $120
Response time: 3 hours
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