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Jonathan K.

College Essay Mentoring from Top Yale Grad/ Fulbright Mentor/ CTY Dean

College Essay Mentoring from Top Yale Grad/ Fulbright Mentor/ CTY Dean

$200/hour

5.0 (496 ratings)

  • 1,276 hours tutoring

  • Chelsea New York, NY 10018

About Jonathan

Bio

My professional passion is mentoring bright young people applying to university, with a primary focus on planning, drafting, and revising application essays. With twenty-five years' experience in teaching writing, I have earned a solid reputation for helping applicants garner admission to top-tier universities like Yale, Columbia, MIT, Princeton, and Brown.

PUTTING YOUR MIND AT EASE

With a personal statement and a dozen or more supplement essays to write--from scratch--the college...

My professional passion is mentoring bright young people applying to university, with a primary focus on planning, drafting, and revising application essays. With twenty-five years' experience in teaching writing, I have earned a solid reputation for helping applicants garner admission to top-tier universities like Yale, Columbia, MIT, Princeton, and Brown.

PUTTING YOUR MIND AT EASE

With a personal statement and a dozen or more supplement essays to write--from scratch--the college application process can be immensely daunting, for students and parents alike. If you work with me, my first priority is to put you at ease by explaining how I will:
(a) break the workload down into achievable pieces;
(b) support you as you tackle the challenges of each essay; and
(c) help you make meaningful progress in every session.

Our very first meeting will identify goals and topics for the Common App personal statement (the "main essay") so we can begin writing immediately. By our third meeting, we'll have a comprehensive action plan, including a strategy for saving time and effort with supplement essays without sacrificing quality.

KEEPING YOU IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT

My professional philosophy is that every essay you write needs to reflect *your* ideas and resonate with *your* own authentic voice. My job is to support you through each step of the writing process by:
- Strategizing with you to choose options and topics that effectively convey your most compelling strengths to admissions officers;
- Asking you detailed questions to guide your brainstorming and freewriting;
- Crafting a thorough outline (based on your freewriting) that breaks the work of drafting into manageable pieces;
- Offering expert guidance and specific feedback to assist you in revising, to make your writing as clear and meaningful as possible;
- Editing your draft, line by line, to ensure it is fluently readable; and
- Suggesting cuts to make your draft concise and powerful.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

Over the past twenty-five years of my career in education, I have taught at leading public, Quaker, and international schools, as well as for two top-tier universities.

I acquired my zest for the craft of writing at Yale, where I graduated in the top five percent of my class. I subsequently apprenticed with Shady Hill School's Teacher Training Course, the nation's leading program, while earning a master's degree with a concentration in English from Tufts.

My primary focus as a teacher has been preparing students to write clear and compelling prose, whether it be for their AP exam essays, creative nonfiction pieces, or Lincoln-Douglas debate cases.

Over the years I have pursued many kinds of work and professional development in addition to my classroom teaching. For example, I am a Teacher Consultant for the National Writing Project. I also currently serve as a Mentor for the Fulbright Commission, a renowned non-profit established by international treaty, where my role is to help extremely bright British students from disadvantaged backgrounds apply to top-tier schools in the US. I have taught creative nonfiction writing courses over several years for the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY). For ten years I advised International Baccalaureate students on their Extended Essays, and I have completed the IBO advanced training for this work. I have taught semester-long courses in assessment and differentiation for the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and I serve as Academic Dean for the CTY Global Studies Program at Princeton University.

MATRICULATIONS AT TOP-TIER UNIVERSITIES

Each year I provide full-service, one-to-one support to five or six rising seniors with their application essays, as well as to a few transfer and graduate-school applicants. Over the past five years students I have assisted have matriculated at top-tier colleges and universities, including:

- Amherst College
- Berklee College of Music
- Boston University - Kilachand Honors College
- Brown University
- California Institute of Technology
- Claremont McKenna College - Full Tuition Scholarship;
- Columbia University
- George Washington University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Harvey Mudd College
- King's College London
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Full Tuition Scholarship
- New York University
- Notre Dame University
- Politecnico di Milano, School of Design
- Princeton University
- Scripps College
- Tufts University
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Southern California - Presidential Scholarship
- Vanderbilt University
- Wellesley College
- Yale University - Full Tuition Scholarship

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Education

Yale University; summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
Archaeology, with distinction
Tufts University; Education with concentration in English
MEd

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $200
  • Rate details: Cancellation/postponement within 24 hours will be charged full time. I offer various kinds of discounts; please just ask for details.
  • Lesson cancellation: 24 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 10/25/2016

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Subjects

Business

Public Speaking

Public Speaking

I have been a speech and debate coach for eight years and currently serve as my league's Chair. I have been teaching speech and debate as a formal subject for five years at my current school. This year I earned the Degree of Special Distinction from the National Speech and Debate Association for my accomplishments.

Corporate Training

Public Speaking

Public Speaking

I have been a speech and debate coach for eight years and currently serve as my league's Chair. I have been teaching speech and debate as a formal subject for five years at my current school. This year I earned the Degree of Special Distinction from the National Speech and Debate Association for my accomplishments.

English

English,

English

I have a Master's of Education, Concentration in English from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts, with a distinction in the major, summa cum laude from Yale University.
Public Speaking,

Public Speaking

I have been a speech and debate coach for eight years and currently serve as my league's Chair. I have been teaching speech and debate as a formal subject for five years at my current school. This year I earned the Degree of Special Distinction from the National Speech and Debate Association for my accomplishments.
Writing,

Writing

25 years of tutoring writing; a certificate in teaching English from Massachusetts. Have taught for Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University.
Literature

History

American History,

American History

I have been teaching American history for over a dozen years, with a specialization in AP US History. I have taken two week-long workshops delivered by course leaders from the College Board, one of whom was instrumental in reforming the exam format for the AP history courses. I have spent well over two hundred hours coaching students in writing LEQ and DBQ essays.
Social Studies,

Social Studies

Over the past 12 years, I have been teaching high school social studies full time. I taught first at a Quaker school in the US, then for the past nine years an international school. During that time I have taught a variety of courses, including United States history, Western Civilization (1400 to present), World history. Earlier, while teaching middle school, most of my work was in social studies. My apprenticeship was also mostly in social studies. Lastly: My undergraduate degree was chiefly in the social studies arena, with psychology, archaeology, anthropology, and history.
European History

Homeschool

English,

English

I have a Master's of Education, Concentration in English from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts, with a distinction in the major, summa cum laude from Yale University.
Writing

Writing

25 years of tutoring writing; a certificate in teaching English from Massachusetts. Have taught for Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University.

Most Popular

English,

English

I have a Master's of Education, Concentration in English from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts, with a distinction in the major, summa cum laude from Yale University.
Writing

Writing

25 years of tutoring writing; a certificate in teaching English from Massachusetts. Have taught for Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University.

Summer

Writing

Writing

25 years of tutoring writing; a certificate in teaching English from Massachusetts. Have taught for Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University.

Ratings and Reviews

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5.0 (496 ratings)
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Reviews

Show reviews that mention

All reviews good job explains things kind and patient communicate ideas

Featured review

Exceptional, meticulous, dedicated, and most importantly, supportive

We have a high-school senior who is applying to nine top-ranked colleges. From our very first consultation with Jon, we knew that he would be the perfect writing coach. He has been extremely effective in helping our son organize and catalyze his essays while simultaneously keeping him on-track and focused. Words cannot describe how satisfied I am with the quality of the essays Jon has helped my son produce. I am incredibly thankful that we found him and would recommend his writing sessions with flying colors. Thank you, Jon!

Ley-Gloryann, 32 lessons with Jonathan

Jonathan is the best English tutor I have ever worked with.

Jonathan helped me with the last minute Admissions essays to IVY league school. He stayed with me until 3 AM in the morning and worked together on a google doc. I learned how important it is to be organized when writing. I feel more confident about my ideas. After one lesson with Jonathan I feel motivated to continue working on my writing skills. Thank you, Jonathan!

Yanna, 4 lessons with Jonathan

Amazing history/writing tutor

Jonathan was truly amazing with my son who is a freshman in high school. He helped him organize his paper, support his argument, and improve sentence structure. He’s a great tutor for both writing and History.

Lenore, 11 lessons with Jonathan

Kind, Dedicated, and Experienced Tutor

College applications can be tough. I was greatly panicked about my personal statement, numerous essays, and deadlines for transfer until I decided to book an appointment with Jonathan. He has, in a short amount of time, really helped my essays blossom through his meticulous and patient teaching style. Jonathan was able to quickly organize my ideas and take them to a more meaningful and articulate level. Additionally, he made my writing more personal to who I am as an individual by getting to know me and what my personal strengths are (something I was struggling to portray before our first meeting). My confidence level in my applications has increased dramatically since my online tutoring lessons began. I cannot thank Jonathan enough for all ways he has helped me in my ambitions. If you are looking for a tutor who is caring, encouraging, and has a vast array of knowledge that you cannot help, but feel inspired - look no further.

Kristina, 42 lessons with Jonathan

Excellent Teacher and Writer

Jon has really helped me through the college application process. He has helped me think outside the box in terms of topics and ideas. I was able to elevate my writing with him as he helped me critically think about everything I was doing. Highly recommend!

Yash, 46 lessons with Jonathan

Great tutor!

Jonathan has been helping my daughter with her college essays. He is extremely knowledgeable and efficient. He has brought her college essays to a level we did not even expect. He is patient, he has plenty of ideas and his English skills are amazing so his edits are really good. He also has a very good approach with students which help them focus on one issue at a time (finding the ideas, or writing the essays, or meeting the word count, etc.) and not feel overwhelmed with the number of essays they have to write. I strongly recommend Jonathan. You will find cheaper tutors for sure but with Jonathan, we've bought quality, dedication and results and that's what we get.

Laurence, 36 lessons with Jonathan

Professional, supportive, fast, and GREAT!

Jonathan guided our daughter and our son through their college admission essays and he did a FABULOUS job. He conferenced with them to let them discover what they truly want to write about, then they discussed structure, and finally line editing. Both children ended up with essays that reflect their strength in their own voice and in perfect form. We are MOST pleased with Jonanthan and can only recommend him.

Stefanie, 16 lessons with Jonathan

Experienced and Patient tutor

I was incredibly stressed about my college application essays, but thankfully I found Jonathan! He is understanding and considerate in the way he explains and gives his feedback. After calling Jonathan for a consultation, it became evident he has years of experience and wisdom about the college essay process. I highly recommend!

Natalie, 9 lessons with Jonathan

Top notch tutor!

Jonathan is patient and knowledgeable. My seventh year old son looks forward to his sessions with him. Jonathan keeps my son on track. I highly recommend him. Jen

Jen, 11 lessons with Jonathan

Excellent writing tutor

Jon first started helping my son last year when he was in 11th grade with an IB English paper that my son was stuck on. Jon provided specific guidance as a result my son got over the writing hump and received a good grade in English. For the last few months Jon has been patiently working with my son on various college application essays. Jon is knowledgeable, patient, articulate, and engaging. I would highly recommend Jon to any student who needs help with writing.

Lora, 53 lessons with Jonathan
Contact Jonathan

Response time: 2 hours

$200/hour

Jonathan K.

$200/hour

  • No subscriptions or upfront payments

  • Only pay for the time you need

  • Find the right fit, or your first hour is free

Contact Jonathan

Response time: 2 hours