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STEM College Counselor & Essay Specialist
Valerie L.

6,272 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Hourly Rate: $150

About Valerie


Bio

Personal Summer Writing Workshop: A 6-Week College Essay Intensive for High School Students

Hello, Writers!

Your college essay is one of the most important pieces of writing you will ever do, and it doesn't have to feel overwhelming. That's exactly why I created My Personal Summer Writing Workshop, a focused, one-on-one summer session designed specifically to help high school students write a college essay that is their own clear, compelling, and authentic story.

Over six weeks, we...

Personal Summer Writing Workshop: A 6-Week College Essay Intensive for High School Students

Hello, Writers!

Your college essay is one of the most important pieces of writing you will ever do, and it doesn't have to feel overwhelming. That's exactly why I created My Personal Summer Writing Workshop, a focused, one-on-one summer session designed specifically to help high school students write a college essay that is their own clear, compelling, and authentic story.

Over six weeks, we will work together—just the two of us—using my writing framework to guide you through every stage of the process. Together we will develop your essay topic and thesis, build strong essay and paragraph structure, and polish your grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation. No rushing, no guessing, no staring at a blank page alone. Just steady, supported progress, one step at a time. At the end of six weeks, you'll have a polished draft or a final essay ready to submit with confidence.

Here's what's included:

• Six one-hour, one-on-one sessions over six weeks at $800 flat rate
• Personalized guidance on essay topic and thesis development
• Support with essay structure, grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation
• A free copy of my writing guide, The Writing Framework: 15 Steps to Your Strong Five-Paragraph Essay that’s yours to keep!

Want to keep the momentum going? Continue beyond six weeks at $150/hour.
Limited summer spots available. Sessions run June 1 through August 31. If you're ready to walk into your college application season feeling confident and prepared, I'd love to work with you this summer.

Happy writing!


Education

New Mexico Institute of Technology
Environmental Science
The University of Waterloo
Masters

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $150
  • Rate details: Please contact me for my rates for Core Subject and STEM Tutoring that begin at $80/hr.
  • Lesson cancellation: 24 hours notice required
  • Background check passed on 12/19/2023

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Approved Subjects

Career Development

Career Development

I have more than 12 years experience as a career development coach. The career level of my clients includes those at the college/university, entry, experienced, and top executive levels. The foundation of my experience is more than 20 years in business, as an employee and consultant; as well as holding senior positions in management, including operations. My work with clients has been very effective, with all of my clients being able to identify an authentic career, create an appropriate set of strategies for achieving their goals, and then reaching them.
College Counseling

College Counseling

I have 12 years experience as an academic coach and college counselor, helping high school and college students, as well as adults already pursuing a career to enhance their education. An area in which I focus is helping to write highly literate essays and personal statements, ensuring that they are presenting an engaged, authentic, and well-qualified self. When helpful, I use a variety of assessments, such as the combined MBTI/Strong Interest Inventory, to help them become more self-aware of how they relate to the world and to identify their values, strengths, interests, and abilities. Through this work, I assist them in determining the best path for their ultimate career and academic options.
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

I have tutored ESL at the university level for a variety of students who spoke English as a second language, including native speakers of Asian, Middle Eastern, and European languages.
Study Skills

Study Skills

I am qualified to tutor study skills for several reasons. I successfully completed a bachelor's in environmental science and a master's in earth science as an a student. During my work on my master's, I was a teaching assistant who successfully helped college freshmen learn how to think about learning the subject they studied and how to study the material. Two of my recent students were not doing well in their classes. As their academic tutor, I identified how they learn -- comprehend, process, and anchor information -- and helped them become self-aware around their individual learning style. I then developed a learning/study strategy that worked very well for them both. In fact, one of these students just improved her test scores, going from a C to a 96% after just two tutoring sessions with me and implementing her new learning/study strategy.
Web Design

Web Design

I have more than eight years experience creating websites using content management systems, such as WordPress and Hubspot. I design, create graphical and written content, and build websites. My clients are from a range of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) industries.
Writing

Writing

With more than 20 years of experience in essay, professional, and technical writing, I help students craft personal statements and application essays that are polished, authentic, and genuinely theirs . My approach is collaborative and deadline-driven: I have never missed a deadline with a student, and I won't start now. Parents can count on me as a reliable partner throughout the process, not just a session-by-session resource. My background as a scientist and business writer sharpens my ability to help students identify their strongest argument, support it with the right details, and communicate it clearly to any audience. Strong grammar, editing, and vocabulary skills round out what I bring to every session. While AI can be a useful support tool, real writing growth comes from doing the thinking and decision-making yourself. I help students develop the skills and confidence to own their writing — so the ideas, the voice, and the work are genuinely theirs. Every client also receives a complimentary copy of my eBook, The Writing Framework: 15 Steps to Your Strong Five-Paragraph Essay — a guide I created to help students build confidence and skill between our sessions and beyond.
ACT English
Algebra 1
Algebra 2
American History
Art History
Biology
Chemistry
Ecology
English
Geography
Geology
Grammar
Prealgebra
Proofreading
Reading
SAT Reading
SAT Writing
Spelling
Vocabulary
World History
Valerie L.'s Photo

Questions? Contact Valerie before you book.

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Ratings and Reviews


Rating

5.0 (837 ratings)
5 star
(816)
4 star
(15)
3 star
(4)
2 star
(1)
1 star
(1)

Reviews

Knowledgeable and patient tutor / college counselor

Valerie worked with my daughter for college applications, essays, and supplements. We engaged Valerie to work on one essay with my daughter initially and we were with so impressed with her knowledge in the process and how patient she was. Eventually, we've asked her to work with my daughter for 10+ applications and the related essays and supplements. We are grateful to have engaged Valerie and we'll be connecting with her again in few years for the same process for my son. Thank you so much, Valerie!

David, 19 lessons with Valerie
Tutor responded:

Thank you, David! It has been my pleasure to work with your daughter and you. It is very rewarding for me to positively impact the students and families I support. I'm looking forward to the time when I meet your son and help with his college applications. Warm wishes to all of you.

Extremely Helpful

Valerie did an amazing job helping my daughter refine her college essays. She is very knowledgeable, reliable and flexible. My daughter is now very confident about the essays she will be submitting. Valerie helped eliminate some of the stress of applying to college. We highly recommend her.

Joy, 4 lessons with Valerie
Tutor responded:

Thank you, Joy! It is a pleasure working with your daughter, and I am very happy that our work together supports her confidence about her path forward.

Wonderful tutor

My college-aged son says, "She is just what I need." I am so thankful that he and Valerie connected as we have been trying to find someone for a long time. I think that speaks for itself!

Sara, 4 lessons with Valerie
Tutor responded:

Thank you, Sara! I am looking forward to continuing to provide support for your son. He is a pleasure to work with!

Perfect tutor!

I was extremely nervous about my environmental science paper and was on the brink of giving up. Valerie quickly changed my mindset! She was very patient and made sure I was confident in what I was writing. 5 stars isn’t enough for her rating. Thanks again!

Mercedes, 2 lessons with Valerie
Tutor responded:

Thank you, Mercedes! I am happy that our work together provided you with a positive outcome. Best wishes in your new career!

Patient and tactical tutor

Valerie was very patient in getting our first call set up to discuss how she could help our daughter. Once we set up our first session our daughter said she felt so much better about doing her book report because Valerie created a working document to follow in getting the book report done. She broke down the work into smaller pieces that were manageable and helped her know what to do.

Gisele, 6 lessons with Valerie
Tutor responded:

Thank you, Gisele! It was my pleasure to help your daughter to excel in a project that was important to her.

Insightful

While Valerie brings many skills in terms of subject/technical knowledge, she is even more valuable for her insights into your child and the stage he/she is in as a learner.

Victoria, 98 lessons with Valerie
Tutor responded:

Thank you, Victoria! It is a genuine pleasure being able to contribute to the academic and life success of your children.

Very Talented

Valerie has been helping our family for years now with many different subjects and now is helping our daughter manage her college workload. Valerie is very talented at breaking down information into manageable pieces while helping to provide a better understanding of the content.

Mary, 226 lessons with Valerie
Tutor responded:

Thank you, Mary! Getting to know and helping your family has enriched my life!

College application summer prep

Valerie is helping my daughter prepare writing for college applications. She is very knowledgable and also relatable. She works in a clear process and makes continued progress. My daughter enjoys working with Valerie and recognizes how her writing and organizing are improving. Valerie has alleviated a lot of the stress of college search and preparation for the application process.

Shandy, 8 lessons with Valerie
Tutor responded:

Thank you, Shandy! It is a pleasure to be helping your family with this important transition in your daughter's life. She is a pleasure to work with, and I am excited to see where her college path leads her.

Above and beyond

Valerie is a superb. Her and her work truly embody what it means to be a professional. She is thorough, patience and offers invaluable insight. She is also a great source of inspiration and encouragement! I highly recommend her!

Noor, 3 lessons with Valerie

Calm, helpful, great help with study skills

Valerie has been helping our daughter with general study skills, Earth Science content, and organizing her writing. Our daughter's science grade has improved, her confidence has as well, and she feels much more organized heading into a rather large first research writing assignment. I look forward to seeing the end result of this.

Michele , 8 lessons with Valerie
Hourly Rate: $150
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