Here are two things

you should know about our team: 

1. More than 80% of the students we work with gain acceptance into one of their top choice schools, and 98% of those who have applied to the Top 50 schools have been accepted. 

2. But we don't base our success solely on our students' college acceptances.

Why? Because there are so many other things that our students have done well (GPA, SAT/ACT, Extracurriculars, Life) before meeting us that have prepared them to write a great personal statement. Instead:

We measure our success in other ways...

• Each time a student tells us that working with us has made him a better writer

• Each time a student tells us we've helped her gain confidence

• Or when we receive a testimonial like this:

"Working with Ethan and the College Essay Guy team, I discovered who I am as a person, what I value, and how I specifically developed and express my values. Knowing who I am as a person was essential in genuinely presenting myself to college admissions representatives. My essay coach, Mr. Simpson, met with me over Skype and was free to meet as much as I could keep up. He coached me on how to write my essays, but did it in a way where my voice was maintained. The best part about the College Essay Guy team is that I was constantly pushed to strive for even better essays. They do not want to just get you an essay, they help you present yourself in the best possible way you can...I learned a lot about what I value as a person. I learned about my different qualities and characteristics that I have used in the past, and will continue to use in the future. I really enjoyed reflecting on specific experiences that led me to develop these values... I enjoyed working with the College Essay Guy team."

That's how we know we've made a real impact. And that's why we love our work.

But we also don’t mind bragging a little. And, because parents are sometimes curious, we’ve compiled a list of acceptances from the past year. (Note that this is not the full list of schools.)

2020 Acceptances

• Amherst College

• Babson College

• Bates College

• Baylor University

• Boston College (2)

• Boston University (5)

• Bowdoin College (3)

• Brandeis University

• Brown University (3)

• Bryn Mawr College

• California Polytechnic Institute

• Carleton College

• Carnegie Mellon University (2)

• Case Western Reserve University (2)

• Chapman University

• Claremont McKenna College

• Clark University

• Colby College

• Columbia University (2)

• Creighton University

• Dartmouth College (2)

• DePaul University

• Duke University (4)

• East Carolina University

• Emory University (5)

• Fordham University (3)

• Fudan University

• George Washington University

• Georgetown University (2)

• Harvard University (2)

• Houston Baptist University

• Indiana University - Bloomington

• Johns Hopkins University (3)

• Kenyon College

• Lehigh University

• Loyola Marymount University

• Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (2)

• Middlebury College (3)

• New York University (5)

• North Carolina State University

• Northeastern University (4)

• Northwestern University (4)

• Occidental College

• Ohio State University (2)

• Purdue University

• Rhodes College

• Rutgers University

• San Diego State University

• Santa Clara University

• Smith College (2)

• Southern Methodist University (2)

• Stanford University (3)

• Stevens Institute of Technology

• Swarthmore College (3)

• Texas A&M University (3)

• Trinity University

• Tufts University (2)

• Tulane University

• University of California Berkeley (6)

• University of California Irvine (5)

• University of California Los Angeles (6)

• University of California San Diego (5)

• University of California Santa Barbara (2)

• University of Central Florida

• University of Chicago (3)

• University of Colorado Boulder

• University of Connecticut

• University of Florida

• University of Georgia

• University of Houston

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (3)

• University of Maryland

• University of Massachusetts Amherst (4)

• University of Miami

• University of Michigan (3)

• University of Minnesota

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• University of Notre Dame

• University of Pennsylvania (6)

• University of Pittsburgh (2)

• University of San Francisco

• University of Southern California (3)

• University of Texas at Austin (3)

• University of Toronto (2)

• University of the Pacific

• University of Virginia

• University of Washington (4)

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Vanderbilt University (3)

• Villanova University

• Wake Forest University

• Washington State University (2)

• Washington University in St. Louis (2)

• Wesleyan University

• Western Oregon University

• Western Washington University

• Yale University

“Working with the College Essay Guy team ensured that the essay process was a journey of growth in writing and for yourself, rather than a box to check off for applications. Definitely recommend working with them for a thoughtful approach to college applications and a dedicated, supportive sounding board.”

Accepted: Harvard University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Washington, Northeastern University

Will Attend: Harvard

“CEG helped me write essays that I genuinely felt proud of and knew accurately reflected my personality while shining light on experiences that couldn’t be found elsewhere on my application. The CEG team supported me through the entire process and enabled me to write a unique essay that I didn’t know or think I was capable of. The entire team was very responsive and constantly made helpful edits to my work. I believe my essays elevated my application from good to great, which ultimately helped me gain admission into my dream school!”

Accepted: Vanderbilt University, University of Georgia, Tulane University, Southern Methodist University, UT Austin

Will Attend: Vanderbilt University

“Working with your team was one of the best things I have experienced.  For me, it was much more than essay writing — it was about self-reflection, authenticity, discovering what truly matters to me and what my values are, and getting the opportunity to look back on some of my best (and worst) memories in life and create a story out of it.  Right when I thought my essays were done and ready to go, you showed me how they could be even better...teaching me how there is always room for improvement in anything.  We are beyond lucky to have had the opportunity to work with you.  Thank you, from all of us.  We truly appreciate the time we had to work with you and what you taught us both in essay-writing and in life.”

Accepted: Stanford University, Harvard University, Duke University, Vanderbilt University, University of Washington

Will Attend: Stanford University

“Not only are you guys extremely professional, knowledgeable, and skilled at what you do, you're also some of the true and kind people I've met. I felt as if both Ethan and my coach were genuinely interested in the parts of my life I was trying to put on paper; thus, when they helped me with my essays, it felt like the editing was being done by a friend who knew me well--and who knew exactly how to best communicate my interests and idiosyncrasies to my colleges.”

Accepted: Brown University (ED), University of San Francisco (EA)

Will Attend: Brown University (ED)

“Working with Nicole helped me find my true identity and turn it into prose for college admission officers. I was pushed to make every word have purpose and that every line flowed with the next to truly create a one of a kind personal essay. The flexibility to have meetings during the week and receive edits on the fly helped me progress quickly even during the busiest part of senior year. I never felt overwhelmed or lost as the many years of experience that Ethan has helped advise me through every concern I had. I am truly grateful to Ethan and Nicole as I believe that they were an integral part of my college application success. Thank you so much for all your help!”

Accepted: University of Southern California, Washington State University, University of Washington, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Boston University, Northeastern University, New York University, Carnegie Mellon University,

Will Attend: University of Southern California

“The College Essay Guy team helped my college essays in ways I could not have imagined. My essay coach guided me to write my essay with the best choice of language and guided me through the difficult task of cutting out non essential information to meet the word count.”

Accepted: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Purdue University, Texas A&M

Will Attend: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

“The brainstorming process was extremely useful in creating a template for my personal essay and other supplementary essays as well. Additionally, my essay coach was very open to new ideas and was not afraid to criticize every sentence, which is definitely a good thing! Lastly, my coach helped me make my activity list more concise and eye-catching.”

Accepted: University of Southern California, Emory University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, New York University, Johns Hopkins University

Will Attend: University of Southern California

“I would never have written the essays that ended up writing without CEG. My essay coach helped me find topics that were unique to me and helped me to go deeper than I ever would have on my own.”

Accepted: Amherst College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, Trinity College, Ohio State University, University of Michigan, Kenyon College

Will Attend: Amherst College

"Based on the experience I had, everything was perfect! My coach was an amazing person, Ethan was extremely helpful throughout the process, and I got into my dream university. I wouldn't have liked it any other way. 100% will recommend to friends and family.”

Accepted: New York University, Northeastern University, DePaul University

Will Attend: New York University

“Working with Andy (essay coach) provided me clarity in my thought process and structure of the essays. Andy would ask me questions on whatever I wrote which pushed me to develop my ideas and think about the "so what" element in my essays. In my final drafts, every sentence had a specific purpose which connected my essay to my main intention and provided the reader a reflection into my life. I liked that I could interact with Andy according to my time schedule and pace.”

Accepted: New York University (ED)

Will Attend: New York University (ED)

“As a transfer student who was working on an incredibly short deadline and had a very difficult schedule to work around, I was incredibly grateful to have found College Essay Guys. Cathleen was so helpful and flexible with me while working on my essays. The content that I was able to create with the College Essay Guys guidance was a much better representation of myself than all of the other work I had created with other counselors in my original college process. I truly felt confident in the material I was submitting to colleges and I can honestly say that I could not have asked for a better mentor in this process!”

 Accepted: Georgetown University, Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, Boston College

Will Attend: Georgetown University

“I loved working with the CEG team! It seriously made the otherwise painful process of college essay writing quick and easy. I recommend them to every junior who asks for college advice.”

Accepted: Bowdoin College, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College, University of Washington, Carleton College

Will Attend: Bowdoin College

“I loved working with Mindi! She was so kind, charismatic, very smart but most importantly she was so, so enthusiastic every time we had a zoom meeting. Furthermore, regardless if I was stuck in an area, she was always open to giving her ideas and incorporating them into my own. For example, there was a frustrating moment during our meetings when I realized that I wanted to submit my school essay as the supplement for Amherst college. However, after so many days of being stuck while revising my essay, Mindi still continued to be patient and understanding of my situation. Finally, she advised that I write my own fresh personal supplement and it turned out great!”

Accepted: University of Massachusetts Amherst, Boston University, Clark University, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Will Attend: University of Massachusetts Amherst

“The attention to detail and personalization is what makes the CEG experience different. You are given the freedom to express yourself and shine through your written works. Now that's special.”

Accepted: Middlebury College, Baylor University, Brandeis University, Occidental College, Rhodes College, Southern Methodist University, Houston Baptist University, University of Houston, Texas A&M

Will Attend: Middlebury College

“Calvin was super helpful in the writing process, helping me come up with ideas on what to write in addition to finding creative ways to fit everything in the small word limits in order to best portray myself to the admissions officers. When it came time to submit my essays, I was amazed at how descriptive and informative they were compared to at the beginning of the writing process.”

Accepted: UNC Chapel Hill, Emory University, University of Maryland Baltimore, North Carolina State University, East Carolina University, UNC Charlotte

Will Attend: UNC Chapel Hill

“I was a bit skeptical when I first read other testimonials talking about how influential the essay writing process was for them. But after working with College Essay Guy, I understand what they meant. I learned how to voice my values and determine what is important to me. Writing essays about yourself can feel pretty self-involved or arrogant, but through College Essay Guy, I realized that I can be confident in myself, not just as a writer, but as an individual.”

Accepted: University of Washington, Washington State University, California Polytechnic Institute, George Washington University

Will Attend: University of Washington

“I worked with Cathleen and I came very late to the process. Cathleen and Ethan were very quick to get me ready to go and started on my essays ASAP. They set very clear deadlines and helped my college list get narrowed done and become more realistic. Cathleen had very accommodating time slots and always gave very good feedback. She also digs in deep and pulls out parts of you that you didn’t realize would make for great essays.”

Accepted: UC San Diego, University of Wisconsin, Ohio State University, Babson College, San Diego State University

Will Attend: UC San Diego