US College Admissions Consultant & Essay Coach in Singapore
Get one-on-one help with your college essays and applications. College Essay Guy helps Singapore students applying to US universities understand what American admissions officers are actually looking for. All coaching is online, scheduled across Singapore and US time zones.
A growing number of Singapore students apply to US universities each year
US admissions offices read Singapore applicants in the international pool, where academic credentials are the baseline. A student from Raffles or Hwa Chong is competing against other high-achievers from Singapore and across Asia, and Singapore’s A-Level and IB systems produce rigorous thinkers who are less practised at writing reflectively about their own lives. Yet the Common App essay requires exactly that kind of personal narrative, and it is what differentiates one strong file from another.
Standing out in that context takes more than a strong GPA. It takes a clear, coherent story that shows who your student is, what they care about, and why they belong at each school on their list. That story lives in the essays, and that is where we work.
As seen in
How College Essay Guy guides Singapore families
College Essay Coaching
The college essay is one of the few places in the application where a student gets to tell their story. Our coaches help students figure out what is actually worth writing about and build an essay around it that is specific, honest, and memorable.
- Common App personal statement
- Supplemental essays for every school on the list
- Brainstorming and topic selection strategy
- "Why Us?" essays, activity descriptions, and short answers
- UC Personal Insight Questions
- Internal team review of every essay
College Admissions Counseling
Good essay coaching doesn't happen in isolation. Strong essays need to be supported by a strong academic profile, compelling extracurriculars, a strong college admissions plan, and positioning a student's strengths across the application. This is what our team of veteran college counselors do.
- Customized college list development
- Academic planning and course selection
- Major exploration and selection strategy
- Extracurricular and summer planning
- Early Decision and Early Action strategy
- Standardized test planning and prep
“Ethan and the College Essay Guy team were amazing in every sense of the word. Their constant back-and-forth on what works and doesn’t work in each of my essays taught me how to become a better writer.
— Kajal, admitted to Yale University
What sets College Essay Guy apart
The most trusted name in college admissions
For 20 years, counselors, parents, and students have come to College Essay Guy first. Ethan Sawyer's books are taught in classrooms, his frameworks are used by independent and school-based counselors around the world, and millions of students have learned to write their personal statements through our free resources. Even many selective colleges have used CEG resources to train their college admissions staff on how to read applications.
Comprehensive admissions guidance
While essays are important, they aren't the most important thing in a sound college admissions plan. Our team of veteran college counselors average 20+ years of experience each and help students think through the entire process: building a balanced college list, planning a challenging course load, shaping a meaningful activities list, navigating financial aid, and telling your story.
A values-based approach
We find that digging deep and starting with self-discovery is the best recipe to creating compelling college applications. Before we touch a college list or an essay draft, our team helps students identify what they actually care about, what they're good at, and what they want the next four years to look like. Applications built on that foundation lead to not just better choices during high school, but more compelling applications and essays.
Consultation and match
Start with a free call, then get paired with a coach chosen for your student's goals and personality.
Brainstorm and discovery
Your student works through our signature brainstorming exercises, so every session starts with real material.
Draft with expert coaching
Round after round of feedback shapes each essay until the writing is specific, honest, and clearly theirs.
Multi-coach review
A second coach reviews the work for range and depth, so more than one expert weighs in before anything is final.
Final review before submission
Your coach does a last pass on essays, activities, and the full application before your student hits submit.
Serving students across Singapore
We work with students and families across Singapore, including:
- Orchard
- Tanglin
- Bukit Timah
- Holland Village
- Buona Vista
- Clementi
- East Coast
- Katong
- Bedok
- Bishan
- Ang Mo Kio
- Toa Payoh
- Jurong
- Sentosa Cove
- Harbourfront
- and surrounding districts
Because all coaching is online, we also work with students throughout Southeast Asia and beyond.
We hate to brag…
But we know parents are often curious about the numbers.
Schools We Serve
We work with families attending top international and local schools across Singapore
Our Singapore students come from leading local and international schools across the island.
- Raffles Institution
- Hwa Chong Institution
- NUS High School of Math & Science
- National Junior College
- Victoria Junior College
- Temasek Junior College
- Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
- Anglo-Chinese Junior College
- Singapore American School
- United World College SEA (UWCSEA)
- Tanglin Trust School
- Dulwich College Singapore
- Stamford American International School
- Canadian International School
- ISS International School
…and many other schools across Singapore.
Colleges our Singapore students apply to
Singapore students typically target the Ivy League and other highly selective US universities, building a list that accounts for financial aid for international students, campus culture, and genuine fit.
US Target Schools — Ivy League & Equivalents
Singapore students typically target the Ivy League and other highly selective US universities. Need-blind schools for international applicants include Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth; most others offer limited or no need-based aid to international students.
Strong Research & Liberal Arts Universities
Many Singapore students also apply to top research universities and liberal arts colleges. We tailor each "Why Us?" essay so it doesn't read like it was written for ten schools at once.
Building a Smart US List
For Singapore students, consulting means building a realistic list that accounts for financial aid for international students, campus culture, academic fit, and genuine interests — not just rankings. Merit scholarships at strong selective schools are more widely available than need-based aid.
Let's connect.
Schedule an initial consultation.
We'll learn about your college admissions goals and share more about how we can help.
Here's what happens
on the call.
- Talk through where your student is in the process — grade, timeline, and what's feeling hardest right now
- Hear how CEG's coaching approach works and what makes it different from typical essay help
- Get a clear picture of package options so you can make an informed decision — no pressure
- Ask anything — about our coaches, our process, our free resources, or all of the above
Whether you sign up or not, you'll leave with more clarity than you came in with.
“College Essay Guy reduced our family’s stress, increased my daughter’s confidence, and kept her on schedule while helping her create fantastic essays that reflected her personality and goals — priceless!
— Sarah K., Parent
Frequently Asked Questions
Is coaching online or in-person?
All coaching happens online over video calls. We’ve worked this way from the beginning, so the process is smooth, and parents say they love the flexibility to reschedule and avoid wasting time in traffic. Plus, being virtual allows us to have a broader range of counselors and coaches to pair you with, rather than limit your choices to those in your zip code.
Students just need a quiet spot and a reliable connection.
When should we start?
The earlier the better, though the right answer depends on your student’s year and goals. Rising seniors just looking for support on their essays and applications benefit most from starting in the spring or summer before senior year.
Students who want help with building a broader strategy and extracurricular positioning start as early as 9th or 10th grade to allow time for exploring academic and extracurricular interests.
What's included in coaching?
It depends on the package. Most students work with a coach on their personal statement and a set of supplemental essays. Full college admissions consulting packages including everything else: school list strategy, timeline planning, extracurricular profile building, and more. Schedule a call to learn more about the options.
How do I know if College Essay Guy is a good fit for my student?
The best way is to book a free consultation and talk through your student’s situation. We will ask about their schools of interest, timeline, and what they have already figured out. If we are the right fit, we will tell you how we would work together. If we are not, we will say that too.
Students considering a college admissions planning package and working with our college counselor will have a chance to schedule a Get to Know You call.
Do you work with students who already have strong applications?
Yes. Often the students who get the most from essay coaching are the ones who look great on paper but have not yet translated that into a compelling application in their essays, activities list, and Additional Info section. Essays are where the differentiation happens, especially at highly selective schools where most applicants are already academically qualified.
My student has top grades and test scores. Why would they need essay coaching?
At the schools Singapore students target — Harvard, MIT, Princeton — nearly every applicant has exceptional grades and scores. The essays are where genuine differentiation happens. The personal statement shows the person behind the numbers, and US admissions officers are trained to notice when that story is missing or generic.
What is the Common App essay, and how is it different from what my student has written before?
The Common App personal statement is a 650-word narrative essay — personal, specific, and reflective. It’s not a summary of achievements or a statement of academic interest; it’s a story about who you are, in your own voice. Most Singapore students haven’t written anything like it, which is exactly why coaching helps.