Coaching Services for High School Students

Yellow Bird founder Sara Kocek has 7+ years experience working privately with high school students to develop and refine outstanding college admissions essays, including the all too-often overlooked short-essay questions (250 words or fewer). She does much more than help applicants improve individual essays; she guides students through shaping their entire collection of essays to hone the overall message they send the admissions office. Sara is available both for coaching (guiding the student through the writing process) and editing (improving existing drafts). Her clients have been admitted to top universities including Yale, Tufts, UPenn, Dartmouth, and NYU. Most coaching and editing sessions are conducted via email and phone. Please email Sara to inquire about rates. While you’re at it, check out Sara’s guest post on the Writing Barn blog, 5 Tips for Writing a Gutsy College Application Essay, for the story of the love letter that got her into Yale.

Yellow Bird has partnered with The Writing Barn to present a 3-part workshop for high school seniors. Taught by Yellow Bird founder Sara Kocek, the boot camp is designed to lead high school seniors through the process of writing a college admissions essay. We will focus on what college admissions officers are looking for, common pitfalls to avoid, how to write fresh, original essays based on the “same old, same old” questions in the common application, and how to let loose your authentic voice onto the page. Sessions will include time for discussion, revision, and editing. Students will then have the opportunity to work in small writing groups and one-on-one with the instructor to help bring their essays to completion. Click here for information on dates & pricing.