Writing college essays
can be a chore,
or an adventure.
Personal college essay mentoring with Barak Rosenbloom
With me as their mentor, your teen will write their best college essay, an authentic, engaging, human story only they could tell. They'll learn and grow as a young adult, become a better writer and communicator, and have some fun along the way.
For years, students and parents have told me that writing college essays is the most frustrating part of the college admissions process.
What's a college essay, and what do colleges really want? How am I going to get my kid to actually write it? Is this going to be a family battle? How will my teen juggle the Common App personal statement, supplemental essays, the UC Personal Insight Questions?
And that was before AI made everything seem more complicated than it really is:
What if my teen's essay sounds like AI wrote it? Will my kid's essay compete with essays written with AI's help? What's okay to use and what crosses the line?
Take a breath. All is well.
For most teens, it’s always been a mystery how to write the kind of engaging, authentic short stories admissions officers love to read. And for most adults, it’s always been a mystery how to help them.
The best college essays have always been rooted in the human experience. When we start there, authenticity is inevitable. That hasn’t changed.
Barak Rosenbloom
College Essay Mentor
Mentor to Professionals
Creator of EssayQuest
Since 2009, I've mentored more than 500 teens in my personal mentoring program and led workshops and training for thousands of students, parents, and professionals. And, I've spent over a decade creating and refining EssayQuest's unique Write Like a Pro process.
I'll guide your teen on a journey that starts with Wait, what’s a college essay? and ends with an admissions officer thinking, I know exactly who this kid will be at our school.
Of course, your teen will write better college essays and have better options for college. Even better, they'll learn and grow as a young adult and become a better writer and communicator with skills they can take to college and beyond.
Your teen will write essays AI could never help them write.
They'll have a profoundly human experience AI could never provide.
A mentor does three things: comes alongside the hero, helps them get unstuck, brings a magical gift or a special tool.
–Nancy Duarte
I’m not a teacher, tutor, or coach. I don’t tell kids what to write or think, and I certainly don’t do any of the writing for them.
Instead, I help young adults discover that they’re heroes, that they have stories worth telling, and that they can write those stories better than they ever imagined.
I empower teens to write the kinds of essays that admissions officers love to read. The adventure makes intuitive sense to teenagers, giving them both the freedom to be creative and the structure to produce their best work.
Parents, I've got it handled
The mentoring relationship is between me and the student. Your teen does the work, and I provide guidance, support, and a little bit of magic. I'll send you regular progress updates, and will let your know whenever I have a concern.
A teen-tested, proven process
The Write Like a Pro process goes beyond what most schools teach. As simple and powerful as it is, it isn’t part of the American writing curriculum. I help students discover that they can use this framework for any kind of writing or communication—from academic papers to presentations to love letters. Or love texts.
This is their journey. It’s unique, enlivening, and often fun. It gives them the chance to express who they are—powerfully and with pride. Of course, there are moments when it’s hard and they struggle. But isn’t that true of the accomplishments we end up valuing the most?
The bottom line is this: my students write their best college essays not just because their skills improve, but because they come to know themselves in ways that few teenagers ever do.
The Class of 2027
This is the last big step in your application journey
The Standard Program
In this program, I give students all the support they need for every college essay they have to write. I'm with them to the very end.
Students write the best essays they can, using their newfound thinking and writing skills. Some students write one or two essays, some write fifteen or twenty.
Need additional college consulting. I'm an expert in helping teens write college essays, so I've partnered with several outstanding consultants to provide a full range of services.
By the end of this program, I promise your teenager will have:
- one of the most effective essays that college admissions officers will read—it will be an authentic and engaging short story written to the best of your student’s ability;
- strategically written supplemental essays that respond to what colleges are looking for and that communicate your student’s message;
- new thinking, storytelling, and writing skills that will make all the difference in college and beyond; and
- a clear sense of what they contribute to their community and world, and the self-confidence that comes with that.
Other Program Options (availability may be limited)
Additional College Consulting
If your teen needs additional application support, from building a list to the full range of professional services, I partner with some of the most respected college consultants in the business to create a streamlined experience.
Late-Season Programs
As we get closer to deadlines, the Standard Program may not make sense. I offer options for more limited support starting at $1450.
Available for students with 3 weeks or less before deadlines.
Essay Review
I give feedback that students can understand and act on. Options and packages range from $175–$750. Available beginning October 1.
Flat fee: $5100
Limited availability
I offer a six-month no-interest payment plan through PayPal Credit, as well as a limited number of reduced-rate spots. Please ask if those are still available.
Availability
I currently have openings for students.
Timing
I meet with students as early as March. Many students start after school and standardized tests are finished
Depending on the situation, we can start the Standard Program as close as two weeks before the first due date.
Classes of 2028–2029
Become a better writer now, and write better college essays later
Write easily. Think deeply. Communicate clearly.
Each year I mentor a small number of younger high school students in a program that begins now and ends when they’re seniors, finished with their college essays.
They develop a more personal, natural, and effective approach to writing than what they’re taught in school. They discover more freedom to think and capture their ideas on paper. They acquire new tools to write more quickly, powerfully, and efficiently.
Whether a straight-A student or a struggling writer, the teens we mentor expand their abilities to write, think and communicate.
The results?
They write better school papers now and better college essays later, all with much less stress. In a world where communication is key, they learn skills that will serve them well for a lifetime.
What’s included in the program?
Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Years
We’ll meet three times per semester (or twice per trimester). In these Become a Better Writer sessions, we’ll address underlying skill gaps in your teen’s writing and identify strengths and opportunities for growth. Working with either school assignments or personal writing projects, your teen will start to develop the mindset and skills of our Write Like a Pro process.
Spring of Junior Year through Senior Year
We’ll shift to college essays by late May or early June. This is our Unlimited Personal Mentoring program: we’ll be there for as many sessions for as many college essays as your teen has to write, up to the very end. In addition, we include online tools, written feedback, quick touch-bases, and more.
Class of 2028: $5600
Class of 2029: $6800
Limited availability
I offer a six-month no-interest payment plan through PayPal Credit, as well as a limited number of reduced-rate spots. Please ask if those are still available.
Guide your students to inevitably authentic college essays
You can do what AI can't
Today, ChatGPT and Gemini can help students write perfectly acceptable college essays. But only human connection can make a real person shine through.
Have you ever thought...
I guide my students to great final essays.
But do I have to say the same things over and over again?
My students just aren't getting it.
Am I missing something?
I'm swamped all the time.
How do some consultants take on so many more kids?
What if there were a solution that teens loved?
One that elevates reflective writing, doesn't rely on random worksheets and exercises, and works the way today's teens do?
Enter EssayQuest.
"He sat there, lit his cigarette, placed it on the table, and made shoes."
"I hit a boy with a bat in the second grade after he said 'short girls can’t play baseball.'"
"When I was younger, I flew."
Like those first lines? Colleges sure did!
Not only do students end up stronger writers and communicators, but they write the kind of quality essays they never believed they were capable of. And best of all, counselors, consultants, and teachers spend more time engaging and less time explaining.
It took over 8 years to get EssayQuest just right. We incorporated principles of neuroscience and learning theory while getting feedback from students every step of the way. We tweaked. We tossed out steps that felt too abstract. And we came up with a 21st century solution that students say challenges and motivates them.
Who will EssayQuest work for?
Independent Educational Consultants
Create a better experience for your students and yourself
learn more →
Schools and Non-Profits
Support your students efficiently and cost-effectively
learn more →
Business Partnerships
Expand your services without reinventing the wheel
learn more →
Who will EssayQuest work for?
Independent Educational Consultants
Create a better experience for your students and yourself
learn more →
Schools and Non-Profits
Support your students efficiently and cost-effectively
learn more →
Business Partnerships
Expand your services without reinventing the wheel
learn more →
So how is EssayQuest different?
Great question! EssayQuest is an interactive system that allows students to take the lead because everything they need to know is in the online program.
We provide straightforward, detailed instructions for every activity. So, students stay organized and on track as they watch their stories take shape.
You provide invaluable guidance along the way, from helping identify meaningful connections and themes in their raw content to helping them structure and strengthen the final essay.
It’s a predictable process
You want to be a supportive partner in your students’ essay journey. But between explaining the fundamentals of college essays, walking them through countless brainstorming exercises that many never complete, or modifying your approach from one student to the next, you aren’t being as efficient or effective as you’d like. EssayQuest cuts down on all the highly-repetitive steps. Because wouldn’t you rather spend your time talking with them instead of at them?
It’s effortlessly engaging
By breaking activities into small tasks, with fresh examples and a new step every time they click, EssayQuest’s interactive format keeps them more attentive, longer. And students tell us they feel less frustrated and stressed because they understand what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and which specific actions to take next.
It’s seamlessly scalable
Whether you work with one student at a time or one hundred, EssayQuest will adapt to your needs. With comprehensive support material, an easy-to-implement structure, and tons of templates and resources to manage your process, you can focus on adding the most value, most efficiently.
Independent Educational Consultants
Create a better experience for your students and yourself
Spend more time engaging, less time explaining
Whether you're a veteran consultant or just starting out, there's no question that essay writing is the most time-consuming and least predictable part of the process. EssayQuest covers everything your students need to do, from learning what a college essay is to making sure theirs is formatted properly in the application portal.
You can focus on what matters.
With EssayQuest, you'll spend time with students having meaningful conversations based on dozens of story starters. You'll help them make choices about content and structure based on their self-generated possibilities. And you'll support them as they polish their language using the simple, powerful editing tools we teach them.
The final result is an essay that makes your students feel confident and proud. (The fact that they became stronger writers, thinkers, and communicators is a happy by-product).
Fit EssayQuest into your practice and programs
Whether it’s one-on-one coaching, group workshops, or just written feedback, the EssayQuest system streamlines the entire process allowing you to increase your roster without increasing your stress. And we’ll be there as your partners, with support and training to make it easy and enjoyable.
We created this support material to make your life easier:
- A clear and comprehensive guide to using EssayQuest
- A step-by-step plan that keeps you and your students organized and on track
- Customizable Google doc templates to easily manage workflow
- Onboarding videos to leverage full capabilities of the program
- Templates for communicating with parents and students
- Dedicated representative to answer questions
Ready to make your essay practice less stressful and more streamlined?
Get started for as little as $500. We're committed to expanding college access and will make the program work for you.
Schools and Non-Profits
Support your students efficiently and cost-effectively
Guide more of your students to better college essays
Schools and nonprofits have a range of challenges when helping students write college essays. Resources, time, and attention are at a premium, and college essays are often an afterthought, even though everyone knows how important they can be.
EssayQuest gives a big break to people and organizations working with students—whether English teachers, college counselors, nonprofit staff, or volunteers. The all-in-one program is easy to implement, no matter how you support your students. So whether you spend a few days in the spring on essays, run a multi-week summer program, or something in between, EssayQuest will adapt to your needs.
Integrate EssayQuest into your school or program, affordably
We believe so strongly in our mission of empowering every student to become skilled writers that we will not let budget constraints stand in the way. Ever.
We created this support material to make your life easier:
- A clear and comprehensive guide to using EssayQuest
- A step-by-step plan that keeps you and your students organized and on track
- Straightforward, detailed instructions for every activity
- Customizable Google doc templates to easily manage workflow
- Onboarding videos to leverage full capabilities of the program
- Ongoing expert support to help you succeed
Curious about how EssayQuest can work for your students and your organization?
Bring into your schools for as little as $1500. We're committed to expanding college access and will make the program and pricing work for you.
Business Partnerships
Expand your services without reinventing the wheel
Partner with EssayQuest for an affordable turn-key solution you can trust
You’ve built a business helping students achieve their educational goals. But times have changed and you need to make sure your company is positioned to change with them.
Our system is easy to implement, teen-tested and can be scaled seamlessly whether you serve ten students or ten thousand. Having strong writing skills and a compelling essay is more important than ever, but you may not be offering this service.
Let us demonstrate how we can help you expand your college-bound offerings, grow your business, and most importantly give your students the tools they need to become stronger writers for college admissions and beyond.
Fit EssayQuest into your practice and programs
Whether it’s one-on-one coaching, group workshops, or just written feedback, the EssayQuest system streamlines the entire process allowing you to increase your roster without increasing your stress. And we’ll be there as your partners, with support and training to make it easy and enjoyable.
We created this support material to make your life easier:
- A clear and comprehensive guide to using EssayQuest
- A step-by-step plan that keeps you and your students organized and on track
- Customizable Google doc templates to easily manage workflow
- Onboarding videos to leverage full capabilities of the program
- Templates for communicating with parents and students
- Dedicated representative to answer questions
Want to explore what's possible?
Talk with us for pricing to expand your business.
More benefits of EssayQuest ...
An online program teens love
We didn’t design EssayQuest for teens. We designed it with teens! It make sense to them, speaks to them, and inspires them.
Clear, intuitive support material
We make it easy for professionals and organizations to use EssayQuest with comprehensive written and video guides.
Templates galore
Give students all the files they need, set up to make their lives (and yours) easier. And, use other templates for assignment, parent communication, and more.
The best sample essays anywhere*
No, we can’t prove it. But these 40+ essays written by our students show the breadth of what effective college essays can look like.
Tools for clear, actionable feedback
Get everyone on the same page with feedback that makes sense to students. More importantly, with EssayQuest they’ll know how to address your feedback!
Webinars and support to help you succeed
With professional webinars, on-site training, consulting, and ongoing customer service, you'll have a great experience with EssayQuest.
Hear What the Professionals Have to Say ...
For the kids it demystifies the personal statement.
[The first year we worked with EssayQuest], the assistant director of admissions at the University of Connecticut told me they saw an improvement in our students' college essays. What we did differently was that many of our students took part in workshops led by Barak and our staff.
We continue to have a good relationship [with EssayQuest], and it's definitely benefitting our students and community.
I’d been using well-known brainstorming exercises for years; frankly, students weren’t into them. This meant I was working harder to help students discover their best ideas and bring them to life. I was burnt out at the end of each essay cycle, so I felt like I couldn’t expand my practice.
After years of working in metaphorical “black and white,” EssayQuest is like entering technicolor!