In addition to working as an editor and college advisor, I have taught at the high school and college levels, including twenty years of experience in Advanced Placement English Literature, which was where I first began helping students with admissions to elite universities. After then working with applications officials at multiple universities, I launched my college counseling business, creating WordGuild Writing Services in 2001, and established the CollegeAppJungle and website in 2010. I have helped hundreds of students with the application process and with developing a winning package of supplemental materials.
I see myself as an advocate for my clients, helping them to find the best information to inform their choices, offering the best advice to help them navigate the often opaque process of finding and applying to the right colleges, and I am a superb editor, coaching my clients to create winning essays that clearly convey their voices. I have extensive experience coaching and editing essays remotely, which has become invaluable in our current “distance-learning” model. I can do invididual essay coaching as well as working with small groups online, via Zoom or Skype. Contact me for details.
Through my writing and editing business, WordGuild Writing services, I can help you with anything from editing single essays to creating complete application portfolios. My services facilitated successful applications to a range of selective universities last year, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, Berkeley, U.C.L.A., U.C.S.D, the University of Chicago, Northwestern and other elite schools. My applicants were admitted to top programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. For undergraduates, this ranged from the ORFE program at Princeton to the World Bachelor’s in Business at U.S.C., and for my graduate and professional applicants, from Boalt Law School at Berkeley to Stanford Law, and for medical students and interns, U.C. San Francisco.
I also assisted international applications to universities from Europe to Asia, from The University of Leeds, in England, to National University, Singapore. I work locally in the Bay Area and Northern California and remotely across North America and internationally.
In 2010 I initiated the blog The CollegeAppJungle to offer a wide range of advice to college applicants.
You may send me a draft of your essay for a free editing sample and quote at:
I do ask for some basic information along with the draft. I can generally turn around an edit within 48 hours, but during peak season please allow a minimum of a week to ten days develop an essay before a deadline–this runs from mid August until January 1.
Recent Testimonials
Dear Sean,
After a long and tedious journey of college applications, I want to thank you for your patient support.
With your help I was admitted to the following Universities:
University of Pennsylvania
Duke University
Georgetown University
Johns Hopkins University
University of Notre Dame
Vanderbilt University
New York University
University of Southern California
UC Berkeley
UC San Diego
UC Los Angeles
Santa Clara University
Pepperdine University
I was also accepted to, and will be attending, Columbia University in the fall!
Thank you for sharing in the process.
S.S.
Hi Sean,
Hi Sean,
Hi Sean!
Hello Sean,
Applications went quite well! After much consideration, and going on a couple college visits, I applied ED to Washington University in St. Louis and got accepted, so that’s where I’m going in the fall. When I applied I felt really good about it, mostly because you helped me make my essay much better! I’m definitely looking forward to going to college in the fall. Hope you have a wonderful summer!
Thanks,
G.
Hello–
We felt overwhelmed by the process until we started working with you. Thanks so much for everything you did. Joseph did receive early acceptance to Columbia and will be going there, but it was worth it to go through the application process for all of the schools on the list and the three tiers you used with us was very helpful in focusing the effort.
Sincerely,
Joanne
Hey Sean–
Without a doubt, the questions you asked and your editing totally changed Hema’s essays and she did get accepted to all of the schools on the final list. We are glad it’s over but really thank you for what you did.
Thanks,
Alpa
Sean–
Thanks for checking back in with us. Your expert guidance with essay ideas and editing played a big role in my daughter’s acceptance to many top colleges including UCLA, MIT, Cornell, Princeton, etc. I especially appreciate your fast response, reliable service, reasonable pricing, your easy and secure payment method, not to mention your the free editing sample!
It was a lot of work to write college essays, but in the end, I think the effort was worth it My daughter has not only improved her writing skills, but had to reflect deep into all aspects of her life –her dreams and aspirations, strength, interests, beliefs…. Thanks a lot for providing many suggestions and probing questions to help her convey clear message and addressing the prompt. I’ll definitely recommend your service to my friends.
Thanks
Nguyen
–Hello Sean
Just wanted to thank you again for working with Jim. He did get in to Princeton and all the UCs he applied for, and Harvey Mudd. Your help on the essays was invaluable. I just wish we had found you before he applied to M.I.T., which was the only place he was not accepted.
Thanks again for all your work.
Christy
Sean,
The results were great. We were surprised when Claire chose Stanford over Harvard, but as you said, the kid has to take the wheel at some point, and we think that for the kind of work she wants to do she is right to be near Silicon Valley. Your help on the essays was transformative, and that article you talked over with Claire for her essay really seemed to help her decide which school to choose as well as with the essay. I will be recommending your services to our friends whose kids are applying this year.
Dave