I have significant experience dealing with academic admissions. As a freelancer, personal statement work has been my most frequently requested service.
My Experience
From 1998 through 2007, I assisted physicians on the admissions committee for the University of Minnesota Medical School, in preparing their official recommendations after interviewing applicants. From 2004 through 2016, I was responsible for collecting and reviewing applications of all interviewing applicants at the St John’s Family Medicine Residency Program. Materials included a personal statement, which is very much like a college, graduate school, or medical school application essay. We interviewed between 75 and 100 applicants annually for six positions. I read every one of the application essays for applicants we invited to interview. During this time I also participated in both the program’s rank list meeting and the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine’s rank list meeting. As such, I became very familiar with the characteristics necessary for an essay to stand out and be well received.
My Services
Please note that I can not write your essay for you, nor can I fabricate content to improve your chances. You will need to be involved with this process providing the content and making final decisions on what to include. I have a great deal of experience coaching people through this process if you aren’t sure where to start.
This work is best conducted electronically (via e-mailed attachments or Google Docs).
Personal Essay Proofread – $35 per essay (up to 1000 words)
A basic proofread of an already written essay involves editing for grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and other mechanics of style. This service does not include any developmental editing or improvement recommendations. This is the only service I provide at a flat fee.
Most institutions and programs want an essay between 600 and 800 words, though some allow longer. If your essay is longer than 1000 words, it is probably too long and I recommend a developmental edit.
Personal Essay Developmental Edit – $37-42 per hour
A developmental edit involves taking a partial or complete draft and making overall and specific recommendations for improvement. This includes order of content, tightening of language, consistency of dates and events, and identifying opportunities for strengthening the overall message.
Personal statement revisions typically take 1-3 hours, depending on the state of the manuscript and the cohesiveness of the ideas to be expressed.
Undergraduate and non-medical graduate, doctoral, or fellowship program essays are charged a rate of $37 per hour.
Medical school, residency, and fellowship personal statements are charged a rate of $42 per hour due to my background, specialized vocabulary, and insight.
These essays typically require a brief question and answer session before final revision to ensure the final content best serves your application.
Personal Essay Writing Coach – $37-42 per hour
This service helps with the process of assembling an essay from the bare ideas and developing the content into an engaging narrative. It goes beyond a mere developmental edit and includes full proofreading.
A conversation, either through email or telephone, will allow me to help you decide on the theme or angle you want for your essay. For the initial draft, I will provide a questionnaire* that will help us gather the information needed for your statement. Your answers, in your own words, will be arranged to tell the story or convey the message you are looking for in your application. This ensures that your voice and linguistic style is prevalent. You will need to verify the initial draft’s accuracy before I make revision recommendations or ask a second round of questions to further tailor the essay to you and your situation. The end result will truly represent you, while avoiding a cliche or boilerplate feel. This process typically takes 2-4 hours, and requires some back and forth communication.
Undergraduate and non-medical graduate, doctoral, or fellowship program essays are charged a rate of $37 per hour.
Medical school, residency, and fellowship personal statements are charged a rate of $42 per hour due to my background, specialized vocabulary, and insight.
Final Note
Using generative AI takes the personal aspect out of a personal essay. It distills your information to a median personality and voice rather than your own. It also raises the risk of inaccuracies or program concerns on your inclination toward plagiarism.
* By using a questionnaire, you are not paying me for the time it would take to interview you to collect the same information in your words. If you think better in spoken language than written, please feel free to use a text to speech program to dictate your answers.
The Write Mann, LLC 