Writing Coach

I have been a professional writer for three decades -- countless articles and books and screenplays -- but I have realized that helping young people achieve success can be as rewarding as a byline or a bestseller. After guiding local high school seniors as they write various college application essays, I love to hear the excitement in their voices when they later inform me of the good news. So I have decided to expand my reach as a college application essay coach. 
​
As application numbers skyrocket and colleges become test-optional, personal essays have taken on paramount importance. The goal, in my opinion, is to offer a personal account that stands out. Each member of an admission committee reads hundreds and hundreds of essays. If yours is memorable, that’s a victory. If you can make readers laugh or smile, if you can offer unexpected insight, if you can impress them with your creativity… then your application is going to make its way toward the top of the heap.
My coaching process involves four steps:

Discovery

In extensive conversation with the student, we explore every possible topic, big or small. We discuss everything from activities to athletics to ancestral tales, from quirky hobbies to community participation, from public successes to personal revelations. Often, optimally, the result is a decision to explore the unexpected or unusual. My students have written about (for instance) holding a human heart during a pre-college medical program, experiencing the racial protests in Ferguson, Missouri… the value of being homeschooled… a passion for fictional maps… the challenges faced by an adopted sister from Ethiopia… even a unique essay about noticing continuity errors in movies.

Strategy

Once we know what the student and college can offer each other, we then examine the myriad essay prompt permutations -- Common App, supplemental essays, etc -- and figure out how to maximize the limited word count and best display the student’s insights and accomplishments. As an example, the University of California application asks students to pick 4 out of 8 short essay prompts. There is a strategy to picking the correct ones, thus showing four different facets of the applicant. Likewise, a supplemental essay should tell a different story from the Common App essay. Repetition means a wasted opportunity.

Research

Schools are looking for students who would be excellent additions to their campuses, both academically and as part of the campus community. So I ask the students to explore the college websites, understanding the school’s overarching philosophy, strengths, student body, specific classes or events or traditions. Then we find a way to weave some of that information into an essay (or essays), showing that the interest is legitimate and the student would be an excellent fit. Given that many schools ask some form of a “Why this college” question, this step is key. A generic answer to that question suggests a cut-and-paste college application process. 

Analysis and Editing

I ask for first drafts that are longer than the requested word length, experimental if it feels right, meandering if necessary. It’s a foundation from which to work. From there, we focus and hone and make the most of the space allowed. Often, we discover a new or better angle during this process. We adjust the voice or point of view. But we also tweak grammar, flag dangling modifiers and turn two-cent words into ten-dollar words. This is a back-and-forth writing-and-editing process. The student is the writer. The coach is the guide. The result, hopefully, is a collection of essays that intrigue and excite.

Honor Roll

I have coached students who have been accepted to colleges and universities coast to coast, including Stanford University, Boston University, UCLA, Amherst College, Colorado College, Middlebury College, Wesleyan University, Cal-Berkeley, Cal-Poly, Chapman University, Colorado State, UC-Santa Barbara, and UC-Davis, as well as University College Roosevelt in the Netherlands.

About Me

I live on California’s Monterey Peninsula, where I write screenplays and books about subjects ranging from civil rights to space. My children’s books have sold more than half a million copies and have earned various awards. My series of travel memoirs have been called “the new classics of American travel writing.” Over the years, I have written hundreds of national magazine articles, and several have been honored with gold medals by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. I have been interviewed by everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Marie Osmond, have served as a keynote speaker and guest author at conferences and schools around the country, and have given two popular TEDx talks (“Catching Creative Ideas” and “Write the Wrong Way”). So I know that a great story is simply a good idea conveyed in a compelling way. 

Fee: $175/hr... Contact me with questions about availability: ​brad@bradherzog.com, 831-915-2322



"Brad was able to bring a creative take to every single one of my essays, brainstorming material from my past to make me stand out in an overwhelming ocean of candidates. I was inspired after every meeting to think harder and be more focused on my essays, and he set me up for the best possible outcome, no matter the school I applied too. I cannot recommend Brad’s coaching and creative guidance enough!"
-- Adrian (Pacific Grove, CA), attending UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television

"Brad was a HUGE help in several areas -- discussing what I wanted to convey about myself, strategizing which topics fit into which essays, and then guiding my writing so that I presented myself in a compelling way. It's what he does as an author, and I was grateful for his expertise."
-- Ben (Boise, ID), attending Colorado College

"I knew what stories I wanted to tell in my application essays, but I wasn't sure exactly how to go about telling them. I felt so lucky to have the guidance of someone who's been writing stories for 30 years! Brad definitely knows how to make any subject fascinating, and it was a lot of fun to work with him."
-- Kai (Pacific Grove, CA), attending Middlebury College

"Brad was super useful in helping me to organize my thoughts and perfect my language in my college essays. It definitely made a big difference, and I got into the college of my choice!"
​-- Claire (St. Louis, MO), attending Boston University