College Essay & Narrative Development Package
This package is designed for college applicants aiming to craft exceptional essays that maximize their chances of admission. Strong college essays do more than sound polished. They reveal how a student thinks, what they care about, how they have grown, and why they would be a meaningful addition to a college community. The best essays feel personal, specific, mature, and memorable, while still fitting clearly within the larger application strategy. This package includes the following, but feel free to adapt based on your unique situation and goals: - Initial Kickoff and Planning Session: Begin with an in-depth kickoff session to discuss your background, goals, experiences, and aspirations. This session sets the stage for creating compelling college essays. - Application Strategy: Collaborate to identify your unique points of differentiation as an applicant and strategize the best ways to highlight these in your essays. - Essay Brainstorming: Dive deep into your background and experiences to uncover themes, perspectives, and qualities that set you apart. Together, we’ll explore various narratives to ensure your essays capture your true essence. - Essay Crafting: Craft powerful narratives rooted in your unique story that help the admissions committee understand why you would be a valuable addition to their campus. - Essay Editing: After developing your essays' narratives, I will provide thorough editing and feedback, refining each draft until the essays are polished and ready for submission. Multiple rounds of edits ensure the final products are perfect.
What's included
- A personalized essay strategy that identifies which stories, values, themes, and personal qualities should come through across the application
- Guidance on topic selection so the student chooses essay ideas that are authentic, distinctive, and strategically valuable
- Support with essay structure, narrative arc, and organization
- Detailed feedback and editing on drafts, including clarity, specificity, voice, reflection, word choice, flow, concision, and alignment with the prompt
- Supplemental essay strategy to help school-specific essays feel tailored, substantive, and connected to each college’s academic programs, community, and values
- Final polishing to ensure essays are cohesive, compelling, typo-free, within word count, and aligned with the student’s broader admissions positioning
Meet your expert
Becky S.
I’m Becky Song, a Wharton MBA, former Wharton admissions fellow, professional admissions and career coach, and Founder & Executive Director of Ivy Journey (theivyjourney.com). Over the past 15+ years, I’ve helped hundreds of applicants and professionals earn admission to top MBA, master’s, and college programs, as well as land offers across consulting, strategy, and business roles. My clients have been admitted to top MBA programs (e.g., HBS, Stanford GSB, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth, LBS, Insead, etc.) and top Ivy undergrad & grad programs. I’ve also coached 500+ candidates through career transitions, resumes, interviews, consulting recruiting, and personal positioning. What makes my coaching different is the combination of admissions judgment, career strategy, and narrative positioning. I help clients understand what schools and employers are really evaluating, then translate their background into a clear, differentiated story that feels authentic and compelling. I’m especially strong with MBA applicants, college applicants, master’s candidates, international applicants, first-generation applicants, consulting candidates, and professionals making major career pivots. Personally, I’ve navigated several pivots myself: actuary, nonprofit leader, strategy consultant, Wharton MBA, admissions fellow, founder, and career coach. If you want a coach who can help you think strategically, sharpen your story, and move through a competitive process with more clarity and confidence, I’d love to work with you!