Most students approach the college essay as a story to tell. Admissions readers are looking for something different:
evidence of how a student thinks.
That gap — between what students write and what readers are actually evaluating — is where most essays get lost.
Closing it is what I do.
I work with students to find the argument inside their experience:
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• the intellectual thread
• the specific occasion
• the opening that earns attention
The result is an essay that sounds like them at their most precise, their most specific, and their most alive on the page.
My approach works because it starts with what admissions readers actually want to read, not with what students think will impress them. Those are different things, and twenty years of coaching has shown me exactly where the gap lives.
I offer self-serve guides, essay feedback, and activity list revision for students applying to selective colleges and competitive programs.
• All feedback is written and delivered directly to the student
• Parents get to step back — and stay out of the draft
• Students gain a clearer sense of what they're actually trying to say, and how to say it
Capacity is intentionally limited.
About Kristie
Kristie Schmidt is a college essay coach and a working writer; the two are not separate things. Her essays have won the International Amy MacRae Award and are in consideration at venues like AGNI, Guernica, and Fourth Genre. She is currently at work on two non-fiction manuscripts.
"I know what it costs to find the true subject of a piece of writing and I know what it looks like when a writer is circling it without landing.
That is the thing most college coaches cannot teach.
They can tell a student that their essay needs more intellectual depth, or that the reflection closes too early, or that the opening does not earn attention.
I can show them exactly where the argument is hiding and how to bring it forward because I do that work myself, at the level of publication.
I hold degrees from Smith College and Harvard University, trained under a former Cornell Director of Admissions, and have spent twenty years coaching students into highly selective programs."
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I was so fortunate to have Kristie guide both of my daughters as they worked to create narratives that got noticed.
It was such a proud moment when their essays received compliments during college interviews.
Verna, PARENT
Digital Products
Self-serve PDF resources for personal statements and supplementals, and activity lists. Instant download. No access to me required.
Digital Coaching Offerings
The Essay Compass
Activity List Toolkit
What College Admissions Readers Want to Read
A self-serve PDF guide for students writing college personal statements.
Maximize Your 150-Character Impact
For students applying to selective colleges who want to understand the logic behind strong essays, not just follow instructions.
Perfect for students who want to build a compelling and competitive narrative selective colleges notice. Includes the "What This Is Actually About" reframe exercise, the Now Lens test for present-thinking, a decision framework for choosing between ideas, and a before/after transformation for every major concept. Works for students who haven't started, students choosing between topics, and students with a draft that isn't landing. Designed for completion in one sitting. No access to a coach required.
Transform your list of extracurriculars into a powerful data story. Shows the difference between listing what you did and demonstrating how you think. This toolkit gives parents and students the exact formulas to use for activity descriptions that pop. Includes before and after examples, tonal variants for different school types, and a clear framework for turning 150 characters into something a reader remembers. Works from sophomore year through senior fall, whether you're building a list from scratch or revising one you already have. No access to a coach required.
Covers what admissions readers are actually evaluating, why most essays miss it, how to find the occasion that makes your thinking visible, and how to write an opening that earns attention. Includes analysis of why the famous Costco essay went viral, the hook checklist, the decision framework for choosing between ideas, and a breakdown of every major supplemental category with repurposing strategy. More examples, more scaffolding, and a warmer hand through the process. No access to a coach required.
Done for You Coaching
Feedback and Revision services.
Activity List Re-Vision
Student submits activity descriptions via intake form. Kristie resvises hem and returns tonal variants with brief guidance.
Summer Program Essay Review
A done-for-you asynchronous feedback service for students applying to competitive summer programs.
The writing was original, authentic, and well received. And being that both student and parent were on our last nerve, you preserved our relationship and let me just be Mom while you got to be the writing coach.
I’m eternally grateful.
SHELLEY, Parent