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Imagine a coach who transforms the writing process into a journey of self-discovery and creative expression.
I turn the daunting college application process into a journey of self-discovery.
We showcase the whole student, intellect and personality.
With insider knowledge and a personal touch, I guide your child to their dream college,
blending strategy with compassion and humor.
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What if your child felt more confident and more empowered
in their ability to present their academic story
that application readers immediately
see their value and intellectual curiosity?
What if instead of feeling stressed during the application process,
there was ease?
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​​​​​​​My research-based instruction works in just this way.
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With a rich educational background,
including degrees from Smith College and Harvard University, and experience as a Fulbright Exchange teacher to England,
I bring a wealth of knowledge and
empathy to my coaching.
I help students gr. 9-12
design a cohesive application narrative,
from art school to the Ivy League,
incorporating academic goals,
personal values, and character traits.
Mentored by the former
director of admissions for Cornell,
my research-based process
empowers students,
and teaches how to craft life experiences
into a compelling application
while reducing stress.
I know what admissions readers look for.
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No more procrastinating.
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No more frustration.
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No more pain.
For those who prefer more independence
or have an impending deadline,
I offer editing packages without face to face
or Zoom time.
These are intended to
polish essays before submission.
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Fresh eyes.​​
Harvard, Princeton, Yale
Columbia, UPenn, MIT
Dartmouth, Brown
UK: Cambridge, Trinity
CalTech
Johns Hopkins, Rice
University of Michigan
Georgetown, Swarthmore
Smith, Wellesley
Carleton, Middlebury
Wesleyan, Emory
Tufts, USC, UVA
Macalester, Bucknell
UCONN, Colorado College
University of Florida
Georgia Tech, NYU
UMASS, Brandeis
Boston College, Clark
Boston University
Emerson, Fordham
George Washington, WPI
SUNY Stonybrook
SUNY New Paltz, Tulane
Northeastern, Penn State
Michigan State
Indiana University: Kelley School of Business,
Wheaton, Ole Miss, LSU
U Illinois Chicago
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It's not just about getting the application done.
It's about empowerment.
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It’s not just about getting the application done.
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It's about setting them up for the future they want.
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It's about empowering them throughout the college and
graduate school years and career beyond.
Having strong writing skills and an ease in communicating ideas
will give a competitive advantage.
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And who doesn't want that?
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To hear the rest of my 10 minute talk, go here:
Kristie approaches her students with a wonderful combination of respect, empathy, humor, and honesty. She sets a high bar which her students meet with great enthusiasm.
Truly the mark of a gifted educator.
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I was so fortunate to have Kristie guide both of my daughters as they worked to create narratives that allowed them to get noticed. She took the time to learn each one's strengths not only as a student but as an individual. It was such a proud moment when their essays received compliments during
college interviews.
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Verna, parent
What we’ll do together
From brainstorming to outlining, from choosing the right structure to multiple drafts that refine, I provide support, expertise, resources, and scheduled accountability.
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Clients will:
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Complete a series of brainstorming exercises designed to reveal
values, traits, and essential self. This prewriting makes choosing topics far easier and results in more engaging and compelling topics that stand out.
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Identify the story to tell that showcases best and highlights authenticity
and genius.​​
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Essay Coaching
1:1 ​
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I offer 1:1 consulting tailored to each student's needs in order to ensure that the Common App personal statement, list of activities, additional information, and all supplementals convey the unique attributes, skills, and insights a student offers a campus. We also can address resumes, scholarship, and continued interest or wait-list letters.​
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How It Works
Packages vary depending upon need and at what stage in the process a client is (what they have drafted or need developed).
Pacing is often determined by a combination of deadlines and student effort.
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I offer a range of services from one-off reviews of written work to my most comprehensive service, a developmental, strategic, and longer term partnership.
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The Ten Thousand Doors of January
by Alix E. Harrow.
"A gorgeous, aching love letter to stories, storytellers and the doors they lead us through . . ."
If you need to escape, this is the book.
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In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.
Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger.
Try 30 minutes of coaching by me free.
Coaches and writers need to be sure they have chemistry and will make a good team.
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Book a 30 minute Zoom meeting with me
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You'll be receiving emails from Kristie Schmidt. I'll be corresponding with you directly.
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Fill out the Google Form Survey​ before the Zoom meeting
Remember, your answers will help me formulate a plan. The more elaborate and specific you can be, the better service I can provide​
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During the introductory meeting, we'll discuss writing goals and what approach we would take should you decide to work with me
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Once you choose coaching, everything I do as a coach will be personalized to you and your situation.
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CONSULTANT, BOOK COACH, AUTHOR, WORKSHOP and RETREAT HOST, SPEAKER
As a middle schooler I delivered the written word to my neighborhood on a daily basis. I wound my blue Schwinn bike through our hilly and twisty suburban development which was built upon an old pig farm. Sunday papers were bulky and heavy but rich with ideas and culture and plenty of advertisements and opinions.
To do my job I had to overcome my reluctance to converse with strangers, and communicate effectively, whether in writing or standing on the front walk chatting. I learned to tailor my words to different audiences, to be precise, and to move my thoughts into the world with confidence.
Today I still deliver words, like a midwife, by caring for, shepherding, and nourishing writers, both adults and teens. Right beside them I offer my support, my expertise, and my experience. I also offer procedural and technical reminders. I help writers birth their ideas on paper, gaze at their work in new ways, express their authentic and unique voice, and do all that without criticizing or exhausting themselves. The birthing room is awash with light, kindness, and humor. It’s so much more than Zoom.
During my career I’ve worked with 6 year old poets, 8 year old storytellers, 12 year old biographers, teen college essayists, and adult memoirists. Some people think working with high school writers is like herding hormonal cats and they offer me sympathy or pity. They mean well. But there’s really no need for concern. Whether I’m working with teens or adults, it’s actually carefully orchestrated choreography.
There is a collective energy gathered, an ordering of movement and thought, a purposeful structure and framework that not only harnesses desire and talent, but through repetition and routine creates meaning and art. I love working with writers of all ages because I get to unearth and witness their stories. Voices emerge, grow confident, and offer the world and me something new. Together we birth change.
Kristie Schmidt is one of fewer than one hundred fifty trained Gateless Writing facilitators, was a Fulbright Exchange teacher to England, participated in the National Writing Project, and is a graduate of Smith College and Harvard University.
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Kristie has offered writing coaching, and specifically coaching on college and graduate applications and essays, for decades. She facilitates Gateless writing workshop "salons" and doctors/edits written works for a variety of clients.
She is currently training to be a certified Author Accelerator book coach.
Formerly a public high school Department Head and English teacher, she taught AP English Language and Composition concurrent with UCONN's Early College Experience Seminar in Academic Writing. She specialized in the crafting of nonfiction works--essays and memoirs. She has delivered multiple presentations on literacy, writing, and course design as professional development to colleagues and conference attendees. Kristie was an in-district presenter and turnkey trainer for Understanding by Design.
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Kristie lives with her cat, Luigi "Lui" Macaroni, is an accomplished flute player who spent a summer training at Tanglewood, and a gardener. Her interests include American Sign Language and travel, to date 18 countries, most recently to Portugal's the Azores prior to COVID lockdown.
