IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS, an application ESSAY can be the decider between two otherwise identical candidates. But in the post-Covid age, when the isolating effects of social media persist, and we, especially teens, consume life in the 20-second video snippets on TikTok and Instagram rather than through the long-form prose of chapter books, it can be hard for a student to put a thoughtful sentence together in writing.

SUBSEQUENT TO to the Supreme Court’s reversal of Affirmative Action, which made it harder in some cases for students to differentiate themselves, and in light of the fact that some colleges and universities maintain a test-optional stance on ACT and SAT scores, the essay remains the lone platform where a student can reveal something original and interesting about themselves with the personal insight no AI app can muster.

PARENTS CAN DEFUSE the stress arising from the high stakes of this pivotal moment by engaging The Essay Conqueror, whose writing expertise and congenial personality can mitigate students' fear of writing as well as their tendency to procrastinate.  

AS A COACH, I teach students how to write thoughtfully about what matters to them in a way that shows both who they are and who they want to become. 

IN PRIVATE, ONE-HOUR SESSIONS over Zoom,  I provide instruction and guidance tailored to meet a student’s needs and goals. With customized coaching techniques, I break the process down into manageable tasks that make writing both fun and fulfilling. Many a client has commented on the confidence they've  found in being able to express themselves better in writing.

A BOUTIQUE APPROACH:

‣ A complimentary 20-minute consultation over Zoom to discuss the process and check coach-student chemistry

‣ Multi-session packages that combine on- and off-camera work

‣ Biographical intake and aspiration documentation

‣ Review and analysis of successful application essays 

‣ Targeted assignments designed to provoke thought as well as limber up the writing muscles  

‣ Selection of essay prompts that align with a student's material

‣ Instruction in grammar, usage, voice, tone, and structure—where needed 

AN AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST, essayist, and writing coach with more than two decades of experience, Suzanne Gannon advises high-school, undergrad, and graduate students from across the country and abroad—future doctors, engineers, and pharmacists, born storytellers, ardent environmentalists, savvy politicos, and aspiring entrepreneurs—who apply to colleges and universities in an array of disciplines.

Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Town & Country, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and many other places. She holds a B.A. in History with a concentration in American Studies from the University of Virginia. She studied improv with Second City.

CONTACT:  TheEssayConqueror@gmail.com

THE OUTCOMES

While The Essay Conqueror measures its success by the creative satisfaction its clients feel at having written essays that reflect who they are, it’s worth noting that its alumni have been accepted into a robust array of colleges and universities, including, but not limited to:

American * Amherst * Arizona State  Auburn * Babson * Bard * Barnard  Belmont * Berklee College of Music Bishop's  University * Boston College   Boulder * Bowdoin * Brown *  Cal Poly San Luis Obispo * Cal Poly Pomona * Catholic University Chapman * The Citadel * Clark Colorado School of Mines * Colorado State * Columbia * College of Charleston * Coastal Carolina * Connecticut College * Cornell * CUNY * Dartmouth Drexel * Elon * Emory * Fordham * Furman * George Mason  Georgia Tech * Georgetown * Gonzaga 

GW * Hampton University  

Harvard * Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health * Harvey Mudd 

Holy Cross * Indiana University-Kelley School of Business * JMU

King's College London * Lafayette  

Loyola Marymount * Loyola Chicago LSU * Macalester * Miami of Ohio Michigan State * Middlebury * MIT 

The New School * NJIT  * Northeastern Oglethorpe * Ohio State * Oregon State * Otis College of Art & Design  Pace University * Parsons * Penn State * Pepperdine * Pitzer * Pomona  Purdue * Providence College 

Redlands * Royal Conservatoire of Scotland * RPI * Rutgers

San Diego State * Santa Clara * Sarah Lawrence * SCAD *SMU * SOAS

Spelman * Stanford * Stevens Institute of Technology * Stony Brook TCU * Tufts * Tulane * Tulane School of Medicine * UC Berkeley * UC Davis 

UC Irvine * UCLA * UC Riverside

UC Santa Barbara * UC Santa Cruz

UC San Diego * University of Alabama * University of Arizona University of Georgia * University of Hawaii * University of Kentucky University of Maryland * UMass-Amherst * University of Michigan  University of Nevada Reno 

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill * University of North Carolina-Kenan-Flagler School of Business  University of Oregon  * University of Richmond * University of San Diego University of South Carolina University of Southern California 

University of Southern California-Marshall School of Business 

University of Vermont * University of Virginia * University of Wisconsin  Union * Vanderbilt * Vassar 

Villanova * Virginia Tech

Wake Forest * Washington and Lee  WashU * Wesleyan * Wheaton 

William and Mary * Williams * Yale