The Essay Conqueror—Suzanne Gannon—has coached hundreds of students on the art of writing a successful college application essay. Students have written on a variety of topics and themes ↓
An essential component of any university application, the personal essay is often the deciding factor between two otherwise equal candidates. For both personal and supplemental essays, topic, tone, and individual voice are critically important.
Browse the list of colleges and universities where clients of The Essay Conqueror have been accepted.
The Essay Conqueror’s Highlight Reel
Some real-life stories of students whose college application essays contributed to offers of acceptance:
An Entrepreneurial Engineer
and competitive rower who saw in his family’s weekend barbecue business an opportunity to deploy his mad skills in coding and data analytics to anticipate peak customer traffic and spikes in demand for tasty brisket
A Big Sister
in the midst of a change in friendships who, in between shifts at the local candy shop, found unwavering kinship and the steadying comfort of ritual and routine in a weekly frozen yogurt pilgrimage with her siblings
A Soccer Star
who, in her fierce and enduring attachment to a childhood keepsake that ultimately helped her through a hurricane, observed a gradual evolution from diffidence and apprehension to independence and confidence
A Future Fashion Merchant
for whom a recurring childhood game of retail make-believe foretold a promising career trajectory toward management of the chic-est boutique in town—and a knack for training and mentoring others
A Competitive Baseball Shortstop
who got a job digging holes for a local business in the Georgia heat, and, in addition earning gas money and funding his burger budget, gleaned the benefits of personal accountability
A 21st-Century Renaissance Man
—piano, soccer, math, origami, social justice, educational advocacy—who discerned in his global study and sampling of his beloved ramen a layered and nuanced portrait of himself
A Game-Ready Athlete
and loyal friend who parlayed her impressive footwork in girls’ soccer into a position as a clutch kicker in boys’ football, all the while contending with stinky socks and cumbersome gear-changes in the janitor’s closet
A Big-Brained Critical Thinker
who unspooled his unique research strategy for better understanding the real-world phenomena that vex him, like the behavior of viruses, the persistence of revolutions, and the durability of rocket ships
A Self-Aware Poet and Thespian
with a quirky personal style who found in her local music scene not only multi-sensory inspiration and joy but also a community of creativity and acceptance that helped her realize she’d never been alone
A Gifted Writer and Young Journalist
who braided the creativity of the imaginative household in which she grew up with her bottomless curiosity about the world around her to find intellectual freedom in award-winning storytelling
A Passionate Designer and Artist
whose study of the genres inspired her to defy the cultural blandness of her own hometown to find meaning—and belonging—in the masterpieces on display in the great museums of the world
A Thoughtful Adventurer
whose exploits as a leave-no-trace urban spelunker not only satisfied his independent streak and his interest in the architectural history of his native Dallas but also yielded an enthusiastic community of friends
A Self-Reliant Entrepreneur
with top-seller instincts who built a booming 3-D printing business that sold location-themed chess sets to players all over the world yet learned the hard lesson of asking for help as a barista at a local cafe
A Skilled Debater and Multi-Sport Athlete
who identified—and stared down—a tendency to get emotional in clutch moments, ultimately developing a mental toughness that equipped him for the leadership that came so naturally to him
A Bona Fide Baywatcher
who channeled his fascination with rip tides and body-surfing into a life-guarding career on one of the country’s most lethal coastlines—while reflecting with gratitude on his family’s decades-old Sunday beach ritual
An Accomplished Documentary Filmmaker
and giant of community service with her own non-profit who bravely navigated the highs and lows of her relationship with a peripatetic, bi-continental parent to find her legacy—by her own definition
An Amiable Forger of Friendships
across boundaries who unflinchingly examined his own interests and identity and, with a painstakingly perfected banana bread recipe, founded a cooking club and built his own community of serious foodies
A Sensitive and Discerning Polymath
who saw that her interest in—and success at—pursuits ranging from running and physics to gluten-free cooking and brain chemistry constituted a versatility under-valued yet super-useful in a multi-faceted world
An Elementary-School Tycoon
whose marketing idea for a local restaurant was a harbinger for an entrepreneurial paradigm of compassion and utility: a beloved and acclaimed boutique that re-purposes fancy-occasion dresses
A STEM Stand-Out and Volunteer
who indulged his interest in the humanities with a life-long study of national flags—the tumultuous and hopeful historical moments that bring them about and the people who make them
A Star Goalie
who converted a stinging own-goal in a pivotal game into an opportunity for reflection and correction; his relentless pursuit of improvement manifested not only on the pitch but in the classroom and in his friendships
A Writer and Vocalist
with an unapologetic penchant for pink and a hankering for make-up tutorials, discovered in a pouch stuffed with eyeliner and lip gloss that aesthetic (cosmetic) beauty could be a form of self-actualized autonomy
An Advocate, Athlete, and Starving Artist
who did not appreciate her talent as a photographer until she saw one of her pieces hanging on a gallery wall and felt an affirming surge of pride at the beauty of her own work
A Warrior
who fearlessly mounted her own recovery to mental health with gritty perseverance and a steely resolve, all the while deepening her empathy for others in volunteer assignments and jobs that helped her step outside herself
A Model of Mental Toughness and Physical Grace
who courageously fought her way back to a flow state of exquisite dancing after being diagnosed with an ultra-rare disease, ultimately pioneering a support organization for her peers
A Pole-Vaulter
who, when not flying through the air to set school records, brought his expertise in kinesiology and the musculoskeletal system to teammates with the nurturing nature inherent in the DNA of his family heritage
A Crossword Puzzler and Agatha Christie Sleuth
who in her attempts to understand her family tree forged connections with relatives that made it okay to co-exist with the mysteries of generations past
A Mathematician-Polyglot
for whom the novel pattern in a pair of corduroy trousers was a metaphor for the courage he needed to go against the grain—to choose personal joy and meaning over serving the interests of others
A Tennis Ace and Mini-Capitalist
with a flair for conversation who, after a devastating injury, doubled down on her original love—the animal kingdom—and discerned that in healing creatures she was deepening her connections with humans
A Continent-Hopper
with astonishing linguistic versatility whose on-the-job mistake in a Dominican kitchen in the Hague inspired a quest for dialectical mastery that instead brought workplace bonding and personal accountability
A Preternaturally Self-Aware Social Butterfly
whose stoic battle with dyslexia was a gateway to a passion for reading, ease in crowds of all sizes and flavors, forward-looking confidence, and, most of all, a deep reserve of personal resilience
A Quick-Witted Writer-Diver-Golfer
who converted an early encounter between the bomb-residue-sensitive swab of a TSA agent and her insulin pump into an opportunity to drolly ruminate on the evolving meaning of being special
A Self-Described Anomaly
in an artistic family who discovered—while door-knocking in New York City public housing—that his own absorbing passion lay not in music or film but in crusading for social justice and defending democracy for all
A Memorizer of 100 Digits of Pi
and a loyal camp pal who used the universal rite of passage of learning to pedal a two-wheeler as a lens through which to examine how balance, trust, and patience are fundamental to all aspects of life
A Best-In-Show Baker
who in the darkness of an eating disorder used the whisk given to her by her grandmother as a steadying, if paradoxical, instrument of therapy, ultimately bringing herself back to health in both body and mind
A Girl Mesmerized
by Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade majorettes who, with a baton from her grandmother, twirled her way into a serious dance career, mentoring her troupe-mates toward the precision of a Rockettes kickline
A Fast Talker and Speed Reader
with a penchant for sketch comedy who, from a transition from a co-ed high school to a girls-only academy, gleaned rich intellectual freedom and a bounty of social and volunteer opportunities
An Aspiring Physician
and Georgia-to-Texas transplant in cowboy boots who found that medicine requires not only the quick thinking he acquired at a Ugandan clinic but also the patient-centric compassion he’d practiced at his dad’s bedside
A Writer of Prose Rich in Imagery
and feeling who, in the unlikely metaphor of her pet fish’s aquarium, reflected on both the tenuous nature of life and the downside of feeling too much before embracing radical acceptance
An Imaginative and Disciplined Writer
who overcame her unease with a hard-to-pronounce surname when, in the midst of a tragic loss, found pride in her heritage—and in her unique gift
The STEM-Educated, Social-Science Thinker
who saw in a shared passion for sailing a way to forge friendships in his weekend community while pondering the meaning of otherness
An Avid Angler
whose journey from a push-button rod on the dock to chasing tarpon at midnight helped him find unrivaled peace and independence on the water—free of his smartphone
An Aspiring Musical‑Theater Actor
who traced his inspiration to a family vacation to Disney World where his dad gave a joyful (and memorable) performance as an audience participant
A Contemplative Philosopher
who devoured the writings of a self-development guru and put them into practice in his own journey to awareness and compassion toward himself and others
A Multi-Sport Athlete
who learned the life-affirming lessons of compassion and forgiveness when, at 10, he experienced the profound stages of grief after losing his dog in a tragic accident
A Community Gardener
who taught herself to cook in a time of stress and grew into a competent chef capable of braiding, into challah bread, both family tradition and self-affirmation
An Altruistic Reader‑Writer
who used the insights she gained as a fixer of restaurant plumbing, customer disputes, and popcorn concessions to see that some conflicts are best avoided
The Poised and Passionate Social‑Justice Warrior
who discovered, in silent offerings of cut fruit at her bedroom door, a quiet, mother-daughter inheritance of perseverance and fortitude
A Music Producer and Songwriter
who, staring reinvention in the face, saw that replenishing toilet paper and writing jingles would bring a second chance at creativity even sweeter than the first
A Writer (and Teller) of Magical Stories
who, in spinning tales of fairies and faraway lands, identified the origins of her abiding desire to write and produce films for human connection
The Soccer Star
who overcame shyness on the sidelines to become a celebrated player and a confidence-building coach to up-and-comers—all thanks to her dad’s early bribery-by-Slurpee
A Late-Blooming Pianist
who discovered his preternatural talent via a rock opera, and subsequently reached the apex of music theory—and a profound sense of belonging therein
The Self-Directed Scholar and Critical Thinker
whose rigorous classical education helped her interpret the world’s divine symmetry and persistent chaos with wonder and grace
A Prodigious Golfer and Space Nut
who learned on the fairways not only how to smoke a drive and sink a putt but also how to make fruitful conversation with every partner and opponent she met
The Intuitive Photographer
who bravely reckoned with her own loss, witnessed its manifestation in the visual stories she captured, and found imperfect solace in the mystery of natural splendor
A Volleyballer from New York
whose journey out of adolescence to maturity and self-awareness evolved over regular visits to her grandmother’s garden and porch swing down South
A Lacrosse Goalie
humbled not by the hard shots of his opponent’s attack but by the rising tide and rapid current in a Maine river where he got comfortable with discomfort
The Track Phenom
who lost a race at Nationals to anxiety and learned that in addition to lacing up his spikes and affixing his stickers, a vital key to victory was to free himself and find the joy
A Dyed-in-the-Red Razorback Fan, Volunteer
and basketball center who captained her team with an innovative communication style while serving as an earnest ambassador to her home state
The Poster Child for Joyful Kindness
and giggling creativity who traced her destiny for educational greatness to a sassy pair of boots and the kindergarten teacher who noticed them
A Big-Wave-Seeking Polyglot
who discerned in her twin passions for surfing and reading the awesome power of nature and the inimitable value of a humbling wipe-out
A Gourmand by Birth
who brought his love for food love to a local pizzeria where he, after scrubbing pots, learned to shape magnificent dough balls with patience and composure
The Theater-Lover and Jazz Saxophonist
who, with paintbrush and drill, navigated a thicket of backdrops to stage-crew leadership via adaptation and improvisation
A Self-Proclaimed Extrovert with Ambitions
in medicine who mastered a table-top game he learned from his family and made it the centerpiece of gatherings known for lively discourse
The Multi‑Disciplinary Artist
who brought creativity, curiosity, and humility to every endeavor, whether as physics tutor, temari instructor, or budding etymologist who invented his own language
An Artist, Outdoorswoman, and Environmentalist
who meditated on the deeply personal meaning of home, reveling in the restorative power of nature but also in the resilience within her
The Sprinter-Scholar
who examined her vulnerabilities and saw that she, not others, was her greatest foe of all, and that valuing her achievements was the surest path to sublime fulfillment
The Gaelic-Football Zealot and Engineer
who with patient perseverance shifted his way through self-doubt and frustration to the perfect ride on the manual transmission of the family’s VW
A Pillar of Local Volleyball Culture
who, in her status as super-friend, family organizer, and model big sister, developed into a disciplined and intuitive leader
The New York Raconteur
whose sense of self and evolution into young adulthood was inextricably entwined with his beloved city and the stories it spawned, especially on the subway
A Sleuth on a Mission to Understand the Duality of Her Identity
—exploring one history only for it to spark an enlightenment about the other—and inspire advocacy and belonging
The Volunteer and Resourceful Practitioner
of tough love who discerned the fulfillment she derived in helping others the foundation of a career in occupational therapy
A Gifted Musician‑Composer, DJ, and Maths Maven
who converted a coworker’s slur on a construction site into an opportunity for reflection and cross-cultural camaraderie—whilst scrubbing down a sewage pump
A Chess-Playing Swimmer
whose rookie mistakes at a popular local pizza joint shaped him not only into a prized expediter in the “pie hole” but also a mentor to trainees under pressure
The Champion Volunteer and Computer Savant
who engineered his way to confidence and personal achievement by mastering the devices needed not only to build games but also to control his destiny
A Wise and Self‑Possessed Mycology Prodigy
who derived his equanimity from farming plants, then mushrooms, under a grow light in his garage, yielding nutritious meals for family and neighbors
A Spotify Fan-Fave and Decorated Debater
who learned the most about herself not when busking or arguing but when she proved her mettle on the family farm harvesting a tart and tiny fruit
A Recovering TikTok Addict
who found her cause while scrolling through the unkind commentary on the platform’s bikini frontier and became an advocate for a healthy-body confidence