College Admissions & Essay Coaching
Individualized college admissions strategy, essay coaching, and application guidance for students seeking to make the strongest possible case for admission. I work closely with students to identify what is distinctive about their experiences, develop a coherent application strategy, and produce essays that are sophisticated, memorable, and authentically their own.
Experience That Matters
I bring an unusual combination of experience to college admissions consulting: a B.A. from the University of Michigan and Ph.D. from Rutgers University, years of teaching at both the university and high-school levels, extensive experience mentoring students, and a career as both a scholar and professional writer. My academic work has appeared in journals including Nature Human Behaviour, PNAS, Nature Communications, and Proceedings of the Royal Society B, and my popular writing has appeared in outlets including Scientific American, The Nation, and Quillette. I previously taught SAT preparation for The Princeton Review and earned a perfect score on the GRE. I have also navigated highly selective college admissions as a parent, including a successful Dartmouth admission.
Selected Qualifications
- Ph.D., Rutgers University
- University professor/instructor and experienced high-school educator
- Rutgers award for Distinguished Contribution to Undergraduate Education
- Published scholar and professional writer in leading scientific and general-interest publications.
- Former Princeton Review SAT instructor
- Perfect GRE score
- Extensive experience mentoring students in writing, research, and quantitative reasoning
How I Can Help
College Admissions Strategy
Develop a realistic and ambitious college list; identify reach, target, and likely schools; decide where Early Decision or Early Action makes sense; and develop an overall application strategy.
College Essay and Narrative Development
From choosing a compelling topic through multiple rounds of revision, I help students write personal statements and supplemental essays that are clear, memorable, and genuinely sound like them. My role is to help students discover and develop their own ideas and voice; the finished essay remains entirely their own work.
Application Review
A comprehensive review of the Common Application, activities and honors, supplemental responses, résumé, and overall presentation before submission.
SAT Preparation & Testing Strategy
Individualized SAT preparation and guidance about testing strategy, with particular emphasis on reading, writing, reasoning, and effective test-taking.
Schedule an Initial Consultation
I work with a limited number of students and families so that I can give each application careful, individualized attention. I am available for in-person meetings in the Greensboro area as well as virtual consultations.
For availability and to schedule an initial consultation, contact me at 336-207-6218 or robertflynch@gmail.com.
