Free online proofreading and essay editor

A reliable proofreading tool and essay editor for any writer or student, a complete environment.

Typely is more than just a proofreading tool. It's a complete writing environment.

Thousands of checks

More than a thousand checks are being performed and we've only scratched the surface.

Inspired by the greatest writers

Gain access to humanity’s collective understanding about the craft of writing.

A proofreading tool that does not bark at every tree

Typely is precise. Existing tools for proofreading raise so many false alarms that their advice cannot be trusted. Instead, the writer must carefully consider whether to accept or reject each change.

We aim for a tool so precise that it becomes possible to unquestioningly adopt its recommendations and still come out ahead — with stronger, tighter prose. Better to be quiet and authoritative than loud and unreliable.

Relax, focus, write your next masterpiece...

Writing presumes more than simply laying out words on a paper. Typely helps you get in the mood and keeps you focused, immersed and ready to write your story.

Whether you need a distraction-free environment, some chill relaxing sounds or a pomodoro timer to manage your time we got you covered.

Got questions? We have answers.

No. Typely is completely free and we plan on keeping it that way. We are considering some advanced features however that might be available under a premium plan.

The only limit we have applied thus far is on the number of characters you can submit and that is being set at a maximum of 50,000.

In theory yes but that will require a lot of work and professionals dedicated for this job. We are considering a way of letting the community participate somehow.

Typely does not do grammar checking because it's hard and almost impossible to get right. The aim for Typely is to be precise and reliable.

ACCEPTED

Which program are you applying to?

College application essay editing expertise.

  • Consulting & Editing
  • Essay Editing

Hourly Personal Statement Plans

Do you already have a personal statement or supplemental essays drafted, but you’re not feeling 100% confident about it? Then our hourly plan is perfect for you. This efficient service gets right to the business of fine-tuning your essay, and it’s priced by the hour, so you’ll only pay for what you need.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Broad Review

You’ll send the personal statement draft you’ve already created to your consultant. They will give it a once over, focusing primarily on readability and coherence. 

They’ll also be looking to ensure that you have: 

  • Fully answered the question.
  • Presented yourself in a unique and distinctive way.
  • Organized your personal statement(s) supplemental essays logically.
  • Developed engaging openings and effective conclusions.

Step 2: Detailed Edit

Now that your consultant has helped you shape your story on a macro level, it’s time to drill down. In this second round, your consultant will focus on the microelements. They’ll pay special attention to things like clarity, grammar, style, spelling, and word usage. Once they’ve finely combed through your draft, they’ll shoot it back to you with suggested corrections.

Step 3: Submit Your Awesome Essay

After you’ve made all the corrections, your essay should be in good shape for you to do a final read through and send it on its way. It’s that easy. If you’re wondering how many hours to buy, consider the number of drafts you want reviewed. Then think about the general quality of your writing and how close your current draft is to being application-ready.

You can use the estimate guidelines in the chart below to determine your needs and move forward with purchasing some time ASAP. Or, if you need further assistance in making the decision, you can  obtain a free estimate before purchasing.

lightbulb.png

How Many Hours Do I Need?

Choose how many hours you want to start:.

Our rates provide prompt two-business-day turnaround.

Minimum required purchase

1 Hour (add-on)

Existing clients only

Starting at $ 30 /mo with Affirm .

Have a question? Not sure how much time you need?

We offer complete application packages too, initial personal statement package.

When you purchase our Personal Statement Package, you’ll receive:

  • Up-front guidance and advising to save you “churn time.” Your initial introduction to your consultant will be through a questionnaire. They’ll look over your answers and then schedule time to meet with you via video conference or phone call. This 'face-to-face' meeting will provide them with the opportunity to get better acquainted with you. You’ll brainstorm together in real time and determine how to best present yourself and your unique qualifications in your personal statement. In this session, you’ll go over the core idea behind your essay and how to approach structuring it, as well as any important life experiences you might want to include.
  • An outline for your personal statement.  Based on your questionnaire responses and the ensuing discussion you had on the brainstorming call, your consultant will create an outline for your personal statement that provides structure and direction. It consists of bullet points and prompts and is not a full draft. Applicant feedback has been that between the meeting and the outline, our clients have the confidence and direction they need to start writing. This initial step saves them time in creating their first draft and ultimately helps to produce a superior final result.
  • Personal statement editing.  Once you’ve completed a strong first draft, your consultant will dig into the copy and begin editing. They’ll be focusing primarily on clarity, word usage, style, grammar, and spelling. From there, you’ll receive a draft with suggested corrections and changes. You’ll revise it based on those recommendations and then shoot it back to them. At this point, you’ll likely do a bit of back-and-forth with your consultant, fine tuning and editing until you have a personal statement you’re 100% happy with. Note that most personal statements benefit best from 2-4 rounds of review, but there is no clock ticking.

Our thorough and individualized Personal Statement Package gives you the confidence of knowing you are submitting the strongest personal statement possible.

Personal Statement Package

Starting at $107 /mo with Affirm .

Our regular rates provide prompt two-business-day turnaround. Our rush rates provide maximum one-business-day turnaround.

Starting at $ 80 /mo with Affirm .

  • One Personal Statement Package provides all the editing and consulting you need for ONE essay at ONE school. Using our assistance in modifying this essay for other schools will incur additional charges.
  • Packages must be entirely used in one application year.
  • If you request to change consultants or work with a second consultant, you will incur additional charges.

Have a question? Not sure if a package is right for you?

Boring but important stuff.

  • All rates are expressed and billed in U.S. dollars.
  • Our regular rates provide two-business-day turnaround for each round of editing. 
  • Services are subject to availability.
  • All prices are subject to change without notice.
  • Link to facebook
  • Link to linkedin
  • Link to twitter
  • Link to youtube

Admission Essay Editing Services

Make Your Application Stand Out

Library Proofreading And Editing

Admission Essay Editing

If you’d like to boost your chances of getting into your university or college of choice, you need an admission essay that sets you apart. And this means making sure it is clear, academic, and error free. But with the help of our admission essay proofreading service, you can be confident of making a great first impression.

Editor - Jayne L

Expert Editor

Editor - Samira M

Expert Admission Essay Proofreading

Our expert proofreaders have helped countless university applicants win a place on the course of their choice. As a result, we know what makes a good admission essay. So let us put out skills to work and help you fulfil your academic dreams.

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing

Admissions Essay Proofreading Example (After Editing)

With our admission essay proofreading service, we will:

  • Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors
  • Ensure your language and tone are properly academic
  • Make sure your essay effectively communicates your strengths
  • Check for issues with consistency and structure
  • Leave comments and feedback on your writing style

In most cases, we will also provide two copies of your edited essay:

  • A ‘Clean’ copy in the original file format
  • An MS Word Track Changes  copy

You can use this second copy to view every edit we make, so you are always in control of the final draft. And if your  chosen file format  doesn’t support Track Changes, we will adapt our process to match.

Lightning-Fast Delivery

You’ll never miss a deadline with our speedy services: our Next-Day Guarantee means we’ll return any document up to 10,000 words long within 24 hours

And if you need a faster turnaround, simply select your desired delivery speed when you submit your document. We have three options:

We can also meet custom deadlines! Just let us know what you need.

*For documents up to 8,000 words 

**For documents up to 3,000 words

How We Work With Students

You’ll never miss a deadline with our speedy services: our Next-Day Guarantee means we’ll return any document up to 8,000 words long within 24 hours.

We can also meet custom deadlines! Just let us know what you need. 

* For documents up to 8,000 words

** For documents up to 3,000 words

Great Pricing

Our pricing is affordable and transparent – the cost is based on the exact length of your document. Check out our pricing calculator for an instant quote, and rest assured that you’ll receive the highest quality proofreading and editing for the best value on the market.

Referencing Expertise

Our editors are experts in various referencing styles, including but not limited to APA, Harvard, MLA, Chicago, and IEEE. No matter what style you’re using, they’ll make sure your citations and references are correct and let you know if any information is missing. Visit our referencing page to learn more.

Subject-Matter Experts

Our team includes over 750 professional editors with expertise in thousands of topics. This means we can always match you with the best proofreader for your writing, whether you need help with a dissertation in medicine or an essay on economics.

24-Hour Support

Our support team is available around the clock to address any concerns or questions you have about your order. This means you’ll never be left in the dark, no matter where you are or what time it is.

Instant Quote

You can also upload a document to get an instant quote

Drag & drop your file

or browse your computer

Browse from your device

Drop your file here!

Your file is being uploaded!

logo Penn

Looking For A Proofreading Partner?

Let’s talk about the support you need. 

PrepScholar

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, getting college essay help: important do's and don’ts.

author image

College Essays

feature_help.jpg

If you grow up to be a professional writer, everything you write will first go through an editor before being published. This is because the process of writing is really a process of re-writing —of rethinking and reexamining your work, usually with the help of someone else. So what does this mean for your student writing? And in particular, what does it mean for very important, but nonprofessional writing like your college essay? Should you ask your parents to look at your essay? Pay for an essay service?

If you are wondering what kind of help you can, and should, get with your personal statement, you've come to the right place! In this article, I'll talk about what kind of writing help is useful, ethical, and even expected for your college admission essay . I'll also point out who would make a good editor, what the differences between editing and proofreading are, what to expect from a good editor, and how to spot and stay away from a bad one.

Table of Contents

What Kind of Help for Your Essay Can You Get?

What's Good Editing?

What should an editor do for you, what kind of editing should you avoid, proofreading, what's good proofreading, what kind of proofreading should you avoid.

What Do Colleges Think Of You Getting Help With Your Essay?

Who Can/Should Help You?

Advice for editors.

Should You Pay Money For Essay Editing?

The Bottom Line

What's next, what kind of help with your essay can you get.

Rather than talking in general terms about "help," let's first clarify the two different ways that someone else can improve your writing . There is editing, which is the more intensive kind of assistance that you can use throughout the whole process. And then there's proofreading, which is the last step of really polishing your final product.

Let me go into some more detail about editing and proofreading, and then explain how good editors and proofreaders can help you."

Editing is helping the author (in this case, you) go from a rough draft to a finished work . Editing is the process of asking questions about what you're saying, how you're saying it, and how you're organizing your ideas. But not all editing is good editing . In fact, it's very easy for an editor to cross the line from supportive to overbearing and over-involved.

Ability to clarify assignments. A good editor is usually a good writer, and certainly has to be a good reader. For example, in this case, a good editor should make sure you understand the actual essay prompt you're supposed to be answering.

Open-endedness. Good editing is all about asking questions about your ideas and work, but without providing answers. It's about letting you stick to your story and message, and doesn't alter your point of view.

body_landscape.jpg

Think of an editor as a great travel guide. It can show you the many different places your trip could take you. It should explain any parts of the trip that could derail your trip or confuse the traveler. But it never dictates your path, never forces you to go somewhere you don't want to go, and never ignores your interests so that the trip no longer seems like it's your own. So what should good editors do?

Help Brainstorm Topics

Sometimes it's easier to bounce thoughts off of someone else. This doesn't mean that your editor gets to come up with ideas, but they can certainly respond to the various topic options you've come up with. This way, you're less likely to write about the most boring of your ideas, or to write about something that isn't actually important to you.

If you're wondering how to come up with options for your editor to consider, check out our guide to brainstorming topics for your college essay .

Help Revise Your Drafts

Here, your editor can't upset the delicate balance of not intervening too much or too little. It's tricky, but a great way to think about it is to remember: editing is about asking questions, not giving answers .

Revision questions should point out:

  • Places where more detail or more description would help the reader connect with your essay
  • Places where structure and logic don't flow, losing the reader's attention
  • Places where there aren't transitions between paragraphs, confusing the reader
  • Moments where your narrative or the arguments you're making are unclear

But pointing to potential problems is not the same as actually rewriting—editors let authors fix the problems themselves.

Want to write the perfect college application essay?   We can help.   Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will help you craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay to proudly submit to colleges.   Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now:

Bad editing is usually very heavy-handed editing. Instead of helping you find your best voice and ideas, a bad editor changes your writing into their own vision.

You may be dealing with a bad editor if they:

  • Add material (examples, descriptions) that doesn't come from you
  • Use a thesaurus to make your college essay sound "more mature"
  • Add meaning or insight to the essay that doesn't come from you
  • Tell you what to say and how to say it
  • Write sentences, phrases, and paragraphs for you
  • Change your voice in the essay so it no longer sounds like it was written by a teenager

Colleges can tell the difference between a 17-year-old's writing and a 50-year-old's writing. Not only that, they have access to your SAT or ACT Writing section, so they can compare your essay to something else you wrote. Writing that's a little more polished is great and expected. But a totally different voice and style will raise questions.

Where's the Line Between Helpful Editing and Unethical Over-Editing?

Sometimes it's hard to tell whether your college essay editor is doing the right thing. Here are some guidelines for staying on the ethical side of the line.

  • An editor should say that the opening paragraph is kind of boring, and explain what exactly is making it drag. But it's overstepping for an editor to tell you exactly how to change it.
  • An editor should point out where your prose is unclear or vague. But it's completely inappropriate for the editor to rewrite that section of your essay.
  • An editor should let you know that a section is light on detail or description. But giving you similes and metaphors to beef up that description is a no-go.

body_ideas.jpg

Proofreading (also called copy-editing) is checking for errors in the last draft of a written work. It happens at the end of the process and is meant as the final polishing touch. Proofreading is meticulous and detail-oriented, focusing on small corrections. It sands off all the surface rough spots that could alienate the reader.

Because proofreading is usually concerned with making fixes on the word or sentence level, this is the only process where someone else can actually add to or take away things from your essay . This is because what they are adding or taking away tends to be one or two misplaced letters.

Laser focus. Proofreading is all about the tiny details, so the ability to really concentrate on finding small slip-ups is a must.

Excellent grammar and spelling skills. Proofreaders need to dot every "i" and cross every "t." Good proofreaders should correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. They should put foreign words in italics and surround quotations with quotation marks. They should check that you used the correct college's name, and that you adhered to any formatting requirements (name and date at the top of the page, uniform font and size, uniform spacing).

Limited interference. A proofreader needs to make sure that you followed any word limits. But if cuts need to be made to shorten the essay, that's your job and not the proofreader's.

body_detective-2.jpg

A bad proofreader either tries to turn into an editor, or just lacks the skills and knowledge necessary to do the job.

Some signs that you're working with a bad proofreader are:

  • If they suggest making major changes to the final draft of your essay. Proofreading happens when editing is already finished.
  • If they aren't particularly good at spelling, or don't know grammar, or aren't detail-oriented enough to find someone else's small mistakes.
  • If they start swapping out your words for fancier-sounding synonyms, or changing the voice and sound of your essay in other ways. A proofreader is there to check for errors, not to take the 17-year-old out of your writing.

body_spill-1.jpg

What Do Colleges Think of Your Getting Help With Your Essay?

Admissions officers agree: light editing and proofreading are good—even required ! But they also want to make sure you're the one doing the work on your essay. They want essays with stories, voice, and themes that come from you. They want to see work that reflects your actual writing ability, and that focuses on what you find important.

On the Importance of Editing

Get feedback. Have a fresh pair of eyes give you some feedback. Don't allow someone else to rewrite your essay, but do take advantage of others' edits and opinions when they seem helpful. ( Bates College )

Read your essay aloud to someone. Reading the essay out loud offers a chance to hear how your essay sounds outside your head. This exercise reveals flaws in the essay's flow, highlights grammatical errors and helps you ensure that you are communicating the exact message you intended. ( Dickinson College )

On the Value of Proofreading

Share your essays with at least one or two people who know you well—such as a parent, teacher, counselor, or friend—and ask for feedback. Remember that you ultimately have control over your essays, and your essays should retain your own voice, but others may be able to catch mistakes that you missed and help suggest areas to cut if you are over the word limit. ( Yale University )

Proofread and then ask someone else to proofread for you. Although we want substance, we also want to be able to see that you can write a paper for our professors and avoid careless mistakes that would drive them crazy. ( Oberlin College )

On Watching Out for Too Much Outside Influence

Limit the number of people who review your essay. Too much input usually means your voice is lost in the writing style. ( Carleton College )

Ask for input (but not too much). Your parents, friends, guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers are great people to bounce ideas off of for your essay. They know how unique and spectacular you are, and they can help you decide how to articulate it. Keep in mind, however, that a 45-year-old lawyer writes quite differently from an 18-year-old student, so if your dad ends up writing the bulk of your essay, we're probably going to notice. ( Vanderbilt University )

body_thumbsup-3.jpg

Now let's talk about some potential people to approach for your college essay editing and proofreading needs. It's best to start close to home and slowly expand outward. Not only are your family and friends more invested in your success than strangers, but they also have a better handle on your interests and personality. This knowledge is key for judging whether your essay is expressing your true self.

Parents or Close Relatives

Your family may be full of potentially excellent editors! Parents are deeply committed to your well-being, and family members know you and your life well enough to offer details or incidents that can be included in your essay. On the other hand, the rewriting process necessarily involves criticism, which is sometimes hard to hear from someone very close to you.

A parent or close family member is a great choice for an editor if you can answer "yes" to the following questions. Is your parent or close relative a good writer or reader? Do you have a relationship where editing your essay won't create conflict? Are you able to constructively listen to criticism and suggestion from the parent?

One suggestion for defusing face-to-face discussions is to try working on the essay over email. Send your parent a draft, have them write you back some comments, and then you can pick which of their suggestions you want to use and which to discard.

Teachers or Tutors

A humanities teacher that you have a good relationship with is a great choice. I am purposefully saying humanities, and not just English, because teachers of Philosophy, History, Anthropology, and any other classes where you do a lot of writing, are all used to reviewing student work.

Moreover, any teacher or tutor that has been working with you for some time, knows you very well and can vet the essay to make sure it "sounds like you."

If your teacher or tutor has some experience with what college essays are supposed to be like, ask them to be your editor. If not, then ask whether they have time to proofread your final draft.

Guidance or College Counselor at Your School

The best thing about asking your counselor to edit your work is that this is their job. This means that they have a very good sense of what colleges are looking for in an application essay.

At the same time, school counselors tend to have relationships with admissions officers in many colleges, which again gives them insight into what works and which college is focused on what aspect of the application.

Unfortunately, in many schools the guidance counselor tends to be way overextended. If your ratio is 300 students to 1 college counselor, you're unlikely to get that person's undivided attention and focus. It is still useful to ask them for general advice about your potential topics, but don't expect them to be able to stay with your essay from first draft to final version.

Friends, Siblings, or Classmates

Although they most likely don't have much experience with what colleges are hoping to see, your peers are excellent sources for checking that your essay is you .

Friends and siblings are perfect for the read-aloud edit. Read your essay to them so they can listen for words and phrases that are stilted, pompous, or phrases that just don't sound like you.

You can even trade essays and give helpful advice on each other's work.

body_goats.jpg

If your editor hasn't worked with college admissions essays very much, no worries! Any astute and attentive reader can still greatly help with your process. But, as in all things, beginners do better with some preparation.

First, your editor should read our advice about how to write a college essay introduction , how to spot and fix a bad college essay , and get a sense of what other students have written by going through some admissions essays that worked .

Then, as they read your essay, they can work through the following series of questions that will help them to guide you.

Introduction Questions

  • Is the first sentence a killer opening line? Why or why not?
  • Does the introduction hook the reader? Does it have a colorful, detailed, and interesting narrative? Or does it propose a compelling or surprising idea?
  • Can you feel the author's voice in the introduction, or is the tone dry, dull, or overly formal? Show the places where the voice comes through.

Essay Body Questions

  • Does the essay have a through-line? Is it built around a central argument, thought, idea, or focus? Can you put this idea into your own words?
  • How is the essay organized? By logical progression? Chronologically? Do you feel order when you read it, or are there moments where you are confused or lose the thread of the essay?
  • Does the essay have both narratives about the author's life and explanations and insight into what these stories reveal about the author's character, personality, goals, or dreams? If not, which is missing?
  • Does the essay flow? Are there smooth transitions/clever links between paragraphs? Between the narrative and moments of insight?

Reader Response Questions

  • Does the writer's personality come through? Do we know what the speaker cares about? Do we get a sense of "who he or she is"?
  • Where did you feel most connected to the essay? Which parts of the essay gave you a "you are there" sensation by invoking your senses? What moments could you picture in your head well?
  • Where are the details and examples vague and not specific enough?
  • Did you get an "a-ha!" feeling anywhere in the essay? Is there a moment of insight that connected all the dots for you? Is there a good reveal or "twist" anywhere in the essay?
  • What are the strengths of this essay? What needs the most improvement?

body_fixer.jpg

Should You Pay Money for Essay Editing?

One alternative to asking someone you know to help you with your college essay is the paid editor route. There are two different ways to pay for essay help: a private essay coach or a less personal editing service , like the many proliferating on the internet.

My advice is to think of these options as a last resort rather than your go-to first choice. I'll first go through the reasons why. Then, if you do decide to go with a paid editor, I'll help you decide between a coach and a service.

When to Consider a Paid Editor

In general, I think hiring someone to work on your essay makes a lot of sense if none of the people I discussed above are a possibility for you.

If you can't ask your parents. For example, if your parents aren't good writers, or if English isn't their first language. Or if you think getting your parents to help is going create unnecessary extra conflict in your relationship with them (applying to college is stressful as it is!)

If you can't ask your teacher or tutor. Maybe you don't have a trusted teacher or tutor that has time to look over your essay with focus. Or, for instance, your favorite humanities teacher has very limited experience with college essays and so won't know what admissions officers want to see.

If you can't ask your guidance counselor. This could be because your guidance counselor is way overwhelmed with other students.

If you can't share your essay with those who know you. It might be that your essay is on a very personal topic that you're unwilling to share with parents, teachers, or peers. Just make sure it doesn't fall into one of the bad-idea topics in our article on bad college essays .

If the cost isn't a consideration. Many of these services are quite expensive, and private coaches even more so. If you have finite resources, I'd say that hiring an SAT or ACT tutor (whether it's PrepScholar or someone else) is better way to spend your money . This is because there's no guarantee that a slightly better essay will sufficiently elevate the rest of your application, but a significantly higher SAT score will definitely raise your applicant profile much more.

Should You Hire an Essay Coach?

On the plus side, essay coaches have read dozens or even hundreds of college essays, so they have experience with the format. Also, because you'll be working closely with a specific person, it's more personal than sending your essay to a service, which will know even less about you.

But, on the minus side, you'll still be bouncing ideas off of someone who doesn't know that much about you . In general, if you can adequately get the help from someone you know, there is no advantage to paying someone to help you.

If you do decide to hire a coach, ask your school counselor, or older students that have used the service for recommendations. If you can't afford the coach's fees, ask whether they can work on a sliding scale —many do. And finally, beware those who guarantee admission to your school of choice—essay coaches don't have any special magic that can back up those promises.

Should You Send Your Essay to a Service?

On the plus side, essay editing services provide a similar product to essay coaches, and they cost significantly less . If you have some assurance that you'll be working with a good editor, the lack of face-to-face interaction won't prevent great results.

On the minus side, however, it can be difficult to gauge the quality of the service before working with them . If they are churning through many application essays without getting to know the students they are helping, you could end up with an over-edited essay that sounds just like everyone else's. In the worst case scenario, an unscrupulous service could send you back a plagiarized essay.

Getting recommendations from friends or a school counselor for reputable services is key to avoiding heavy-handed editing that writes essays for you or does too much to change your essay. Including a badly-edited essay like this in your application could cause problems if there are inconsistencies. For example, in interviews it might be clear you didn't write the essay, or the skill of the essay might not be reflected in your schoolwork and test scores.

Should You Buy an Essay Written by Someone Else?

Let me elaborate. There are super sketchy places on the internet where you can simply buy a pre-written essay. Don't do this!

For one thing, you'll be lying on an official, signed document. All college applications make you sign a statement saying something like this:

I certify that all information submitted in the admission process—including the application, the personal essay, any supplements, and any other supporting materials—is my own work, factually true, and honestly presented... I understand that I may be subject to a range of possible disciplinary actions, including admission revocation, expulsion, or revocation of course credit, grades, and degree, should the information I have certified be false. (From the Common Application )

For another thing, if your academic record doesn't match the essay's quality, the admissions officer will start thinking your whole application is riddled with lies.

Admission officers have full access to your writing portion of the SAT or ACT so that they can compare work that was done in proctored conditions with that done at home. They can tell if these were written by different people. Not only that, but there are now a number of search engines that faculty and admission officers can use to see if an essay contains strings of words that have appeared in other essays—you have no guarantee that the essay you bought wasn't also bought by 50 other students.

body_monalisa.jpg

  • You should get college essay help with both editing and proofreading
  • A good editor will ask questions about your idea, logic, and structure, and will point out places where clarity is needed
  • A good editor will absolutely not answer these questions, give you their own ideas, or write the essay or parts of the essay for you
  • A good proofreader will find typos and check your formatting
  • All of them agree that getting light editing and proofreading is necessary
  • Parents, teachers, guidance or college counselor, and peers or siblings
  • If you can't ask any of those, you can pay for college essay help, but watch out for services or coaches who over-edit you work
  • Don't buy a pre-written essay! Colleges can tell, and it'll make your whole application sound false.

Ready to start working on your essay? Check out our explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications and then explore our step-by-step guide to writing a great college essay .

Using the Common Application for your college applications? We have an excellent guide to the Common App essay prompts and useful advice on how to pick the Common App prompt that's right for you . Wondering how other people tackled these prompts? Then work through our roundup of over 130 real college essay examples published by colleges .

Stressed about whether to take the SAT again before submitting your application? Let us help you decide how many times to take this test . If you choose to go for it, we have the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs of the best ways to study.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?   We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download them for free now:

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

  • For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

university essay editor

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

university essay editor

29-year-old's side hustle made $114,000 a year, so he quit his full-time job: I'm more successful and I work less

Carter Osborne spent two months agonizing over whether to leave his full-time job for his tutoring side hustle.

He did both jobs simultaneously for five years. But in August 2023, he was promoted to director at his public relations firm, giving him more responsibility. At the same time, his side hustle — editing high school seniors' college admissions essays — had grown large enough that between the two gigs, he was working 70 hours per week, he says.

The side gig netted him more than $114,000 last year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It — effectively doubling his salary, he says. By that November, he was looking for a new full-time job — and realized none of his options had "that deep, passionate, resonate feeling that education has,'" says Osborne, 29.

DON'T MISS: The ultimate guide to earning passive income online

Then, one of his tutoring students was accepted to his first-choice school: Pitzer College, a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Osborne was so elated that he paced around his living room for several minutes, frantically texting the student his congratulations, he says.

Decision made: Tutoring would become his full-time job. Osborne left the PR firm in January, and is already finding that with more availability, he can take on more clients . Despite spring being a slow season for college admission tutoring, he already has 24 clients on his roster, he says. This time last year, he had just nine.

"I've found more success, and frankly, more love for the craft," says Osborne.

Transitioning a side hustle into a full-time business

Osborne started his side hustle as a graduate student in 2017, hoping to make a little extra money. He had a mentor — someone he'd consulted when applying to schools himself, four years prior — who referred him some clients.

The business "snowballed" from there, growing almost exclusively by word of mouth, Osborne told Make It in August.

Currently, he's working three hours per week, he says — researching essay trends, admissions stats and developing new tutoring services. That could ramp up to at least 40 hours per week by the end of the summer, and possibly more this coming fall.

That's because demand for tutors is high: Last year, Osborne worked with 52 clients and had to turn others away, he says. More people are applying to college than ever before, and students are struggling with their essays more post-Covid than they used to.

Even for the most well-equipped applicants, applying for college is an "extraordinary workload," Osborne says. When he applied for college in 2013, he wrote five or six essays. Now, many students applying to multiple schools are required to write upwards of 20, he says.

If demand rises enough, Osborne might hire another tutor — possibly a part-time contractor — to help with the workload, he says. He could also expand his business' services: Other types of students also write admissions essays, from transfers and graduate school applicants to children hoping to get into their middle school or high school of choice.

Navigating financial unknowns

Osborne doesn't quite know how to project a full year's earnings yet, since the bulk of his business' revenue comes in the second half of each year.

Before leaving his full-time job, he calculated his next six months of his household expenses — including his mortgage, business insurance and average weekly spending — and found enough of a "financial cushion" in his savings to cover it, he says.

In the meantime, Osborne is mostly using his offseason free time to exercise more, walk his dog and visit his parents more often, he says. Simply having the freedom to unplug makes him feel less stressed about taking his side hustle full time, he adds.

"I had the money for [vacation and travel last year], but no time to do it," says Osborne. "So, what good was it? ... It's been very freeing to me to be able to control the scope and the growth of my business."

Want to make extra money outside of your day job?  Sign up for CNBC's new online course  How to Earn Passive Income Online  to learn about common passive income streams, tips to get started and real-life success stories. CNBC Make It readers can use special discount code CNBC40 to get 40% off through 8/15/24.

Plus,  sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter  to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

Carter Osborne left his full-time public relations job for his tutoring side hustle

COMMENTS

  1. College Essay Guy

    College Essay Guy believes that every student should have access to the tools and guidance necessary to create the best application possible. That's why we're a one-for-one company, which means that for every student who pays for support, we provide free support to a low-income student. Learn more.

  2. Scribbr

    Help you achieve your academic goals. Whether we're proofreading and editing, checking for plagiarism or AI content, generating citations, or writing useful Knowledge Base articles, our aim is to support students on their journey to become better academic writers. We believe that every student should have the right tools for academic success.

  3. Admission Essay Editing Service

    Crafting impactful college application essays is a pivotal step in securing admission to your desired university. Our Admission Essay Editing Service is designed to elevate your essays, ensuring they stand out in the competitive admission landscape.Our team of experienced editors, with years of expertise in college admissions, provides meticulous editing.

  4. Editing and Proofreading for Students

    Professional editing and proofreading are now even more affordable. With Scribendi's 10% student discount, you can take your documents to the next level. Our expert editors can enhance your essays, research papers, assignments, and personal documents with ease. Simply use the coupon code on our Student Discount page to start improving your ...

  5. College Essay Help

    The college essay is an extremely important piece of your college application. Essays help you stand out from the rest. Show your personality. Admissions officers want to better understand who you are through your essays. Showcasing your unique view of the world and the experiences that have led you to where you are is pivotal.

  6. Proofreading & Editing Services

    Wordvice works with the most qualified editors with years of language editing and proofreading experience. We have over 500 professional editors with PhDs and advanced degrees and subject expertise in nearly 2,000 academic fields, and our order management system will match you to the best fit considering your field and the document you submit.

  7. Free online proofreading and essay editor

    Relax, focus, write your next masterpiece... Writing presumes more than simply laying out words on a paper. Typely helps you get in the mood and keeps you focused, immersed and ready to write your story. Whether you need a distraction-free environment, some chill relaxing sounds or a pomodoro timer to manage your time we got you covered.

  8. Scribbr's College Essay Editing & Coaching

    At Scribbr, you can rest assured that only the best editors will work on your college essay. All our 800+ editors have passed the challenging Scribbr Academy, which has a passing rate of only 2%. We handpick your college essay editor on several criteria, including field of study. Janice. Janice holds a PhD in German studies from Duke University.

  9. College Essay Editing Services

    Starting at $107 /mo with Affirm. Our regular rates provide prompt two-business-day turnaround. Our rush rates provide maximum one-business-day turnaround. Starting at $80 /mo with Affirm. One Personal Statement Package provides all the editing and consulting you need for ONE essay at ONE school.

  10. 4 College Admissions Essay Editing Services Reviewed

    The Write Stuff: 4 College Admissions Essay Editing Services Reviewed. College applicants seeking an edge can turn to online services which, for as little as $14, will spruce up their admissions ...

  11. Free Online Proofreader

    Developmental editing (i.e. content editing, substantive editing) This is the first step of the editing process and applies to very early drafts. The editor helps you structure your ideas, decide what story to tell and find direction for your writing. No. This kind of editing involves heavy rewriting and restructuring. Our editors cannot help ...

  12. 14 Best College Essay Services for 2024 (40 Services Reviewed)

    College Essay Editing Alternatives (that Didn't Make the Cut) Individual Essay Consultants #5 - College Essay Editor. Our Verdict — Small Editing Team Price: Roughly $5,950 for applications to 10 schools College Essay Editor comprises two graduates of Stanford. This means that they have personal experience applying to highly competitive ...

  13. Essay Editing Service

    Essay Proofreading And Editing. When you submit a document, one of our expert essay proofreaders will: Ensure punctuation, spelling, and grammar are correct. Refine sentence structure to ensure your writing reads smoothly. Highlight any inconsistencies or unclear text. Check that your tone and vocabulary are suitably academic.

  14. Application Essay Editing Services

    Our Premium Essay Editing Service includes more than just quality essay editing and proofreading and includes the following additional features: Editor expertise in your paper's subject area. Direct communication with your editor. A range of turnaround times (from 9 hours to 7 days) Free English editing certificate.

  15. Admission Essay Proofreading Service

    Admission Essay Editing. With our admission essay proofreading service, we will: Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Ensure your language and tone are properly academic. Make sure your essay effectively communicates your strengths. Check for issues with consistency and structure. Leave comments and feedback on your writing style.

  16. 15 Tips for Writing, Proofreading, and Editing Your College Essay

    Refine and polish: Use this opportunity to fine-tune your language, adjust the flow, and ensure that your essay truly reflects your voice and message. Incorporating this tip into your writing process can significantly improve the quality and effectiveness of your college essay. 10. Choose an ideal writing environment.

  17. Getting College Essay Help: Important Do's and Don'ts

    Sometimes it's hard to tell whether your college essay editor is doing the right thing. Here are some guidelines for staying on the ethical side of the line. An editor should say that the opening paragraph is kind of boring, and explain what exactly is making it drag. But it's overstepping for an editor to tell you exactly how to change it.

  18. College Essay Editing by Stanford Grads

    College Essay Editor is made up of a team of professional Stanford-educated essay editors that provide individualized, in-depth essay and personal statement editing at all stages of the editing process. Whether it's brainstorming ideas, providing substantive feedback on your essay's structure and logic, or just polishing the language and ...

  19. Essay Editing by Stanford Grads

    At College Essay Editor, our editors are fluent in the essay editing process and up to date with college admissions trends. We've edited thousands of essays, ranging from Common Application personal statements, supplemental essays, and graduate school personal statements to Why This College essays, Bachelor of Fine Arts essays and Air Force ...

  20. AI College Essay Checker & Editor

    How does Dr. Ivy work? Dr Ivy uses AI technology and college admissions-focused rubrics to evaluate your essay. It assesses structure, coherence, and sentiment, then provides targeted improvement suggestions, enabling you to tailor your essay to resonate with admissions committees. How much does it cost?

  21. College Essay Format: Top Writing and Editing Tips for 2024

    1. Be authentic. One of the most essential parts of how to format a college application essay is to be authentic. The college wants to know who you are, and they will be reading dozens of essays a day. The best way to make yours stand out is to just be yourself instead of focusing on what you think they want to hear.

  22. What I've Learned From My Students' College Essays

    By Nell Freudenberger. May 14, 2024, 5:02 a.m. ET. Most high school seniors approach the college essay with dread. Either their upbringing hasn't supplied them with several hundred words of ...

  23. 11 Best Editing and Proofreading Services in 2024

    7. Proofed. Proofed is an editing and formatting service that helps students, businesses, authors, academics, researchers, and other professionals communicate effectively. Its mission is to provide the highest quality proofreading and editing services in the world.

  24. Professional Editing and Proofreading Services Within 12 Hours

    Overuse of passive voice. Subjective or inflated language. For a more comprehensive edit, you can add one or multiple add-on editing services that fit your needs. ⏰ Deadline. Within 3 hours. 📄 Texts. Papers, essays, reports, manuscripts. ⭐️ Rating. 4.6 based on 12,742 reviews.

  25. Welcome to the Purdue Online Writing Lab

    The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out ...

  26. Transitioning a side hustle into a full-time business

    At the same time, his side hustle — editing high school seniors' college admissions essays — had grown large enough that between the two gigs, he was working 70 hours per week, he says.

  27. Opinion

    Mr. Roth is the president of Wesleyan University. This time of year, college campuses like the one where I live fill up with high school seniors preparing to make what feels like a momentous ...

  28. In Medicine, the Morally Unthinkable Too Easily Comes to Seem Normal

    Dr. Elliott teaches medical ethics at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of the forthcoming book "The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No ...

  29. IOE Master's student awarded the Harry Hodson Prize for essay on

    Before her time at IOE, Sophie studied English at the University of Cambridge, where her dissertation explored the use of Llanito in Gibraltarian literature. Sophie's essay will be published in a future issue of The Round Table. The Round Table was founded in 1910 and is the oldest English-language international affairs journal.

  30. Letters: Northwestern University president's op-ed is misleading

    The May 10 essay by Northwestern University President Michael Schill attempts to explain why he reached an agreement ... of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters ...