“The essays can be the most important components of your application.”
—Johns Hopkins University Admissions
“Lyn was incredibly valuable in helping me find specific stories and examples of my best traits to share with colleges.
She was so reassuring and kind throughout the whole process!”
—Mischa, UNC-Chapel Hill, Class of 2030. Also accepted at University of Michigan; NC State; Davidson; Wake Forest; University of Wisconsin; University of Georgia, Honors; University of Maryland; and Elon University.
“Lyn is a patient and supportive coach who taught me how to craft compelling essays.
She empowers her students to grow as both writers and communicators, and thanks to her guidance, I’ve become a more confident and effective storyteller.”
—Shiven, University of Pennsylvania Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Class of 2029. Also accepted to UC Berkeley MET, UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, UC Irvine, Duke University, Johns Hopkins, Georgia Tech, University of Southern California (Deans Scholar), UIUC, Purdue, and Virginia Tech.
“Thanks to the resources and essay strategies that Lyn introduced me to, my college application processes was a lot less daunting!
Success Story provides plenty of essay examples and helpful methods for brainstorming. Lyn was amazing to work with and very approachable!”
—Eva, Stanford University, Class of 2027
“I really enjoyed working with Lyn! I felt that I got a really good idea of what colleges want to see in an applicant through my work with her, and did very well in my applications because of it.”
—Otter, Full ride to Stonybrook, Simons STEM program, Class of 2029
“Success Story helped me so much in coming up with essay ideas and writing a detailed story that captured my personality. I couldn’t have done it without their help!”
—Sophie, Duke University, Class of 2029
“I highly recommend Lyn for your college essay coaching needs. Lyn made what is typically an overwhelming experience enjoyable.
Her thoughtful process, effective use of technology, knowledge, and energy are what make the experience so exceptional. My child has a better sense of self, feels proud of his college applications, became a better writer, and gained other valuable skills that he will undoubtedly use throughout his college experience and beyond.”
—Anna, parent
“I think the best part of doing this work with you is watching the smile spread across my son’s face when he opened up his essays each day and read the comments.
In addition, he was so engaged in the work he referred her to his friends.”
—Michele, parent
“This was such a terrific experience. Really appreciated all your great edits, notes, tips, etc. I literally felt like it was Christmas morning, I couldn’t wait to wake up to your edits and read them!
You were so positive and encouraging and I know that motivated him that he was on the right track and had a good idea that he could pull through. Thank you! We will be coming to you in 2 years with our daughter.”
—Parent
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In a highly competitive field, Success Story offers coaching and a personalized writing workshop to help students
- Write outstanding essays sharing the authentic self
- Share best qualities that match what schools want
- Find the right stories to tell
- Structure their time to finish essays
- Master techniques for future college writing
- Write in their unique voices, standing out in an age of AI writing
In an expensive industry, Success Story offers reasonable prices and short or long engagements tailored to your schedule and needs.
Here’s what students accomplish with Success Story
- Work in an hourly format or on a weekly schedule with tasks tailored to students’ writing needs. Whether you select Hourly Services or Full Services, we set students up on an efficient schedule with individualized exercises and assignments, designed to help a student generate ideas, work quickly, and draft with purpose and audience in mind. The Zoom coaching sessions teach writing strategies and help students do revisions. Asynchronous (documents-only review) do the same.
- Pick unique incidents that colleges want to know. We help students select stories that best represent them, showcase skill sets that set them apart, and share future plans. We discuss accomplishments and qualities that match the school profile while also showing the multifaceted interests and experiences of each student.
- Write compelling, convincing essays. We help students create a narrative arc and/or montage of stories that engage a reader. We find striking details that resonate with readers. We ask questions that help a student explain to schools why these details matter. During our conversations, students discover the themes and values that direct their lives and find ways to name them. We discuss how to make a reader forget they’re reading–and then make it happen.
- Implement meaningful feedback. Our detailed line edits address everything: evidence, claims, storytelling strategies, grammar and mechanics. We revise, a lot! We help students wherever they are take their writing to the next level.
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