Why choose Success Story?
Success Story offers a personalized writing workshop experience, no matter whether we work together for an hour or several weeks: developmentally-appropriate, individualized coaching to help a student take their skills to the next level.
With my unique Success Story methods in harnessing detail and persuasive argumentation (the Blue and Gold method), students write essays sharing their authentic selves, making their profile leap from the applications pile.
See Testimonials and where Success Story students are headed.
Details, Details, Details. With Success Story’s unique coaching methods, students learn how to write with memorable specificity, making a powerful self-portrait for admissions officers. Students also learn the art of summary in order to share meaningful insight and pull back the camera for the sort of insightful sports commentary that colleges want to hear. I help students find their pride-and-joy details, the ones they’re eager to share with personality and voice. Their writing reads so much more than a résumé; their essays will speak like the student would in a compelling job interview.
Creativity. With Success Story’s unique focus on the student’s storytelling gifts (from voice, to character and identity, to stakes and incidents, to transitions, to suspense), students can make their achievements and experiences notable to institutions they hope to attend.
Modeling. With my coaching in the skills of brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and revision, students can find joy in each stage of the process. Using model essays from my students who have been accepted to a range of schools, I help students see what already works while helping students articulate their experiences in an individual, unique way. Every student emerges with enhanced skills or brand-new ones so that they will also experience success in college.
Efficiency. Success Story’s coaching schedule provides efficient and feasible tasks and deadlines within a few weeks in order to give students needed structure. Whether you need an hour’s worth of service or several weeks’, I can tailor a service structure to your timeline and budget. I can get a student to draft 2 of an essay within 2 weeks and well on their own way to finishing the work.
Encouragement. Creativity doesn’t happen in a highly critical space. Innovative and unique self-expression happens in a welcoming space that challenges and motivates you. A great coach lets you know what’s already working. That coach shows you your natural skills. This generation of writers are steeped in stories daily, experts in our visual storytelling age. I make sure a student knows how to lean into the gifts they already have to render a mini-documentary for their readers, a highlight reel of their best moments, actions, characteristics, interests, and skills.
Cost Effectiveness. I understand you need services to fit your budget. In an industry full of packages where students sign up for several weeks, I prefer to offer à la carte and buffet-style options at reasonable prices.. With efficient methods of teaching principles of excellent writing, I can condense the time a student needs to spend with me. We’ll make sure that you and your student are happy with their work, all the while honoring your budget.
What is your expertise?
As the founder of Success Story, I’m also a regular coach, offering all the services. I also have a fantastic team you can learn more about here.
As a graduate of Stanford, an English teacher who has coached students from competitive schools, an expert in gifted education, and an award-winning young adult fiction author, I know what stories get the attention of universities. I help talented students use powerful storytelling strategies so they can share their accomplishments, personality, and character with colleges. Throughout my career, I have developed academic skill builders for students to move to the next level as well as creative writing exercises so students can develop techniques essential to college admissions essays.
As someone who graduated in 2022 with her third degree, an MFA in writing, I’ve been through the college admissions process fairly recently, wrestling with essays myself. I also value my partnership with College Essay Guy, where I train and coach other counselors and coaches as well as students. With CEG’s amazing network of expertise, I’m a daily learner, honing my skills.
As someone who has queried agents and editors, I get what it takes to present your best self in order to be accepted and published.
As a long-time recruiter and professional development specialist, I have conducted interviews and coached staff. I can help a person enhance their self-representation and see what they do well.
More about the Success Story team.
What methods do you use for coaching?
What I or anyone on my team can accomplish in one hour of live coaching is powerful, and the amount and range of feedback your child receives per paragraph is thorough. We prepare highly-individualized coaching sessions based on a student’s unique writing needs, and we provide a range of skill-building line edits with specific guidance and encouragement. Students leave the live sessions to meet two asynchronous deadlines per week, revising rapidly and taking their drafts from zero to sixty, in a way that most coaches accomplish in several weeks.
Why? These long-time English teachers and coaches don’t want to waste anyone’s time. We know you don’t have forever for this process, and that a student can be a quick study in the skills of immersive storytelling in you deliver the right mini-lessons. We harness students’ innate understanding of cinema and short-form video to help them write in ways an application reader will forget they’re reading and see the student as a fascinating individual.
With Success Story’s unique coaching methods to help students develop compelling details and insightful interpretations (Lyn’s Blue, Green, and Gold strategy), students quickly see their abilities to write both specifically and generally within a single paragraph. With a focus on storyteller techniques, students learn to hook a reader from the first sentence, raise the stakes, and make personal stories engaging.
After assessing students’ writing, Success Story offers a large range of targeted exercises differentiated to student readiness and interest so writing skills are maximized and any gaps get addressed. We begin with low-stakes brainstorming exercises to get ideas flowing, and move quickly to thoughtful planning of Gold Coin examples that leap off the page to match the Blue Sky claims students make.
I also am a huge fan of College Essay Guy and his exciting approach to letting students be their authentic selves in writing. When I found his materials, they resonated with my approaches I’ve had with students for years, while also enhancing, amplifying, and bettering my methods. I also collaborate with Ethan Sawyer and his amazing team to develop new materials.
What types of services do you offer?
If you need just an hour’s worth of service, my team and I can assist. If you need full services, with more regular engagements, a schedule, deadlines, more live meetings, and more individualized support, we can assist.
What does a typical week of full service include?
Students receive
- at least one (often two) live coaching sessions via Zoom (see service plans for specifics)
- individualized assignments and deadlines for brainstorming, drafting, or revision, depending on the service plan, including exercises addressing skill gaps and harnessing skill strengths. Students work on these asynchronously.
- detailed feedback–line edits and summary notes–on drafts or outlines—-returned to students within 48 hours, at least three times a week
- essay models
- weekly updates and reminders to student and parent
- revision plans and goals for next steps beyond services
What do past clients say about Success Story?
Read some testimonials.
Which plan should I choose?
Success Story is a personalized writing and coaching workshop for students at various stages of the writing process.
If you need support with brainstorming, outlining, and drafting, and need regular live meetings and deadlines, try the Get Started or Self-Starter services.
If you need to focus just on brainstorming and outlining a potential draft of the Personal Statement, check out Idea Lab.
If you need just a few essays looked at before submission to colleges, try the Draft Review services (hourly revision support).
If you need the entire application of essays looked at before submitting to one school, check out Application Review.
If you want an intensive writing workshop because your priority is DIY writing skill development, and you want to see a draft move from draft 1 to draft 5 in a weekend, I’m your coach! Check out the 4-day Sprint Intensive.
How does scheduling work?
All full services are usually offered in two- or four-week periods. I am glad to extend services if families feel more time is needed, schedule depending. Students work independently based on regular deadlines agreed to in the contract, and attend live coaching sessions Monday through Wednesdays at scheduled times.
For additional fees, families can book an additional time for services. Please book early.
Why is the full-service schedule organized in two- or four-week blocks?
Success Story is a personalized writing workshop tailored to meet student needs, using individualized tasks based on best practices in writing workshops: brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and revision. Whether in two or four weeks of full services, a student who commits to the process can efficiently generate ideas, outlines, and drafts within a short period of time.
Everyone does better with structure, so weekly deadlines–always midnight on Wednesdays and Sundays–allow a cycle of skill practice, drafting, and revision. Both parents and students know when tasks are due.
Some students may need double the time, and that’s okay. If you need a second round of Get Started, we can make that happen. If you need another round of drafting and revision, sign up for Self Starter again. You might also choose to do two rounds of a Customized services plan.
What do live coaching sessions provide?
Live coaching sessions (for full service, some types of Draft Review, and Idea Lab) happen on Zoom provide interactive, skill-based demonstrations and practice, paragraph-by-paragraph essay review, and moral support. No coaching session is the same, because every student is unique.
All sessions are recorded and provided to both student and parent after the session.
When are you available for live coaching?
Live coaching sessions are usually conducted early in the week to start the process off with mini-lessons, encouragement and skill practice, as well as real-time feedback. Mondays through Thursdays, as well as Sundays, are usually standard business hours. I will do my best to accommodate other time zones when I can. Please feel free to inquire regarding a special time you may need and I or my team can make it work.
Why do we sign a participation agreement?
When it comes to full-service packages, the multiple weekly deadlines and a tight cycle of drafting and feedback require timely student commitment. Coaching strategies require students complete exercises, drafts, and revisions on a tight schedule. Therefore Get Started and Self-Starter students must sign a Participation Agreement.
The Success Story system will not serve you without commitment by all parties. Questions you should ask yourself before signing the Student & Parent Agreement include
- Do I, the student, have time (5-7 hours per week) to do this work?
- Do I, the student, have time for live coaching on Mondays – Thursdays?
- Have you as a family identified schools and essay prompts?
- Am I, the student, mentally and emotionally ready to begin writing and meet all deadlines?
- Am I, the parent, able to provide support during the consulting period, if deadlines aren’t met?
How does payment work?
To secure a spot for Hourly (Draft Review), Application Review, Idea Lab, or Sprint Intensive, full payment is due 3 days before the service begin.
For full service packages (Get Started and Self-Starter), you must pay a 50% deposit at the time of scheduling in order to retain your requested schedule. Billing for the remainder occurs halfway through the service period.
Success Story accepts payments through Square.
What happens if we cancel or we miss the first deadline?
If a family must cancel and/or if a student does not meet the first deadline (submission of materials and/or live coaching session), the deposit is held by Success Story until services are rescheduled.
Availability of services in subsequent weeks or months is not guaranteed. If no satisfactory time can be found, the deposit will be refunded.
How will we communicate during the consulting period?
Email is the primary method of communication. Success Story ccs the parent on all email communications with the student. Success Story is unable to provide support via text.
Zoom is our web conferencing software for live coaching sessions, and sessions are recorded.
Success Story uses Google Documents and folders in Drive. This platform allows student and consultant edit rights, as well as a version history. Parents can visit anytime to see progress.
Success Story uses email almost exclusively for the following reasons:
- To maintain a record of deadlines, expectations, consultations, and communications
- To help students with keeping to a study plan that requires careful reading and preparation
- To help students with maintaining a professional level of communications and expectations.
- To protect student privacy
- To keep parents informed
What is your refund policy?
Because Success Story prepares materials specifically for the student before the student begins, a full refund can only be given for families who cancel 3 days prior (by Friday, 8 AM ET, before the first Monday/week of services). The total deposit will be refunded at that time. Late cancellations will be refunded 50% of the deposit.
If a student does not meet the first week’s deadlines (submission of assignments and/or attend a prescheduled live coaching session), Success Story reserves the right to refund the deposit and cancel services.
Services can be rescheduled for a subsequent month, but availability of services is not guaranteed.
What can you guarantee?
Success Story guarantees a personalized writing workshop with detailed feedback, expert assessment and coaching, and honesty about student strengths and areas for growth. Success Story guarantees regular and reliable communications.
Success Story cannot guarantee completion of any student assignment, since that is the student’s responsibility.
Success Story cannot guarantee acceptance to any college due to the varying factors for college admissions, the fact that the consultant does not participate in the original college selection process or assist with other aspects of the application, and because Success Story is not present for submission of final versions of essays.
See more information on Services.
What student is ideal for Success Story?
Is the student struggling to start their college essays? Are they not sure which stories to tell or how to stand out from the crowd? Do they need a schedule and a coach to stay on track?
All writing ability levels are welcome. If a student brings a strong work ethic and makes substantive time for the process, much can be accomplished.
Do you provide consultation on college choices?
No, I leave that to college guidance experts.
Do you provide consultation on résumés or CVs? Do you help with other parts of the application?
No, I leave that to the student and trusted sources such as parents, guidance counselors, and teachers who know a student’s history. I ask to see résumés and CVs during the writing process in order to help you tell your best stories.
Need a great résumé template? Check out these free ones from College Essay Guy, Ethan Sawyer. Need help with your Activities List? Check out advice from College Essay Guy, Ethan Sawyer.