“I just want to thank you for coaching me so well. I truly feel that you helped push me out of my comfort zone, which gave me the opportunity to better express myself with words—and language in general, something I needed at the time and benefits me to this day. ”

“From the moment I, as an over-involved father, talked with Pat, I knew that she ‘got it’ and sure enough she clicked right away with my daughter. Their rapport during the 10 sessions couldn’t have been stronger and, for my daughter, for whom connection is everything, Pat’s tone, demeanor, encouragement, and professionalism created a trust that lasted throughout the process. Pat was not only able to help my daughter create a series of phenomenal essays [about] her year abroad and other experiences, but she did it in a way that made my daughter feel ownership and pride. Thank you, Pat. I would do it all over again if I had another child to send your way.”

“My daughter’s essay turned out so well that her boarding school in Michigan is using it as an example for others [and her] acceptance letters all referenced how much they liked her essay.”

“Pat helped me in ways that my school counselors just couldn’t. Working with her made me reconsider the experience of writing college essays altogether—from some dreadful and monotonous prison sentence to a time for personal reflection and growth as a writer. With her coaching and advice, I transformed dry, uninspiring paragraphs into sincere personal essays that got me admitted to three Top-20 schools. In the process, I’m happy to say I made a great friend.”

“My son was struggling to get started when he began working with Pat. She was able to draw ideas out of him, help him to conceptualize a story, and then to edit his own work to create a personal narrative that differentiated him. Based on Pat’s support, he was accepted to his first choice school, as well as several schools that were ‘reaches.’”

“My son is a great student but does not like to write, so he was not looking forward to preparing several essays for his college applications. Pat was able to help break through his writers block, find his inner voice, and guide him from initial brainstorming to final draft. He sent out each application with pride and confidence.”

“Pat was a great support to both of my children as they were navigating the college essay process. (As we are just outside of Boston, they met by phone and used Google Docs.) Her knowledge of the process was comforting, and her unending support through their revisions was crucial.”

“Pat worked with both of my daughters on what seemed like a daunting task. ... The stakes were high in this year’s college admissions process due to lack of test scores and the essay was more key than ever. ... Pat reduced the stress and brought out what my daughter wanted to communicate in a most compelling way. Thanks, Pat, for taking the time to do the ‘digging’ to really get to know your students and help guide them through this critical component of the college process!”

“Pat worked with my daughter on all of her college essays. The experience was amazing. They did all of their sessions via phone and Google Docs. We live in Florida, and I have told all my friends about her and how easy and efficient she made the process. The prompts and thought-provoking conversations they shared turned into five solid, well-rounded essays. Working long distance made no difference; they shared ideas and thoughts, and worked so well together. Pat is patient, understanding and very knowledgeable about what schools are looking for. We are very grateful for her assistance.”

“I struggled with finding a topic that I wanted to write about and that the colleges I was applying to wanted to hear about. Pat did not make me write what colleges wanted to hear; she made sure that what I wrote about interested me and mattered to me, which in turn made my essay more genuine and personal. My initially bland words became heartfelt personal statements, and that made the goal of the perfect college essay attainable.”

“Ms. Berry was extremely helpful in the college application essay process. She helped me to brainstorm ideas for my Common App essay and then to create an outline from those ideas. She was particularly helpful in personalizing my essay.”