Irvine College Essay Coach
Dan Paley is taking on a limited number of high school seniors for this year’s college application cycle. Student’s under Dan’s coaching have been admitted to schools like MIT, UCLA, UCSD, Michigan, Cal Poly, Berkeley, USC, UCI, and many others.
Dan has also advised students on master’s and doctoral theses. See below for Dan’s approach and contact Dan today to schedule sessions with your college senior.
Philosophy and Approach
For many students, the thought of writing inspires dread. They only write because they have to, because a school assignment is due. But an undue focus on assignments (output) misses the point of writing as a process (input).
Unfortunately, many high school seniors confront college essay writing under this same faulty, anxiety-inducing model. They end up procrastinating. They fall behind on their applications. And they drive their parents and counselors mad.
Good news: There’s a better way and it’s not too late in the application cycle.
Dan Paley shifts the focus away from the dread of deadlines by guiding students into a playful sandbox for thinking and reflection, for wrestling with ideas and perspectives.
Under Dan’s guidance, college essays are not a writing test at all. They are a thinking test, a critical developmental exercise that helps our young people into a deeper understanding of who they are, where they’re from, and where they’re going.
Ultimately, the goal is not just to help them get into college. It’s to help them become confident and creative thinkers and writers, to establish a strong sense of identity and voice, and to nurture a rich inner thought life.
This exercise of self-discovery through writing grounds them in their own story and helps them to establish their place in the world—for college and beyond.
Details
What
A one-on-one meeting between Dan and the student to think through the personal statement, supplemental questions, and other application requirements.
A follow-up session to review drafts and give further direction for development.
One round of editing.
A final round of polishing.
Who
12th graders applying to college.
11th graders looking ahead to next year.
Where
In Irvine at convenient locations (coffee shops, libraries, etc.) to be coordinated based on geography.
Cost
$500
Group size
Always one-on-one
In-person (or virtual if desired.)
About Dan
Dan Paley is a bestselling and award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction for children. They Hold the Line, published by Chronicle Books, was named a 2023 New York Public Library Best Book. He has written across several genres, including features for Ranger Rick, poetry for Ladybug, op-eds for the Wall Street Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, essays for The Science Writer, and humor for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. He previously worked in strategic communications at UC Irvine.
Dan holds an M.A. in Science Writing from Johns Hopkins University. He is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), and a founding board member of Readers to Dreamers. He is also a contributing author for McGraw Hill's Emerge! literacy program for preK-12 schools.
Most importantly, Dan is an IUSD dad and a frequent presenter in IUSD schools, where his three children have grown up and currently attend middle and high school, and where Dan volunteers as a judge in the annual PTA Reflections Arts program. Shhh!