"My daughter genuinely looked forward to their conversations."
They aren't going to try to make you into something you're not or something you don't want to be. Instead, they're going to paint the best picture of you possible on each and every application.
TA, Client ('24)
"Couldn't be happier."
We’ve worked with Alex for four years and have had nothing but an amazing experience throughout. In junior/senior year he helped my daughter build a school list and coached her through writing essays that were as amazing and personal as our son’s. She's now at Bowdoin.
Jian, Client ('22)
We've helped hundreds of students get into schools like...
.png)
Ben Bousquet, M.Ed
Former Assistant Admissions Director, Vanderbilt University
Ben is the former Assistant Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt University and was a Resident Director of the 2018 Harvard Pre-College Program. Ben has reviewed 20,000+ applications, presented files to the admissions committee, and selected students for top merit scholarships. At Harvard, he facilitated admissions workshops for 500+ high-achieving high school students.
Irena Smith, PhD
Former Admissions Officer, Stanford University
Irena is a former admission officer at Stanford University and has led her own admissions practice for 15+ years. She works in consultation with McNeil Admissions, providing application strategy feedback to team members. Irena's writing on college admissions has been featured in The Atlantic, San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR.
.png)
Kylie Kistner, MA
Former Admissions Counselor, Willamette University
Kylie is a former admissions counselor at Willamette University. She has been a writing coach at three institutions, worked with thousands of students on writing, and has supported neurodiverse students through writing, planning, and project management. Kylie co-created a university-wide writing handbook used across 200+ undergraduate writing courses and to teach writing in several countries.
Elyse Fenton, MFA
Senior Essay Editor
A college essay editor for 10+ years, Elyse Fenton is the author of the poetry collections, Clamor, winner of the 2010 Dylan Thomas Prize, and Sweet Insurgent, winner of the Alice Fay di Castagnola Prize. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Best New Poets, and American Poetry Review, and has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and PRI’s The World. She holds a BA from Reed College and an MFA from the University of Oregon. She lives with her family and small chicken flock in Portland, Oregon.
Laurie Filipelli, MFA
Senior Essay Editor
Laurie Filipelli is a poet, editor, and educator who specializes in guiding students toward authentic and well-crafted college application essays. She holds an MA in English from the University of Cincinnati and an MFA from Indiana University. She has authored two collections of poems, Elseplace (Brooklyn Arts Press, 2013) and the 2019 Writers’ League of Texas Discovery Prize winner, Girl Paper Stone (Black Lawrence Press, 2018) as well as the Mighty Writing College Application Essay Guide, in collaboration with Irena Smith.
"Helped me frame my application"
I was anxious going into things because I had a pretty generic resume and was applying to very competitive schools. Ben was so good at helping me frame my application in a way that made up for the holes in my resume. My results were amazing also. Studying CS at Berkeley next year!
Ellie, Client ('23)
"They work with the whole person"
Alex was able to help choose topics that struck a balance between academics and personal achievements. My son got into the top choice of universities due in major part to his essay work. Very thankful and would definitely recommend.
Gopal, Client ('22)
"Your story isn't just words; it's your ticket in. Without connection, it's just paper. Our mission? To weave your achievements, dreams, and character into a narrative so compelling, it becomes irresistible.”
Ben Bousquet, Former Vanderbilt Admissions
"The example essays were insane."
The Essay Academy example essays were insane, and the strategy sheet literally gave me my essay topics. After my one-hour strategy session, I knew exactly what to do.
Jessica F., Vanderbilt Admit ('22)
"Ben's advice and expertise helped me get into Amherst."
Getting my college essays done by the deadline was a struggle for me. Thankfully, Ben was a great writing coach who understood the strategy of admissions. He was incredibly helpful in polishing my UC essays and common app. Thank you Ben!
Ryan, Amherst Admit ('23)
"This program saved me. The videos and essay examples in the Essay Academy were next-level. Alex & his team changed how I saw my application strategy. This program was the reason I got into Georgetown, hands down. 10/10. Thank youuuu."
Lily S., Georgetown University '26
Alex and the Admit Report team perfectly balance application strategy and writing. The essays this program turns out are amazing. If there are spots left, sign up.
Irena Smith, PhD., Former Stanford Admissions Officer
Build your essay strategy
Our strategy framework will help you craft essays that fit together and stand out.
"Everything about essays in one place."
Probably spent 100 hours procrastinating on reddit and random blogs trying to track down essay information. The Essay Academy laid out everything I needed to know about the essays in one place, and then my consultant helped me across the finish line.
Tim P., University of Texas, Austin Admit ('22)
"They streamlined the longest and most difficult part of my application process—the essays"
Alex looked at my family life and personality and was able to come up with a story for me to write about in my essays that advertised who I was as a person and highlighted my strengths. That’s ultimately the reason why I’m here today.
Nellie, Bowdoin Admit ('23)
"Balanced my personal essay and supplementals."
I didn’t have a narrative strategy before I started working with Admit Report. I was just kind of writing whatever. The program helped me lock in a strategy for all my essays. They showed me how to talk about my different extracurriculars in a way that balanced out across my personal essay and supplementals.
Vargas D., University of Chicago Admit ('22)