College Essay Guy Review

Born out of Ethan Sawyer’s free college essay blog, College Essay Guy (CEG) has since grown to offer courses, training, and admissions counseling for students. Before establishing CEG, Sawyer published college essay and admission preparation books and managed a blog dedicated to essay drafting for nearly a decade. In 2022, CEG expanded its services to include essay reviews and one-on-one counseling. In this comprehensive College Essay Guy review, we’ll score them along five key metrics so that you have a full picture of whether CEG is a good fit for you.

College Essay Guy does not provide specific information regarding their consultants. Based on their LinkedIn profile it appears they contract independent counselors and essay consultants. The company’s executives have a variety of backgrounds and attended schools like Stanford University, Columbia University, and U.C. Berkeley.

The educational and professional backgrounds of their independent counselors and consultants varies widely. Some have attended prestigious universities while others have not.

College Essay Guy’s one-on-one services follows a traditional consulting approach, pairing students with counselors who help students identify their unique experiences and perspectives and any qualities that might help them stand out during the application review process.

Since College Essay Guy was originally a blog, it also offers a variety of paid DIY courses for students to approach the writing process.

College Essay Guy offers several different services, depending on a student’s needs and goals.

For seniors needing essays reviews (not one-on-ones):

One School Review – $497

This service includes evaluation of one to three school applications. It includes edits and feedback for

• Main personal statement
• Supplemental essays (for one college/university)
• Activities List and Honors/Awards section
• Additional Information section

Two Schools Review – $797

Same as above, but for two schools.

Three Schools Review – $1,097

Same as above, but for three schools.

Note that if you would like further revisions after incorporating the feedback, you’ll need to pay again (but with a $200 discount).

For seniors needing more comprehensive essay reviews (one-on-one):

Three School Review – $4,900

Includes the same review as above, for 3 schools. You get an assigned editor who works with you until the essays are completed.

Six School Review – $6,250

Includes the same review as above, for 6 schools. You get an assigned editor who works with you until the essays are completed.

Ten School Review – $8,050

Includes the same review as above, for 10 schools. You get an assigned editor who works with you until the essays are completed.

For one-on-one consulting (does not include essay reviews)

Package for Freshmen: $12,500

• Meeting 2x/semester in 9th and 10th grade
• Monthly meetings during the school year in 11th and 12th grade

This comes out to roughly 23 hours in total.

Package for Sophomores: $10,500

• Meeting 2x/semester in 10th grade
• Monthly meetings during the school year in 11th and 12th grade

This comes out to roughly 19 hours in total.

Package for Juniors: $10,500

• Monthly meetings during the school year in 11th and 12th grade

This comes out to roughly 15 hours in total.

For students who want to DIY:

They have 9 different courses on different aspects of college admissions – mostly around crafting personal statements. Each course costs $297.

Finding a truly qualified consultant is half the battle. Some consultants have not gone to top-tier schools themselves, and repeat advice they hear from others. Also, some firms have a qualified “face” of the company, but then bait and switch you with a less experienced consultant after you’ve paid. That’s why we always start each review by doing full due diligence on the company’s consultants.

We are impressed by how long College Essay Guy’s has been involved in admissions preparation and essay writing. Unfortunately, CEG offers very little public information regarding the backgrounds and expertise of its consultants. While the current executives attended schools like Stanford, Columbia, and UC Berkeley, these individuals do not appear to work directly with students, as they are not featured as consultants.

After digging into the company’s LinkedIn profile, we saw that their independent contractors have various educational and professional backgrounds. While this diversity could offer opportunities for finding the perfect fit for some students, the use of independent contractors and the breadth of their experience suggests that there could be less consistency in consulting experiences and admission outcomes.

The founder, Ethan Sawyer, remains involved with the company. However, he is not noted as either an essay editor or a consultant for the one on ones. This may raise questions about the continuity of his vision and the hands-on guidance students can expect from him.

The lack of transparency regarding their consultants raises a red flag regarding oversight and the uniformity of students’ service experiences.

The biggest risk when applying to college is following bad advice. You only have one shot, so you need to make it count, and choosing the right admissions service can make a big difference. We use a 50-point evaluation system to determine the likelihood a service will help a student get into their desired college.

Several factors led us to question the likelihood of a successful outcome with CEG’s paid services. Specifically:

Unclear editor identities for your essays. It’s ambiguous who is responsible for editing the essays, as CEG appears to outsource this task to independent contractors. This raises concerns because it’s uncertain if the editors are admissions experts or merely individuals with an English background.

Limited involvement of the founder. Ethan Sawyer, known for his blog and books, is a prominent figure on the website. However, he is not actively featured as an editor or consultant on the website, even in the high-priced one-on-one services.

Variability in counselor qualifications. Although some counselors in CEG’s one-on-one consulting possess admissions experience, several have not personally achieved admission to top-tier universities.

Disconnect between consulting and essay writing services. The one-on-one consulting does not extend to support for college essays or other written aspects of college applications. This means the consultant guiding you through high school won’t necessarily assist in your essay writing process.

College is already expensive. College consultants shouldn’t be more expensive than they need to be. We want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth, and that your investment is translating into real improvements in your outcomes.

College admissions consulting prices and offerings vary. For this College Essay Guy review we’ll consider their pricing for the most common needs:

• 12th graders who need help with essays for 1 school: $497 minimum (with no additional revision)
• 12th graders who need help with essays for 3 schools: $1,097 minimum (with no additional revision) or $4,900 for assigned editor with revision.
• Non-12 graders who want advice on the college admissions process: $550 per hour (minimum purchase of 4 hours). *Note: This number is calculated by dividing the minimum financial commitment for non-12 graders by the expected number of hours of one-on-one consulting.

Although the pricing for 12th graders seeking essay reviews initially appears to be lower than the industry average, it’s crucial to recognize that the more affordable option excludes any further revisions. Their one-on-one essay review is comparable to standard industry offerings and aligns with the average industry rate.

However, the cost of their consulting service is significantly higher than the industry average. Considering our concerns mentioned earlier, we believe this price exceeds the value provided to students.

College applications are already stressful enough. So any admissions service should be thoughtfully designed and easy to use. We consider factors such as customer support responsiveness, accountability, time commitment, and scheduling constraints.

CEG lacks direct contact options like a phone number or email address. Instead, they provide a contact form for inquiries, but it took 2-3 business days for the company to respond to our support questions.

Their onboarding processes are efficient. Upon purchasing CEG’s courses, users can access them by logging into their accounts on the website.

For their one-on-one service, clients complete a form to be matched with a consultant. If the consultant is not suitable, there is an option to request a change. To utilize their essay review service, clients simply upload their essays, which CEG then reviews, edits, and returns with feedback.

CEG also maintains a dedicated team of three family liaisons. These liaisons act as points of contact for families enrolled in one-on-one services, assisting them in coordination with their consultants and essay coaches.

College admissions is a complex process, with many moving parts. And with the stakes so high, mediocre consultants simply won’t cut it. You really want to find the “best,” but it can be hard to differentiate one firm from another. In this section, we take a look at what makes this service stand out, for better or worse.

Something that stood out to us: with several different services offered at many different price points, College Essay Guy could benefit students who only need a quick second perspective with essays or other supplemental application materials. We like that CEG provides affordable alternatives to one-on-one consulting, like admissions preparation books, courses, and free online resources. For families who can’t afford it, they can apply for a “pay as much as you can” spot for its online courses.

On the flip side: while the company offers budget-friendly resources, their one-on-one consulting may not match the same quality of talent base as some other services. This could be a crucial consideration for students prioritizing the expertise and experience of counselors in their college application journey.