Testimonials 

Former students and clients share their experiences working with The Messy Essay. 

emma, texas christian university 

Applying to college is terrifying. Sara made it easy. With her expert advice and extensive background in English and Creative Writing, she was able to help me write multiple essays that allowed me to attend and graduate from my dream school, Texas Christian University. Her patience and positivity fostered a wonderful environment for a not-so-wonderful process. There are no words to describe how thankful I am for her help and support.

SHELBY, University of southern california 

During our private conference, Sara fostered a comfortable environment where I felt I could share personal anecdotes. These oral conversations with her evolved into three polished and persuasive personal statements which led to me being accepted to my dream school: The University of Southern California. I don't think I would be where I am without her. 

marcus, university of redlands 

I was astoundingly nervous to write my college essay. Writing a piece that was expected to be concise, unique and personal seemed like the hardest thing in the world to me, and on top of that, it was going to be scrutinized and judged by these schools all over the country. I had zero confidence. But Sara gave me the advice and feedback I needed to write an essay I was proud of. It was advice that turned my dread into excitement, it made writing the essay, dare I say it, fun. It was advice that I still remember and use to this day in my own writing. I maintain a routine of at least 2 pages every morning and I’ve never missed a day. Sara was able to help me not dread the work, now writing seems like the easiest thing in the world.

Becca, University of Southern California 

Sara's help was invaluable. Being the extensive writer that I always have been, dealing with a maximum word count for essays was a struggle. Sara not only helped me to get my word count down but keep everything I wanted to say in it, too. 

sarah, yale university 

For most of the fall of my senior year, I started every morning by knocking on Sara's door and asking her to read yet another draft of mine. I ended up writing over 20 college essays, and she helped me stay inspired and focused through each one. Her feedback was invaluable regardless of which point in the writing process she saw a given essay. She offered the specificity of an English teacher coupled with genuine enthusiasm and support. Writing college essays can be incredibly stressful, but Sara showed me how they were still part of a craft of writing and storytelling, and that more than anything helped through the process. I am so grateful for all of her time and passion.

Brian, University of california at berkeley

Writing college essays is a complicated process because of all the things one has to consider-- syntax, structure, conciseness, uniqueness, being grammatically and mechanically perfect, understanding the intention of colleges with their sometimes enigmatic or bizarre prompts... the list goes on and on, but Sara maintains comprehensive mastery of every possible item. In particular, above all else in both importance and her skill set is ensuring that an essay reflects the student, in ensuring that she knows students well enough so that the essays she helps with couldn't just be used by any applicant with a similar resume, but instead are accurate representations of each individual person.

Ivy, pepperdine University 

There are few things more daunting than taking pen to paper in what what will be the most decisive essay of a high schooler's eighteen year existence. In my case, I almost preferred the thought of not applying to college at all than facing any finality of a rejection letter. Now a full year after graduating from my dream school, I reflect with absolute confidence that Sara's guidance on my Common App essay was the most valuable and most hands-on input I received throughout the entire application journey. Sara took the time to understand me, my academic goals, and my professional goals first, empowering me to illustrate—in 650 words or less—my unique assets and experiences. I'm thrilled that prospective students everywhere now get the chance to partake in her expertise through The Messy Essay.

REMY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES

I am INCREDIBLY grateful for the huge amount of help Sara gave me when writing my college essays! College applications were stressful to say the least, but she made the writing process much more manageable. I am absolutely not a writer, but she was extremely supportive and open-minded to all of my ideas regardless. I don't think I would have been accepted to UCLA if it wasn't for her!

kenny, university of california at san diego 

Being given the opportunity to work with you on my college essays has shaped me into the person I've always wanted to be. You've taught me that it's okay to open myself up to others by first teaching me to do it on paper with the college essays. Now, in college, I'm a part of a competitive dance team (which I honestly never thought that I would do) and have become more outgoing! All of this wouldn't have been possible without your help.