High school applications

Coaching for private, boarding, and selective high school applications.

Applying to high school can be a student's first experience writing about themselves, and their first admissions interview. I help students find what's worth saying and say it in their own words, on paper and in person.

Who this is for

I coach students applying to private and independent day schools, boarding schools, specialized public schools, and other selective high schools that ask for essays, short answers, or interviews.

What I help with

• Application essays and short answers. Many independent and boarding schools accept the Standard Application Online (SAO), which includes essays, and many add school-specific questions. In New York City, each independent school sets its own application process (ISAAGNY explains how it works).
• Interview preparation. Most schools meet with applicants, and an interview can feel intimidating at 13 or 14. We practice talking naturally about interests, experiences, and why a school is a good fit.
• Telling one consistent story. Essays, short answers, and the interview should each show a different side of the same student.

How it works

The approach is the same one I use with college applicants. The student does the writing and the talking, and I help them discover what's worth saying. Younger students often need more help getting started, so we begin with conversation, not a blank page. All sessions are one-on-one over video.

About your coach

I'm Elizabeth Shepard: a former admissions application screener for Columbia and Vassar, MFA in Writing from Columbia (Graduate Fellow), and I taught English and writing as an associate professor at Fordham University and Marymount Manhattan College. More about me.

Families often come back to me a few years later for college essay coaching.

Questions families ask