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Are you a kid from a low-income family applying to college? I’m a writer-editor & former Harvard admissions interviewer. This fall I’ll give free college essay feedback to kids who can’t afford it. (Independent from my NYTimes work.) Send me your essay Lindsay.crouse7@gmail.com
I’ll help as many kids as I can. Not sure if 5 or 5000 kids will reach out but if it’s more essays than I can read on my pandemic weekends, I can probably find friends who’d be willing to offer feedback too. (If you are a pro writer/editor who would like to help, email me too!)
I give feedback on 1-2 essays a year when parents ask me as a favor. I could probably charge $5000. The kids whose parents know me are already in great shape. It is so unfair.
So this is an experiment to see if I can reach kids who actually need help but wouldn’t know who to ask
So this is an experiment to see if I can reach kids who actually need help but wouldn’t know who to ask
I am doing this because when I applied to college I didn& #39;t have anyone to ask for help and didn& #39;t know how to find someone—I got so lucky. You only realize how much access you didn& #39;t have when you make it into an arena that does have access, and try to fix that a little.
I& #39;ve spent years interviewing kids applying to Harvard from NYC; the inequality is devastating. So many kids from underprivileged backgrounds are already managing family finances, care-givers... Whereas other kids are manufacturing & performing hardship.
Every year I get furious with myself for only being able to assess these kids; It would be so easy for me to help them but it& #39;s the wrong context. All I can do is wish them good luck and give them a score. It feels so wrong. Would rather use my time to help instead of judge.
Here are some simple essay prompts I’d suggest (they make interesting conversation in an interview):
How do you spend your time after school & on weekends? WHY?
How do you get to school? WHY?
Do you have a job? WHY?
Do you have a hero? WHY?
It’s the “why” that writes the story
How do you spend your time after school & on weekends? WHY?
How do you get to school? WHY?
Do you have a job? WHY?
Do you have a hero? WHY?
It’s the “why” that writes the story
