ESSAY EXPERT AND COLLEGE CONSULTANT
Helping students distinguish themselves in a pool of equally qualified candidates through writing and the college application.
— Felicia Hellman
My primary role is simple: to ensure your college essay serves its essential purpose—to convey who you are, what you value, and what sets you apart as an applicant.
Students feel challenged if they think they haven’t done something significant to write about when the real challenge is finding significance in the things they’ve already done.
About Me
I hold a bachelors from University of Wisconsin and a masters and Ph.D(ABD) from UCSB. I have also published and presented at professional and academic conferences. I focus my expertise teaching and grading AP exams on helping students distinguish themselves in writing and the colllege application.
Essay:
An Essential Data Point
While it is true that a personal essay is unlikely to impact selection when the quantitative data measures are not a good fit, it is not true that the personal essay will have no impact when competing for placement amongst other equally qualified candidates. Rather, it is in these cases that every data point matters. As this qualitative data point is likely the last over which a student may still exert some control, controlling the message in the essay to minimize the chance of making a negative impression and to maximize the potential for making a positive and memorable one is essential.
What I Do and How I Do It
I work with students for hour-long sessions towards the completion of the Common Application essay, UC Personal Insight, and/or Supplemental essays. The first session serves as a diagnostic to map out the timeframe and type of writing support the student will need. Students typically require 6 sessions, although some finish in fewer and others need more time.
Where Guidance Helps
1. Reflection - requires higher order of thinking to identify significant experiences and to make the connections between and among experiences significant
2. Elaboration - requires students to anticipate unanswered questions an unknown audience may have and to supply the details to fill in the gaps
3. Implication - requires students to make effective decisions about which details to leave implicit so that an audience feels satisfaction at having come to conclusions based on the information given
4. Ethos - requires students to construct a positive and coherent impression of themselves in ways that fit the particular ethos of their schools of choice
5. Pathos - requires students to move an unknown audience to feel emotions, like passion and compassion, and ultimately come to care about them by visualizing the student as an individual
The Benefits of This Approach
I take a balanced approach between the importance of producing an effective essay for college admission and creating an authentic, culminating experience for seniors to reflect on the choices that have brought them to who and where they are today. I find that when students engage meaningfully in this process, the process itself becomes more gratifying and more meaningful. to them.
What People Are Saying
“Working with Felicia was wildly productive. Berkeley was a dream, and I think the essays are what really got me in. I am so excited and so appreciative to have had her help. There is no way I could have gotten into Cal without her.” - Greg Londe, UC Berkeley
“The assistance I received from Ms. Hellman during my college application process was unmatched. I made the difficult decision of pursuing the Santa Monica City College route to UCLA, but felt confident that Ms. Hellman would be a great asset to me when the day for that transition arrived. Her commitment to ensuring my college essays represented my true character and qualifications not only paved the way for my acceptance into my top choice, but also made the process a much less stressful endeavor. I contacted her again now that I am applying to graduate school because she’s the one I trust most.”
— Michael A., UCLA; USC Graduate School
“Ms. Hellman helped me find my voice and concisely express my thoughts. Before working together, I struggled with getting my thoughts down on paper, and I did not know what I wanted to get across to the reader with my essay. Ms. Hellman showed me skills that helped focus my essay, organize my thoughts, and find the purpose behind every sentence.” — Alyssa Ramirez, UC Santa Barbara
“Sydney LOVES working with Felicia! And Ben is enjoying it, too! Both Sydney and Ben said it was night and day working with Felicia. She explains things better and is clearer about what needs to be done. I’m so happy!”—Marni Berk Beige, parent
“My son thanked me for organizing Felicia’s help. He said she was awesome and a game changer. I think it really came down to all of her help! He got into his top two choices and is going to a school he LOVES.” -Adele Morgenstern, parent University of Colorado, Boulder
“It was so helpful working with Felicia. She’s so talented. The application essay my daughter submitted for a specialized academic program was awesome and really told her story! I would definitely contact Felicia going forward for writing help and college essays.” - Randi Friedman Finger
“We’ve been so happy to work with Ms. Hellman again! Of our daughter’s many great teachers, she was our absolute favorite. We have been super excited about the direction and the immense progress made. Shayna is definitely more confident and is so happy to have this off her plate. Great idea to start early—BRILLIANT suggestion! We’re so grateful—Ms. Hellman has made this challenging and demanding process easy. And every session has been both focused and productive. We’re excited to start the final phase of finishing the supplements and are confident we’ll be just as pleased with the final product.”
—Sharona Saltzman, parent Purdue University
“I worked one-on-one with Ms. Hellman, the best senior English teacher, and she not only completely changed my application but transformed my writing and helped get me into great schools. She understands what a difference strong supplements or Common App essays can make to your application, and I couldn’t be more satisfied. Because of her background in English, Hellman knows how to make these essays have a lasting impact on the admissions committee reader and precisely convey who you are.” —Brandon Tavakoli, HS Valedictorian; USC Marshall School of Business
“I’d like to say that Ms. Felicia Hellman taught me how to be a good writer, but that would be misleading. What I learned with her help was beyond and way before the act of choosing words on a page. Whether for the task of analyzing literature or sharing a personal experience, she guided me through the full life cycle of an idea; a key part of that process was to pause and consider how I could uniquely communicate my thoughts given that everyone has a different way of thinking that is just waiting to be harnessed. Many people can teach you “how to write,” but few can help you realize your own voice, and that’s what I was able to do with her guidance as a teacher.“ — Sammy Stolzenbach, HS Salutatorian Tufts University