I can honestly say I wrote the best essay of my life. I had thought that all the grammar and structure was perfect because I had had other professionals look at my paper. Leslie found a ton of things that needed to be re-worked . . . I was accepted into the #5 liberal arts college in the nation.”

Neal, high school senior   

Having someone mark up your paper with red ink and tell you to decipher the dribbling they have left on the page when you get home is not very helpful. Leslie was different. He sat there until I came up with the sentences and paragraphs that showed exactly what he was trying to get me to do. He didn’t stop until he felt that I had a finished, professional, personal and college-winning essay.

Joselyn, high school senior

It was really helpful having a professional perspective on my essay because I liked that he was able to read my essay when he hadn’t necessarily read the two books that I used in it. I will keep Leslie’s comments so that next year it will be a reminder of what I need to work on when I am writing.

Carina, high school junior

Given the personal nature and importance of an autobiographical statement in the academic application process, writing the piece can be a daunting task.  The comfortable structure Leslie created by asking thoughtful questions, making appropriate suggestions, and offering gentle critiques enabled me to approach the task with less apprehension.

Mary, doctoral applicant    

I learned the easiest way to go about a college essay is straight on. Being honest and taking advantage of the opportunity to just write about you as pure and clean as possible is the best way — at least in my case. . . . When I met Leslie I was still thinking I wanted to do creative themes and more complicated than just a head-on essay about me. . . . I came to him before I myself had decided what direction to go in, which is definitely something I needed to do before any progress could be made.

Brenna, high school senior

I had not realized how much was really involved in writing the college applications. The writing was actually the easier part — organizing my ideas and deciding what I wanted to share with each college were much more difficult. But Mr. Seifert was really helpful in working through these things.

Olivia, high school senior

Working on my Common Application essay with Leslie was incredibly productive! At first, I didn’t even know where to begin. Leslie helped me develop a timeline for writing each paragraph and assisted me in figuring out the sequence within the essay. This planning ensured I made the deadline with plenty of time to review and revise. Leslie also made sure the ideas I wrote were mine and were exactly what I wanted to say. Leslie’s prompts encouraged me to think differently about my story and his suggestion to weave in more specific examples made for a richer essay.

Maggie, high school senior