Marci Bergman, M.A., College Essay Adviser

05/20/2024

For anyone with a rising high school or college senior...

01/28/2024

An interesting read on the future of standardized test scores for college admissions.

Colleges have fled standardized tests, on the theory that they hurt diversity. That’s not what the research shows.

06/02/2023

Good advice on choosing schools.

https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/dream-match-safety-schools?fbclid=IwAR13yTKWJpVZX1NgqBl-TrXkFK2kHzHvDnv72WtnsZDRFrVITW5JWDjsFqs

Here's how to create a college list that is unique to you.

05/10/2022

Kids have made decisions! UPenn, Chicago, Indiana, UF, Duke, Emory, Fordham, BU, FSU, Michigan, Tulane, UVA, Vanderbilt, UNC,  and others.  Congratulations!

03/18/2022

Some great results from my seniors so far--Chicago, UNC, Vanderbilt, UVA, UCLA, Johns Hopkins, Penn, UF, FSU, Michigan/Ross School, UCF, Cornell, Indiana Kelley, Tulane, American, Delaware, Wisconsin, Maryland, UGA, BU, Fordham, UMass, Rutgers -- I'm excited to hear where everyone ends up! Essays give you a voice that the application doesn't convey elsewhere. Looking forward to working with the class of 2023.

05/30/2021

Rising seniors: It's (almost) summer! It's a great time to start on your college essays. What will your story be?

05/15/2021

The landscape has changed. Class of 2022, now your voice (rather than just your numbers) will be heard louder than ever.

This essay, by Erin Tan, is one of the top 9 winners in the high school category of our Seventh Annual Student Editorial Contest for which we received 6,076 entries.

04/11/2021

It's been a tough year in admissions for everyone. Congratulations to all of my seniors! From Cornell, NYU, Duke, Georgetown, and Notre Dame to UF, FSU, UCF, Michigan, UGA, Miami, Tulane, BU, and Indiana (and many others) -- I'm proud of every single one (including my daughter who will be attending FSU).

05/13/2020

Congratulations to all my seniors, the class of 2020!

05/05/2020

Juniors/parents: A few words of advice from "The College Essay Guy." If I can help you further, especially in this unusual upcoming application season, feel free to reach out. I've been working with rising seniors for 15 years, and I'd love to talk with you. Hope everyone stays safe, healthy and cautious.

Like everyone else impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, high school juniors are quarantined with a lot of time on their hands. Many have decided to use the extra time to get a head start on college essays — after all, applications are due this fall, when they're hoping to be back in high school.To g...