College App Writing with Mrs. Johnson

09/22/2025

In all, more than 129K California students were offered a spot, smashing previous UC records.

09/22/2025

Now is a great time to get feedback on your college essay drafts and UC personal insight questions. Get ahead of the busy first semester of senior year!

05/23/2024

The Common App essay prompts offer diverse topics, inviting students to share personal stories, challenges, growth, and meaningful experiences.

09/17/2023

The Activities section is your chance to show colleges who you are outside of the classroom. Learn more about the Activities section: https://www.commonapp.o...

09/13/2023

It’s important to understand the differences between early decision and early action options. Here’s a quick look from Big Future which is an online planning guide by The College Board.

Get a better understanding of the pros and cons of applying early decision or early action. See if it's right for you.

09/13/2023

This blog post on the Harvard Continuing Ed site gives a quick overview of how to approach a college essay.

College admission committees sift through thousands of college application essays each year. Here’s how to make yours stand out.

08/11/2023

This is a great article about common mistakes made when writing the personal essay.

This week, the Common Application opened, allowing students across the country to officially begin their college applications.

08/11/2023

Common App essay prompts for the 2023-2024 school year:

Here are Common App's essay prompts for this year. Get tips and best practices for writing your college essays as you prepare to apply to college.

08/11/2023

Mrs. Johnson’s College Application Writing Services

A la Carte:
Written feedback on the Common App personal essay ($50 per draft)

Written feedback on individual writing supplements in the Common App ($50 per school, per draft)*

Written feedback on college-specific questions in the Common App ($35 per school, per draft)*

Written feedback on UC personal insight questions: Choose 4 out of the 8 questions ($60 per draft of all 4; $20 per additional draft of an individual question; add the UC additional “community disruption question” feedback for an additional fee of $30) **

Common App 40 minute Zoom Guidance Session: Review of how to approach the Common App personal essay and help with beginning to brainstorm/planning to write ($125)

UC Personal Insight 40 minute Zoom Guidance Session: Review of how to approach the UC Personal Insight questions and help with beginning to brainstorm/planning to write ($125)

40 minute Zoom Session: Add-on 40 minute Zoom session for general guidance and feedback on college admissions essays ($90)

Packages:

Essay Package (Common App OR UC): Includes a 40 minute Common App OR UC Personal Insight Zoom Guidance Session, a 40 minute Zoom session with feedback during the writing process, and one-time written feedback on a final draft ($255)

Essay Plus Package: Includes everything in the above Essay Package for both the Common App personal essay and the UC personal insight questions ($500)

*College specific questions and writing supplements are additional requirements beyond the personal essay that some colleges and universities add to their Common App.
**UC personal insight questions are 350-word short answer questions. Students choose 4 of the 8 options given. These are for the UC (University of California) application only and are the same no matter which UCs you apply to.

Turnaround time for written feedback is up to one week. I am here to offer advice and assistance with the writing process, but admission to college is not guaranteed.
Payment is due at the time of service by Venmo or Zelle (no personal checks).

08/11/2023

College application season is upon us! This exciting time is also a stressful one, with pressure and expectations building in hopeful students as they begin their final year of high school and look toward the future. It can also be a confusing time for students and parents who may be unfamiliar with the tedious college admissions process. By working with college-bound seniors, I hope to demystify one aspect of the college application process: the essay!

Since college admissions officers will spend only a matter of minutes on each application, and there are more qualified students than there are spaces available at selective and highly selective schools, the written parts of an application are valuable opportunities to show who you are beyond the data your grades and test scores provide. As schools decide who will receive their coveted letters of acceptance, they are mindful of the fact that they are assembling the potential class of a graduating year of students. To help them determine whether you will be a part of that class, they want to see your individuality and potential, not just what you have achieved. They will be looking for what makes you unique and valuable to their institution, and a glimpse of that can be found in your writing.

Your writing must be in your voice and individual style so that you show through. I am not here to write the essay for you. I am here to help you to generate ideas and edit, as well as to suggest what may be best to include or not to include. I am a credentialed English teacher with 28 years of experience as an educator that includes traditional classroom and private enrichment settings. I have taught English at Whitney High School, an award-winning academic magnet school in Cerritos, and at Brea Jr. High. I also have experience as an SAT prep, college essay, AP Writing, and analytical writing instructor at academies and as a private tutor. I offer flexible options, including serving as a primary person who comes alongside a student for the college application writing process, or as another pair of eyes to give written feedback on essay drafts if you already have primary support.

Email or message me with any questions. I look forward to being a part of this memorable and pivotal time.

Mrs. Gina Johnson [email protected]