Cristie Billikas - Essay Mom, College Essay Coach and Editor

05/23/2026

Guide for essay layout by paragraph. Works for most topics (not all), but helpful to get going — especially if you don’t even have a topic yet.

05/02/2026

05/01/2026

Duxbury and Marshfield Class of 2027 🎓 (and parents of!)—

These are the 2026-27 Common App essay prompts. The best time for your student to write their personal essay is this summer. Stuff gets real in the fall—they will be happy to have a completed essay in their back pocket.

If your child wants to work on their essay this summer, but is not sure if their topic is worth investing time in, have them email me at [email protected] with the subject “topic”, and I will give them my opinion (free!). I also post various tips on my page that may help.

Essaymom77.com

The Common App essay prompts offer a flexible range of topics to help students distinguish themselves in their own voice. During the most recent cycle, the most popular option was "Topic of Your Choice."

04/15/2026

The first line is your most important. Second in importance? The last.

04/09/2026

Humor can easily come off as obnoxious… or just not funny. Still, I don’t discourage it, the opposite really — some of the best essays I’ve seen have used humor to a degree (something I love to help add if a student has that vibe). But you need validation from a qualified reader — multiple even — that your humor hits. But when it hits…. It HITS.

Remember, your admissions officer is not a 17 year old high school buddy, and might not catch what you are throwing. You want to lob that humor right over the plate.

04/07/2026

HIGHLY. Your personal essay is your only chance to speak to admissions, in your own words, before admission decisions release. Your topic, if not strong, could potentially give an AO a bad vibe before they’ve even finished the first paragraph.

One tip for choosing your topic? I use this technique often when I meet with students:

Work backwards.

Instead of deciding on a topic and then filling in, FIRST decide what qualities you want the AO to know about you. Then, think about what you’ve done or experienced that could work as a segway into exposing those qualities in a creative way.

And always keep it interesting!

03/29/2026

Alright class of 2027… you’re up 🎓

I will start seeing students May 1st to kick off college essay writing season. I am bringing back the “kickstart" package from then until August, where you have the chance to work with me on your topic and receive a comprehensive outline to get you going. The advantage here is not only a head start, but that it will make your process efficient as your essay writing efforts will be focused on the right topic.

Please follow me here on Facebook Cristie Billikas - Essay Mom, College Essay Coach and Editor to take advantage of the regular tips I will be sharing on personal essay writing and topic selection.

For pricing info and more, visit my website essaymom77.com

01/22/2026

Want to send so many congratulations to all of my students on their college acceptances. You all worked so hard and nailed it.

I also want to thank you all for trusting me with your essays—your true stories—your futures. It means so much to me that I could be a part of it all.

Yay!

10/25/2025

Hey 2026 Seniors! 🎓

The time has come to send out college applications. If you have stalled on your essay or aren’t sure if it’s good enough, reach out. I can help you get your essay ready to completion within a week if you are quick with your responses. I also offer a discounted package where I will review your essay and offer a full critique with some guidance to elevate it.

I am helping with supplementals at a discounted rate as well — or free for just advice if you purchase a basic package.

It’s not too late to make your essay exceptional! I still have openings if you are trying to make a Nov 15th EA deadline, but we are getting close.

Email at [email protected] for more info or with questions

Essaymom77.com for pricing and info

10/02/2025

Any of them yours? Just a heads up.