Testimonials

Pam, Parent of Student at VIRGINIA Military Institute (VMI) from Leesburg, Virginia
Class of 2028

Tami was the difference maker for Daniel in his application process. He knew what he wanted to say but was struggling to convey his messages effectively within his essays. She was patient and worked with him to draw out his thoughts and ideas to ensure his essays captured all he wanted to say to each school both common app and individual app. With her guidance, Daniel achieved his goal - acceptance to VMI.

She has worked with both my children who are opposites and was successful with both.

We are grateful for her guidance and would recommend her highly!

Rochelle, Parent of College of William and Mary Student from Ashburn, VA
Class of 2028

Tami did a great job meeting my son Colin where he was at with his college planning process. She was so full of helpful information about identifying colleges to apply for, figuring out the real statistics to help us compare apples to apples, and gentle encouragement. She also suggested Colin look at some schools he might not have otherwise considered. When it came time to actually edit essays she worked quickly, responding to Colin's drafts and making helpful suggestions for edits. She was so easy to work with and her services represented excellent value! We are so glad we hired Tami to help our son with his essays and would wholeheartedly recommend her to other families as their kids go through this often bewildering process. We had success with our applications and our son is delighted to be enrolling at William and Mary this fall. Thanks, Tami, for all your help!

Charlie, Grinnell College, student from Olney, MD
Class of 2028

Composing my Common App essays felt like trying to run a marathon blindfolded. Whatever I managed to write felt ineffectual and disjointed, and the process felt truly never-ending. Fast forward to a month before the early action deadlines, and I hadn't even settled on a topic for my personal statement.

Tami was referred to me by a few friends who had already submitted their applications. I reached out to her, and we scheduled a time to sit down and discuss my steps going forward. An hour later, Tami had completely alleviated my initial hesitancy. After only a few days, I finalized my first draft, confident I was on the right path. I sent Tami my draft, anxious to read her critiques. Tami responded that same day with an entire page of encouragement and a thorough list of ideas to enhance it. Determined to improve, I pushed on, writing three more drafts. Tami diligently reviewed each subsequent draft, providing further constructive criticism.

Last week, I received my acceptance letter to Grinnell College and a $20,000 yearly scholarship. I am incredibly grateful for Tami's enthusiasm and insight. She went out of her way to ensure my success and was a joy to get to know.

marc, Parent of rochester Institute of Technology student from Boston, MA
Class of 2027

As if the college application process isn’t already stressful for the entire family….We connected with Tami to help our daughter with her essays. We were surprised that some schools required numerous essays. It seemed never-ending, and each one needed to have a thoughtful submission.

Tami oversaw this entire process. She was like a jeweler helping to polish a rough stone. She was extremely patient, professional, polite, positive and polished. All of the essays remained in the voice of our daughter. The confidence and pride my daughter had when she completed her essays was wonderful to see. Thank you, Tami!

Keri, Parent of Virginia Tech, Honor’s College student from Ashburn, VA
Class of 2027

The college application process is stressful - and it’s changed so much since my husband and I applied to college. We decided to call in the experts to help us, and Tami fit the bill. She was able to take some of the burden by helping our daughter create essays that were genuine and authentic, but also helped her differentiate herself from her peers. Tami was an invaluable resource for our daughter, offering guidance and coaching along the way. For parents just starting the college search process, I’d highly recommend reaching out to Tami - she knows the process, knows what colleges are looking for, and is an expert at guiding students through the process.

Lisa, Parent of High Point University Student from Charlotte, NC
Class of 2027

College essays are daunting under the best of circumstances, but our son decided to write about the recent, tragic death of a close friend before we consulted with Tami. Tami was thoughtful and caring in providing her initial feedback which, as we suspected, suggested that while the draft essay was a beautiful tribute, it needed to focus more on our son. The thought-provoking questions she posed on the original draft caused our son, on his own, to revisit the topic and to instead write about his own background and aspirations. Tami made the revision process easy with prompt review, productive suggestions as to how maximize the essay’s impact and a wonderfully, supportive approach. We are grateful for Tami’s assistance in helping our son find his voice to craft a personal statement and supplemental essays that he is really proud of. And, we are pleased to report that our son has already been accepted on an Early Decision basis to his first choice school with a healthy scholarship! Process complete! Thank you, Tami!

Amy, Parent of University of Pittsburgh student, Honors College
from Owings Mills, MD
Class of 2027

It can be daunting to come up with a college essay topic. After her introductory phone conversation with Tami, my daughter was able to develop a personal statement that truly describes who she is as a person. Tami was relatable, easily accessible, and quick to review all drafts. But one of the best gifts she brought to the process was her ability to hone in on the details that needed development in a positive and constructive manner. Her suggestions and recommendations were deliberate and purposeful, and she let my daughter lead the process to ensure that the end product was truly hers. We are incredibly grateful to Tami for her knowledge and expertise!

Daphne, Parent of
Virginia Commonwealth University student from Leesburg, Virginia
Class of 2026

My daughter was accepted to a few good schools but VCU was her top choice. She loves the urban campus, the strong marketing and design programs and just the overall vibe. She was always a strong student but virtual learning hit her hard. Her grades were not where they needed to be during the critical junior year and she was very concerned about college applications. Her test scores were strong and she has tons of excellent extracurricular and leadership activities. I share this because her essay really mattered. She needed to share a strong narrative about who she is, how she was able to advocate for herself and get back on track with academic excellence in the first half of her senior year. I turned to Uncommon Essays for help. Tami is an expert writer and editor who has spent her career in the higher education nonprofit arena. She had excellent insight into the common app and how to create a winning essay. Her guidance and counseling was invaluable to my daughter and I cannot thank her enough. Tami worked with her to create a strong, concise and clear story that I really think helped her secure the acceptances she was seeking. For those of you with high schoolers approaching their senior year, I cannot recommend her service highly enough. Check out her website for more information.

Eric, Parent of University of Maryland Student from Owings Mills, MD
Class of 2026

It was nice to have professional help to polish and put the cherry on top of my son's college application. Things are very different from when I applied. Tami took the guesswork out of essay writing for admission. I wish Uncommon Essays had been around for my other kids. It would have alleviated so much stress. We just heard - my son was accepted to his first choice!

Sharon, Parent of Salisbury University Student From Owings Mills, MD
Class of 2026

Thank goodness for uncommon essays! It is so refreshing to have a service to help. Our children were stressed, not knowing *what* should be written. Uncommon Essays has the expertise to guide your child. One of our sons just got his first acceptance from Penn State, Main campus, College of Engineering. We highly recommend working with Uncommon Essays!

Lisa, Parent of Towson University Student from Westminster, MAryland
Future Class of 2026

No matter how much you stress the importance of starting the college essay writing process early, teenagers are gonna be teenagers. Tami accommodated our very last minute needs with no hesitation. Although it’s very tempting as a parent to just want to write the essay for their child, when Tami took the reigns, she was able to guide my son. He was able to write a great essay 100% in his own voice. She helped him cut the word count of his original draft by half and helped him zone in on the key points to focus on in his essay. Her pleasant, humorous demeanor made my son feel at ease and trusting of her. I cannot recommend Tami more!

Pam, Parent of Student at VIRGINIA Military Institute (VMI) from Leesburg, Virginia
Class of 2025

After weeks of starting and stopping, I knew Nick needed assistance with his essays. With many of the applications requiring multiple essays, he was overwhelmed with the tasks at hand. I reached out to Tami and she was quick to offer her assistance. She and Nick met multiple times and rather than just crafting the essays immediately, she took considerable time to explore who he is and what story he wanted to share about himself. Her process was thoughtful and organized. She used in-person sessions to really get to know him, followed by many virtual sessions to edit his writing and prompt him to dig deeper. At the conclusion of the process, I could see how proud he was of his final product and the messages it conveyed. To me that was the greatest success. His acceptance to VMI was a proud moment for him.

DANIELLE, Alumni from the UNIVersity OF VIRGINIA from Ashburn, Virginia
Class of 2017

Tami diligently helped to craft and perfect my college admissions essays to seven colleges. We worked side-by-side for weeks, either in coffee shops or by emailing Word drafts, refining each essay. I truly believe my applications stood out amongst the crowd due to her word-smithing and creative writing assistance. She made sure no matter how many iterations an essay went through it always retained my words, voice, and meaning. I was accepted into my dream school, the University of Virginia, thanks to Tami’s immensely helpful guidance.

BECCA, JAMES MADISON UNIVersity Alumni from Willowsford, Virginia
Class of 2023

Tami not only helped me create multiple college essays that represented a part of myself that I didn't know how to express, but also helped me grow as a person and student. Tami guided me on finding what I truly wanted to say and dig deep to tell my stories effectively. She was there every step of the way--over the phone or to meet at the coffee shop because I wanted to know if what I wrote made sense. We practiced, revised, worked hard, and developed a strong bond. I struggled with grammar, awkward wording, and poor sentence structure, but Tami constantly supported me and gave me tips on how to smooth my writing. I am so grateful for her help turn my essays into beautiful pieces. I don't know what I would've done without her help!

Melissa, Parent of UMBC - HONOR'S COLLEGE student from Baltimore, Maryland
Class of 2023

We reached out to Tami when our straight- A, STEM-minded son was applying for colleges, but essay writing wasn’t his strongest field. She gave him some suggestions on how to make his essay more personable. She told him to “Think of it as a perfectly baked cake -- it needs the frosting and the decorations. A touch of lemon zest.” It helped him tweak it perfectly. He got in to all his schools, even ones that were highly selective. We were so appreciative for the suggestions and Tami’s expertise!

ZACHARY, BRYANT UNIVERSITY Student from N. Andover, Massachusetts
Class of 2024

Writing a college essay is always a nerve-wracking experience. Before I worked with Tami, I felt confident in my writing, but I knew that there was a lot of substance missing. As we worked together, not just my essay improved, but my overall writing took a giant leap forward as I was transitioning into college-level work. Her input and advice gave me a huge advantage when it came to getting my application noticed among the countless other applicants. We combed through every sentence to make it perfect, and I genuinely believe that the quality of my college essay improved dramatically because of her help.

Eden, ELON UNIVERSITY Student from Ashburn, Virginia
Class of 2025

After consulting and working with Uncommon Essays, I can confidently say that my work vastly improved. Though I am someone who enjoys writing, I tend to get overwhelmed and disorganized with my work, and it becomes a burden to finish. With Uncommon Essays, I was able to receive constructive criticism, tips, and learn techniques that strengthened my writing. The process was one that was enjoyable, not exhausting. The difference between a good writer and a great one is someone who has an editor and proofreader who’s watching out for their best interest. For anyone who needs a helping hand with their essays, working with Uncommon Essays is the way to go.

NICOLE, PARENT OF Students at Drexel University and University of Delaware
from N. ANDOVER, Massachusetts
Class of 2026

Tami, thank you so much for working with our twin sons Asher and Max. Your patience, guidance and knowledge of the college essay process put our family at ease. The most satisfying part was seeing the excitement from our sons when their essay was complete.

Tami, you were direct, but caring. You made my husband and I feel that it was just as important for our children to succeed as if they were your own. Both boys are now confident that their essays are unique to them and will be noticed by their select college choices!

BRIGITTE, Parent of University of Georgia Student from ALEXANDRIA, Virginia
Class of 2026

Thank you Tami for giving my daughter the confidence and tools she needed to write her essay! Essay writing can be stressful but your constructive feedback and insight into the admissions process really helped reduce everyone’s stress levels! Thank you!!