I Critique and Edit Essays (plain and simple, no?)

College Essays
1

<p>I will soon be travelling, after which I shall settle down for university. I shan’t have the leisure of chasing down essays to read anymore. With that said, I am more than willing to help with people’s writing or with general inquiries, albeit perhaps at a slower pace. If interested:</p>

<p>Please…</p>

<p>• Do NOT PM me (will not be read, simple as that)
• Contact me at cc (dot) essay (at) gmail (dot) com
• Include your CC alias, prompt, and **word limit<a href="must">/b</a>
• Attach a Word file as opposed to copy and paste, so the formatting does not get lost (optional)
• Include any specific concerns regarding the essay (optional)</p>

<p>Be advised that…</p>

<p>• Essays without a CC alias attached will not be processed
• I will only deal with essays and inquiries via e-mail from here on
• My revisions will be in .pdf format</p>

<p>I shall not waste my time or yours elaborating on my “credentials,” save that I have read AND critiqued essays from no fewer than 57 individuals on CC over the last month or so, and that my comments are at times longer than the 900-word essays I critique. Those who feel my comments might be worth the trouble of sending an e-mail are at liberty to bump this post, but I will not be attending to this thread myself.</p>

2

<p>I can vouch that this guy seems to be well reputable and has read tons of essays. Same class, so I didn’t get any help from him myself.</p>

<p>DSI! We’re gonna miss you :(! I will not miss your blunt style, though. Infuse some humour in your posts, man!</p>

3

<p>I learned about this site when my son asked for essay help here. In the end we hired a professional to look at the essay. She laughed at the input he got here. Everyone should understand you usually get what you pay for.</p>

4

<p>^Why do you have to be so negative? It’s not like cause DSI, others, and myself edit an essay for free that we’ll therefore do a shoddy job. </p>

<p>And what do you think the professional will do? Say the comments here are fantastic and probably lose a client? And not all applicants want to or can pay a professional to look over the essays.</p>

5

<p>I think it’s important for kids to know they can’t expect a quality read from any of the many here who claim they’re qualified because they got in. Some may get lucky, but most will not get quality input. </p>

<p>This is so ridiculous–with kids asking for no 13’s–does anyone really think a year or two of age will teach the average person what a college is looking for?</p>

<p>I worked in admissions 30 years ago and I saw what today’s professional understood vs. what I did.</p>

<p>Kids will do much better asking an adult they know and trust over the random people here.</p>

6

<p>^^ Hmm interesting.</p>

<p>Kids ask for no 13er’s mainly because they do not want benefit their potential competitors, who will also be applying this fall.</p>

<p>Curious how with first-hand experience in admissions, one still finds the need to consult a professional. In this light perhaps few adults – whoever they are (presumably not an eighteen-year-old) – are more “qualified” than other “random people” on CC.</p>

<p>Not everyone benefits from an English learning environment with English resources readily assessable. Even fewer have the means of finding a reliable professional for a fair price. Whereas I too question the competency of most critics here, if one cannot tell quality inputs from garbage, then perhaps one’s ill revised essays are an accurate reflection of one’s lack of judgment and one’s not being ready for university.</p>

<p>As to Gamma, I am actually a very funny person. On paper, though, I much prefer satire, irony, and dark humour, with an acidic undertone. </p>

<p>Finally, the original point of this post was that my comments will be in .doc or .docx form, not .pdf as suggested in the original post. It is a lot clearer with a .doc and .docx file because when one clicks on a comment (or moves one’s cursor over it), the corresponding sentence will be highlighted in a darker tone. This effect is lost when I convert the file to .pdf, which makes reading my revision much more confusing as I often comment on parts of a sentence, the sentence itself, and the entire paragraph containing the sentence. If I receive a .doc file (or a copy-and-pasted essay), my reply will be in .doc format.</p>

<p>P.S. I do not claim qualification because I got into university. I claim qualification because I too claim being a damned good writer. For those who are “in the know” I got a 3 on my ToK and extended essay, and both my English teachers and pre-major advisor (who, alas, is twice removed from being an English professor) told me that I am a good writer. Also, I put significantly more time than most people do into reading and editing essays. I have just spent three hours today (one hour was on a car ride) critiquing a three-thousand-word essay, and even with that I am still only on the eighth page, with forty-five comments. (Do understand that it was not an application essay, nor was it your average essay – it was good.) Lastly, I do not have music or TV or radio on at all when I am critiquing – heck, it is much quieter than the environment under which many people do their homework. So, even if I do not have the talent of being the next Agatha Christie (yes, I admit I admire her style, and yes, I know such is not the case), I at least put more effort into reading essays than perhaps that put in by the writers of those essays.</p>

7

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<p>Couldn’t agree more. I think very few on this site or anywhere have expertise in college essays. I get dozens of requests here to read essays and the first thing I say, even though I’m 52, is that I’m not a professional.</p>

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<p>I see. That would make you qualified, if we had proof, to edit. But not to comment on the concept. What the professionals taught us is that the actual writing is far less important than the content. Here’s the Dir of Admission at Dartmouth saying that too and note that these are not the best writen essays, but they all spoke to the adcom:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/dartmouth-college/603093-successful-essays.html?highlight=dartmouth+essays[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/dartmouth-college/603093-successful-essays.html?highlight=dartmouth+essays&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I didn’t think we needed the help either with my first 2. Turns out much has changed in the 30 years since I worked in admissions at an ivy in the days when half of applicants were accepted. Alas I learned the hard way. My first 2 did not get into their first choice colleges. But with help my youngest did and my middle child successfully transfered to hers.</p>

<p>There’s just something creepy about soliciting for essays here IMO. Makes me wonder if it’s just a kid looking to steal ideas.</p>

8

<p>Whoops…here’s the link to the Dartmouth essays I meant to post:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.hudson.k12.ia.us/HEF%20Essay%20Article.pdf[/url]”>http://www.hudson.k12.ia.us/HEF%20Essay%20Article.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>^^ Agreed with hmom. Somehow from this thread I just get ill feelings - something in the gut tells me isn’t right.</p>

<p>All that babbling about credentials and how he’s a damn good writer seems to put him in a rather cocky light. He is also very funny, I quote him. So he thinks he’s a “damn good writer” and “very funny” and proceeds to tell us about his life and some car ride which people could car less about I’m sure and insists that he radiates altruism, simply bursting out with human sensitivity. I suppose he’s saving Darfur children while he’s at it? </p>

<p>Somehow, it just doesn’t seem right. He goes around posting “PM with title/prompt” and then on this thread he seems to have a higher air of endowment, as if he’s lording over all others with his altruism radiation (no PMs to my inbox, he says! as he demands his mother to bring another Hot Pocket) - but oh no! he’s a “damn good writer” and “very funny” and he might as well just defecate out care bears and homeless shelters cause damn! he’s such an altruist just reviewing people’s essay for hours at time to no benefit of his own. </p>

<p>Like someone with “damn good writing” would go around CC forums telling other people to PM with title and prompt and proceed to boast about questionable credentials.</p>

<p>I guess what it comes down to is that - hey, he might be a good writer. He might be not. He might be a fake; he might be not (do you want to take the chance? as hmom suggested about stealing ideas).</p>

<p>But pushing all that aside - do you really want some cocky person with an inflated self-esteem and a sense of entitlement to review your essay? Would that really be helpful? Look at him; he goes around telling people to PM with title/prompt; I suppose that comes with the altruism and the cockiness then. Oh, and don’t forget he might be out to steal your ideas. Anyone can just write a review.</p>

<p>It’s the risk and the help factor. He might be what he says he is. He might not be. Do you want to take the risk? And even if he is, maybe just take a look at the personality this guy has developed. </p>

<p>Such an altruism. Perhaps he runs a Make-A-Wish foundation for essay writers as well. Take a gander at his original post:</p>

<p>“I shall not waste my time or yours elaborating on my “credentials,” save that I have read AND critiqued essays from no fewer than 57 individuals on CC over the last month or so, and that my comments are at times longer than the 900-word essays I critique. Those who feel my comments might be worth the trouble of sending an e-mail are at liberty to bump this post, but I will not be attending to this thread myself.”</p>

10

<p>The car ride was to qualify how I spent the three hours.</p>

<p>I think one needs to look up ethical theory and theory of altruism. I will not elaborate on the pathetic, repetitive, and incorrect use of “altruism” as exhibited here.</p>

<p>If one searched past the “PM with title/prompt” part one might actually find a post in which I at least “proved” I have no need to steal ideas.</p>

<p>Life is about risk-taking. College applications and going to college are risky business. At least one can be one’s judge as to how good my comments are and to whether to accept the changes or not.</p>

<p>Would one rather have an altruistic, competent, yet cocky person review their essay or an ignorant, repetitive, and condescending individual who, asides from repeating the same thing three times, seems fascinated by Darfur children and the defecation of care bears and homeless shelters?</p>

11

<p>HAHAHA oh god. Joecart’s post was simply hilarious.</p>

<p>Looks like joecart struck a nerve with DSI and DSI is getting super academic to try to defend himself. Lay off the ad-hominem attacks DSI, joecart was simply trying to point out a few things. Also, DSI, YOU don’t really seem to know what “altruism” means. Hilarious - I don’t believe he was using it in the philosophical way that you are implying.</p>

<p>I’m still laughing - DSI you need to calm down; plus I would hardly call a one-liner a fascination. I guess in your terms you have a fascination with car rides then.</p>

<p>And also, DSI, joecart isn’t reviewing any essay so this invalidates your last quip. He’s just reviewing you and he did a swell and hilarious job on it. No need to get angry. Just respecting his opinion.</p>

<p>In all seriousness, though, people will go and get their essays reviewed if they want to and I’m sure some can provide valuable feedback. And that’s that.</p>

12

<p>I think one needs to get off their high horse as it’s rather hard to see things from so high up. </p>

<p>Thanks, lolilaughed, I was merely trying to point out my opinion. Agreed, if a one-liner exaggeration is considered as a fascination in DSI’s universe, we can only hope that DSI reviews essays well enough that people will start paying him. Then he can use that money to go to the psychiatrist for his fascination problems. </p>

<p>“Would one rather have an altruistic, competent, yet cocky person review their essay or an ignorant, repetitive, and condescending individual who, asides from repeating the same thing three times, seems fascinated by Darfur children and the defecation of care bears and homeless shelters?” . I’m not reviewing essays, you are. I believe you might have that mistaken. Although perhaps you got the idea from the one time I reviewed an essay and you mistook it for fascination.</p>

<p>I’m cracking up at how butthurt DSI is.</p>

13

<p>I do not think I am getting “super academic,” whatever that means. I am certain that the first reference to “altruism” is appealing to the philosophical definition. Given his repetitiveness I suppose the rest follows suit?</p>

<p>With his attempt at reviewing me and my personality, it is only fitting that I reply with ad hominen arguments. Also, I am not at all angry, so I suppose joecart may after all be better at reviewing people than others?</p>

<p>Ah no, both of you missed the point of my “last quip.” The point was, my being altruistic and cocky does not undermine my ability to judge, albeit “from a high place.” It is about me and my arguable competency, as opposed to about other individuals and their lack thereof.</p>

<p>I might as well answer for the one-liner exaggerations. Aside from the fact that I find it unfitting for one to exaggerate at all when one judges, particular a supposedly fellow human being, I also find it interesting that whereas I am expected to interpret your posts metaphorically, my posts are meant to be literal to the word.</p>

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<p>Good point joecart. I recommend that you take your own advice.</p>

15

<p>actually, DSI is legit.</p>

16

<p>It appears that you have failed to adhere to your original promise that you would waste neither your own time nor ours enumerating your credentials. Even as you flounder in the limelight, you quote statistics with no veritable measure of authenticity.</p>

17

<p>damn, you guys made me really scared lol. Well i know for a fact that he’s going to UPenn next year. hopefully he’s not publishing these essays anywhere. The advices he gives is to the point and really improves the quality of the essay. i can vouch for that. (but please don’t show the essays to anyone please)</p>

18

<p>Ah no, it is not about my credentials now as it is about a nice debate, which I always welcome, and which I do not feel is a waste of my time.</p>

<p>I do have a list of whose essays I have read, and a three is a three on an IB transcript. It is true the rest is to be taken with a grain of salt, or with a leap to faith (yes, that is the original phraseology employed), but c’est la vie, no?</p>

<p>Pray accept my most humble apology for wasting your time in reading and your energy in posting.</p>

19

<p>Bump it up</p>