<p>I think the phrase “heavily edit” is hanging up a lot of people. If someone were to show me an atrocious essay and I said, “My advice is to toss the whole thing out and start over, perhaps with an entirely different topic, since the topic doesn’t work for me at all,” that could also be considered a “heavy edit.” I mean, what could be heavier than telling someone to start all over again? But it does not implicitly state that I am writing the essay for you. I think people hanging onto that phrase have jumped hysterically to a conclusion that may be erroneous.</p>
<p>I’ve been edited – and heavily edited – in my life, and it does not always mean someone is doing it for you. It often means someone is saying, “This sucks, this sucks, and this sucks; now change it.”</p>
<p>4th house, very true. Heavily edit is not necessarily equal to rewritten by someone else. As anybody interested in the sciences can tell you, your paper will be subject to heavy, heavy editing, but damn to hell anyone who thinks you didn’t write it yourself! Anyway if the Harvard student has any brains in his head he will be sure not to cross the line, because if Harvard found out that kid will be in big trouble.</p>
<p>I guess it depends on the reader. I have to amit that when I was an adcom there were so many over used topics that I shut down when I realized I was reading another essay on the subject. </p>
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<p>Lol, you can’t believe how many kids are not saved from this sort of thing by a parent, counselor or consultant.</p>
<p>OP–
I guess if you have the money to spare, why not? You don’t want to regret not taking this opportunity if your kid doesn’t get in to HYP etc. and wonder if he might have. But does he even want to go to HYP? Does he want help with his application, or does he want to do it himself? </p>
<p>Thinking about me personally, I don’t think I’d ever do this. I can’t speak if I were you, because I’m not a parent. But if I were a student applying to college (which I was), I would never let my parents do something like this. They probably wouldn’t have anyway. I would have reasoned that there could be better uses of that money, and I would have felt that if I did get into Harvard, I would have wanted it to be on my own terms–because of my own merit–and knowing that I got in because I was good enough–not some sketchy 21 year old trying to make some quick cash.</p>
<p>I got into Princeton and Cornell, I can help!</p>
<p>you can try his help if you have $500 sitting around doing nothing, if you son gets in (I should hope), it will be one of the happiest moments of you life and $800 would be worth it.</p>
<p>Ideally, you shouldn’t pay this guy because you want your son to get in on his own merits. However;</p>
<p>The American college admissions system is not ideal, nor is it based on merits, although it claims to be. Things like the SAT are performance-based, not on how smart your son may actually be.</p>
<p>I’d go for it, but check out this guy and make sure he is AIDING your son, rather than doing the work for him. With the ridiculous admissions process we’re all in, we need all the help we can get.</p>
<p>Personally, I wouldn’t do it because I wouldn’t want to give a complete stranger such a large sum of money and be so unsure of the results. </p>
<p>HOWEVER, I have I friend who’s going to Harvard this year and she had paid some guy who went to Harvard $800 US to proofread her essays. She got into Harvard, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Cornell and 2 other schools I can’t remember now (they were excellent schools btw) and was only rejected by UPenn. Mind you, she’s an EXCELLENT writer and it may well be that she would have gotten in on her own if she didn’t have the help. But this guy helped her rework her essays and she’s heading to Harvard this fall. I’m just saying… I mean she didn’t even know the guy. He could’ve just taken her money and done absolutely nothing and she wouldn’t have been able to do anything cuz we’re in a different country, but hey she took a risk and it paid off! (I can’t remember his name right now… I think it was something with a B…)</p>
<p>In your case it’s even better cuz at least you know the person.</p>
<p>I agree–not worth it in my opinion. I have considered these consulting options myself, but some services even give you free writing assessments, so I would suggest to go that route first.</p>