<p>I’m in dire need of money but do not want to ask my parents to up my allowance so I wanted to explore the idea of starting a small UC personal statement editing service; probably advertised through my friends at CCCs and craigslist (I am a junior at UC Berkeley). But I don’t really know where to start, so naturally I came here to CC </p>
<p>Here are my questions:</p>
<p>1.) Has anyone had any experience starting up a business similar to this? (I would like to know for instance how to disavow myself of any legal responsibilities so they can’t like sue me (is this even possible?)…</p>
<p>2.) Should I to request payment before or upon completion (I plan on using Paypal to collect) ? And if after completion, how can I ensure that they pay me (I don’t want to use a collection agency or anything)</p>
<p>3.) How much do you think is a reasonable price to charge to edit all three UC personal statements (about 1,000 words)? And by ‘edit’ I just don’t mean just giving cursory comments but really tearing the essays up to make the best possible essays out of them (i.e. eliminating verboseness to improve concision, rephrasing sentences, restructuring ideas so the piece flows, suggesting better more powerful word choices, cutting out cliches and replacing with fresher approaches…)</p>
<li>Just any general advice or tips on how to successfully run something like this…I could really use it :)</li>
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<p>I know that some people question the appropriateness of college editing services. I think it's clear that you do NOT mean writing the essays, so just be careful not to cross that line with too much help. </p>
<p>1) You may know that there are already online cos. doing essay editing. You might check their legal disclaimers. However, when one is starting a business, it is always wise to consult an attorney. I realize you probably don't want to have that kind of overhead. But you might look into it as soon as possible, reinvesting some of your first proceeds by having at least a short consultation with an attorney.</p>
<p>2) I think it's always wise when providing a service to obtain a deposit upfront. It can be minimal, or it can be 1/3 to 1/2. Balance upon completion. You will likely have some collection problems. That is part of the cost of doing business. If they are too many, then maybe you need to question the business model or the quality of your services.</p>
<p>3) No idea. Many of us parents do it for "free" here on cc. I guess our price is too low. :)</p>
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I know that some people question the appropriateness of college editing services. I think it's clear that you do NOT mean writing the essays, so just be careful not to cross that line with too much help.
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<p>yeah, most definitely. Thanks for the quick response btw! </p>
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1) You may know that there are already online cos. doing essay editing. You might check their legal disclaimers. However, when one is starting a business, it is always wise to consult an attorney. I realize you probably don't want to have that kind of overhead. But you might look into it as soon as possible, reinvesting some of your first proceeds by having at least a short consultation with an attorney.
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<p>Yeah, our school has free legal consulations with a lawyer. I should probably get to that before I start anything; I just hoping like drafting a disclaimer of some sort wouldn't cost too much...</p>
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2) I think it's always wise when providing a service to obtain a deposit upfront. It can be minimal, or it can be 1/3 to 1/2. Balance upon completion. You will likely have some collection problems. That is part of the cost of doing business. If they are too many, then maybe you need to question the business model or the quality of your services.
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<p>Sounds like a smart plan. I'll probably do just that.</p>
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3) No idea. Many of us parents do it for "free" here on cc. I guess our price is too low.
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<p>On a related note, can you guys stop editing UC essays? Lol, I need money :(</p>
<p>Cardinal - I never reply to those asking for UC essay help. The UC world (even though I am a Cal alum - grad school) is just a world apart, imo, re college admissions. I have heard such things as - the essay readers can't give credit for quality writing, creativity, etc. Just count up the number of facts it tells about the applicant re ECs etc. No idea if that is true. But you clearly would have the expertise to (a) know what content they seek and (b) know when it is well done. </p>
<p>So I won't be undercutting your service with my free editing (which btw is worth every penny ;) ).</p>
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Cardinal - I never reply to those asking for UC essay help. The UC world (even though I am a Cal alum - grad school) is just a world apart, imo, re college admissions.
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<p>Wow, impressive. Cal Grad school! The Berkeley forum could use you...Sadly, most of the alumni posting regularly there are bitter trolls who seem to give no credit to Cal for helping them reach their current success (The only notable exception being CalX). </p>
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I have heard such things as - the essay readers can't give credit for quality writing, creativity, etc. Just count up the number of facts it tells about the applicant re ECs etc. No idea if that is true. But you clearly would have the expertise to (a) know what content they seek and (b) know when it is well done.
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<p>I've never heard this one before but I have heard that the personal statement has become merely a tipping factor for borderline canidates. </p>
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So I won't be undercutting your service with my free editing (which btw is worth every penny ).
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