Testimonials

  • “Our daughter did a truly amazing job with the whole application process., and we’re thrilled that she was accepted to Tufts. LOTS of credit goes to you for your thoughtful and warm guidance! I knew from the get-go that she’d get much more out of working with you than a good college essay—she’ll have this skill, this facility for reflection and articulation, for her whole life. We can’t thank you enough.”

    — Barbara Fischer, parent

  • "Writing has always been a struggle for my son, but with Laurie’s encouragement and expertise he took charge of the college application essay writing process. He was accepted into 9 of the 10 undergraduate programs he applied to, and I am sure the quality of his essays and his ability to authentically present himself and his passions made him a much stronger candidate. Thank you Laurie for all of your help and kindness — much appreciated!”

    — Esther Cowell, parent

  • “Laurie has an unerring ear for the beating pulse of a story and an uncanny ability to draw out detail that brings an unformed draft to vivid life. Students who work with Laurie walk away not simply with essays that show them at their best, but with a profound understanding of how to translate the messy welter of lived experience into lucid and compelling prose. In guiding her students, Laurie doesn’t dictate a way forward; rather, she challenges, she asks questions, she cracks jokes, and she engages them in a dialogue that remains ever respectful of their experience, their truths, and their voice. The result is a kind of alchemy in which raw material is transformed, through Laurie’s particular magic, into essay gold.

    — Irena Smith, Ph.D., college admissions consultant

  • “I truly believe that your insightful questions made my son’s essays come alive. I don’t think he would have achieved the same results without you. Not only was he accepted at his first choice school, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but he was given the Rensselaer Leadership Award, a four-year merit scholarship.”

    — Amy St. Angelo, parent

  • “Thank you a million times over for all the help you have given me! I received a full scholarship to Agnes Scott College. I have already recommended you to many of the juniors as a valuable resource for next semester!!!”

    — Molly Wilson, currently Graduate Student in Global Health, University of Edinburgh

  • “I’ve had nothing but excellent experiences working with Laurie, from college apps, to Med School four years later, to my residency applications. In each case, she remembered the essays I had written long ago (sometimes over ten years) and, in spite of quick deadlines and difficult prompts, always gave every sample the attention it needed. With her support, I was invited to interview at 34 residency programs. She always brings out the best in me, and I can’t imagine working without her.”

    — Student Physician

  • “I can’t tell you how much it’s meant to me to have someone with your knowledge, experience, and gift for teaching and editing help me with my poetry. Your excellent reading suggestions, spot-on critiques of my poems, and your enthusiasm for poetry and poetry-writing are worth far more than your hourly rate to me. I will recommend you to anyone who will listen.”

    — Eric Marin, attorney and editor of Lone Star Stories

Client College Acceptances

  • Agnes Scott College

  • American University

  • Bard College

  • Barnard College

  • Baylor University

  • Boston University

  • Brandeis University

  • Bucknell University

  • California Institute of Technology

  • Carnegie Mellon University

  • Case Western Reserve University

  • Chapman University

  • Colorado College

  • Connecticut College

  • Cornell University

  • Dartmouth College

  • Duke University

  • Fairfield University 

  • Florida State University

  • George Mason University

  • George Washington University

  • Georgia Institute of Technology

  • Harvard University

  • Harvey Mudd College

  • Haverford College

  • Indiana University

  • Johns Hopkins University

  • Lawrence University

  • Lehigh University

  • Lewis and Clark College

  • Loyola Marymount University

  • New York University

  • Occidental College

  • Pomona College

  • Princeton University

  • Purdue University

  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  • Rice University

  • Rutgers University

  • St. Andrews University, Scotland

  • San Diego State University

  • Santa Clara University

  • Scripps College

  • Seattle University

  • Smith College

  • Southwestern University

  • Stanford University

  • Stony Brook University

  • Texas A&M University

  • Texas State University

  • Texas State University Honors College

  • Tufts University

  • Tulane University

  • UMass Amherst

  • University of Arizona

  • University of California Berkley

  • University of California San Diego

  • University of British Columbia

  • University of Chicago

  • University of Colorado Boulder

  • University of Edinburgh, Scotland

  • University of Michigan

  • University of Oregon

  • University of Oxford

  • University of Pittsburgh

  • University of Richmond

  • University of Rochester

  • University of Southern California

  • University of Texas at Austin

  • University of Texas at Austin, Plan II Honors

  • University of Texas at Dallas

  • University of Vermont

  • University of Washington

  • Ursinus College

  • Vanderbilt University

  • Washington University in St. Louis

  • Wellesley College

  • Wesleyan University

  • Wooster College

LAURIE FILIPELLI, MA, MFA is a poet, editor, and college access counselor who specializes in guiding students toward meaningful college searches and authentic and well-crafted college application essays. She has authored two collections of poems, Elseplace (Brooklyn Arts Press, 2013) and the 2019 Writers’ League of Texas Discovery Prize winner, Girl Paper Stone (Black Lawrence Press, 2018) as well as the Mighty Writing College Application Essay Guide, in collaboration with Irena Smith, PhD.  Laurie lives in Austin where she coaches college applicants remotely, teaches college writing classes, runs tween poetry workshops, blogs at MightyWriting.org, and indulges in daily word games.