Testimonials

Marsha took my essays to the next level. She not only gave great suggestions regarding language and structure, but also offered insight on what colleges like to see, and acted as a reassuring force as I navigated the crazy process. She helped me pull three storylines into one knockout personal statement essay, and I will now be attending my top choice college in the fall. 

—Columbia student 

I can't endorse Marsha's mentoring enough! Not only did she help inspire my son to write the finest essay he's ever written, but she helped him increase his SAT scores. He got in early to his top school. But more importantly, through her insight, strong standards, and commitment to their work together, my son learned a lot about himself, his goals, and his abilities.

—Middlebury (parent) 

Marsha tutored my son during his junior and senior year for SAT prep, and more importantly helped guide him through the whole college application process. My husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer during this time, and Marsha stepped in in a huge way, relieving all the pressure of the application process. She was truly amazing. She kept my son on track, taught him everything he needed to know, helped him with his college essay and applications, and ultimately helped get him into his dream school, USC. She was a blessing to our family. My son found her to be an inspiring teacher, who motivated and encouraged him during a very difficult time. She was always patient, kind, and extremely thorough. I highly recommend her. She is worth her weight in gold.

—USC (parent)

Marsha is an exceptional tutor. She worked with my son on his SATs and college applications last year. As a result, he is now off to an excellent school with a fantastic financial aid package. Marsha is brilliant and encouraging—she is completely dedicated to her students. She shepherds them through the process of writing college essays, helping each student find their own voice and vision. With her guidance, my son did stellar work and felt great about his accomplishments.

—Oberlin College (parent)

Marsha Hoem and I were colleagues, and she is without a doubt the most dedicated teacher I have ever worked with. Her diverse academic background helped her to identify and connect with a wide range of student abilities and age groups. Marsha has led an inspirational life and is uniquely able to pass on to her students a sense of excellence and commitment to being their best selves. Marsha is a tireless worker who gives her best to all of her clients. She has the ability to bring out the unique voice of each child, helping them to produce intriguing, honest, and exceptional college essays. Both of our boys were accepted at the University of California schools of their choice as well as Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

—UCSB and Cal Poly (parent)

When I look back on my biggest growth periods over the past decade, my time working with Marsha was one of them. 

Marsha worked with me on my college essays. She took the time to understand me as a person and help translate my story into words. She helped me learn to focus my tone, word choice, and narrative scope so that my voice was as clear and powerful as it could be, and she gave me confidence through her feedback and wise words as I entered college decision season. When I was accepted to Yale and Harvard, she took the time to talk me through the decision—her insights helped chart my course, and I’m so grateful. 

Working with her felt like more than just essay editing; she’s a mentor, guide, and friend. Thank you, Marsha! 

—Yale student

We’ve known Marsha Hoem for quite a few years now. As our son’s middle school English teacher, she was able to unleash and nurture our son’s previously undiscovered writing talent. She has mentored him through his high school years as his confidant and writing tutor. She encouraged his application to TASP (Telluride Association Summer Program), into which he was accepted (with a 2% acceptance rate). She assisted him with the application process, which included a number of full essays and short answers. 

Marsha makes an exceptional commitment to the work she does with her students and their families. We’ve witnessed the success she’s had helping the children of other families get accepted into top-notch colleges. She has helped our family navigate the college application process with suggestions for organizing information and getting our son on track to get his essays completed well in advance. Marsha is a delightful person and wonderful to work with. We’ve recommended her to other families whole-heartedly.

—Wesleyan (parent)

Conventional wisdom holds that well-written essays may make or break an applicant’s chance at admission to a college or university because they provide greater insight into the applicant than any other component of the process. It is here, in my opinion, that Marsha Hoem is a most valuable partner in the process. She has an innate sense of an applicant’s voice and helps the writer to find and/or refine that voice, allowing them to convey to application readers what makes them stand out from other students.  Marsha’s work with our son on his essays led to him writing pieces that allowed admissions staff to “see” him in a clearer, truer light and was certainly a factor in his receiving offers of admission from several highly-selective, prestigious colleges. 

—Bowdoin (parent)

Applying for college was one of the most stressful and time consuming events of my life. Marsha went above and beyond in helping me with essays, test scores, and most importantly, maintaining a positive attitude and good work ethic. My dream became her dream and together we achieved it.

—Middlebury student

I believe that one of the most impactful relationships my son has had in the last 1 1/2 years has been with Marsha. She helped guide him back into regular high school after some time away from home. She not only tutored my son, but became a mentor and a friend. Throughout his journey, he learned to trust and confide in her, and she successfully coached him—spring term he earned a 4.0 and was on the Dean’s list. Marsha individualized her tutoring and pace to fit my son’s needs, resulting in a student that is entering his Senior year with a great attitude, skills, and self esteem!

—Hellgate high school (parent)

I came to Marsha with a very loose idea of what I wanted my college essays and applications to look like. Over the course of our time working together, Marsha helped me perfect my essay and fine tune my application. Marsha genuinely cares about all of the students she helps and worked to get to know me on a more personal level in order to create an honest and well-rounded application. Marsha is an incredibly interesting person and conversationalist, and I truly enjoyed working with her and would recommend her to anyone looking for college help.

—Bates student