For all deadlines, we recommend submitting your documents at least 5 business days before deadlines to allow time for revising.

Meet Some of Our Essay Specialists

Rula Zaru is an experienced essay specialist who has led community-based college access program in Maryland and has guided hundreds of students through the complexities of the college application and financial aid process.  Rula leads workshops on the college application essay and coaches students individually on the essay writing process.  Rula is also a PhD candidate in Human Development and Family Sciences and has a Masters Degree in Education and Human Development in Organizational Leadership from George Washington University. She also works as a researcher and analyst at multiple competitive research organizations, where she produces written reports and grants. However, Rula’s commitment to research does not exceed her passion for working directly with students. She speaks Arabic and Spanish and loves learning about students’ unique personalities and life experiences, understanding their background as a path to crafting compelling writing.

Tom Campbell has reviewed thousands of college essays and applications as an admissions officer at Pomona College and the College of the Holy Cross, and works as an essay specialist at College Essay Guy. He also works on CEG's internal college essay review committee where he provides insight and practical feedback on college essays and applications. He has also worked as a college counselor at a selective independent high school and understands how challenging writing about oneself can be and how high stakes it can feel — you’ll find nothing but empathy and solidarity from him as you craft your narrative. He looks forward to reading your story.

Ali Pineo is a writing coach and college admissions essay specialist with a BA in English from Stanford University and MFA from UC Irvine. She is passionate about building her students’ confidence in the writing process and developing them into strong self-advocates for their individual learning needs. With thousands of hours of experience coaching admissions essay writing and tutoring AP English and US History, she has had the honor of helping her students attend their dream schools, including Stanford, Duke, Dartmouth, the UCs, and dozens of other great institutions. The highlights of her career center around her mentorship of bright students with learning differences. In addition to teaching, she is an arts entrepreneur, former professional ballet dancer, and mama to a busy toddler.

Andrew is Editorial Director and an essay specialist at College Essay Guy. He attended Stanford and Oxford, earning degrees in Political Science and Drama. He has taught college classes in Los Angeles in Critical Thinking, Sociology, Anthropology of Media, English Composition, and Public Speaking, has helped students gain entrance to Stanford, the Ivies, U Chicago, Northwestern, and dozens of other great colleges every year for the past decade, and is particularly interested in working to address issues of equity and access in higher education. He has worked with hundreds of students over his career and has spent time living in California, England, Montana, and briefly New Zealand.

Spencer studied Literature, Cultural Studies, and Philosophy at Duke University. She first started working in college admissions when she was in college herself, and her love for mentoring students continued to grow when she taught English at a local high school while living in Sevilla, Spain. She has since taught high schoolers in Los Angeles, as well as helped hundreds of students from around the world perfect their college essays. Beyond being a teacher and published writer, Spencer is also a dancer, actress, and artist at heart. She is incredibly passionate about helping students develop their creative voices and hone the power of storytelling in their writing. Her biggest goal is to not only help her students write their best essays, but also to grow as individuals and make the college application process as fun as possible. Spencer’s students have been accepted into a wide range of programs, from Nationally-ranked Theatre BFA’s to highly selective STEM majors, at schools like Yale, MIT, Stanford, Duke, UCLA, Berkeley, and more.