per·spi·ca·cious (adj.) having a ready insight into and understanding of things

Hi, I’m Sanibel.

Nothing motivates me quite like the challenge of reach school.

Here’s the insipid version of my bio: I went to The Lawrenceville School, Duke, and transferred to Penn. I worked in finance for fewer than two years then went to grad school for creative writing. The informative version goes like this: I had a 3.6 GPA in high school. My college counselor had schools like University of Richmond on my list. After one year at Duke, I transferred to UPenn (with the same mediocre GPA). I was hired to be an analyst at a major bank despite my background in Classical Studies. It was stultifying, so I got my MFA at the New School (one of the best times of my life) and became a private college counselor (and author.) Stats-wise, I was “underqualified” at every place I was accepted. Essays have enabled me to punch above my weight time and again.

Without the opportunity to share my voice, I could never have eclipsed people who were more qualified (on paper). My specialty is using storytelling to outperform expectations and sell the unquantifiable parts of my personality.

My take on ChatGPT and admissions essays appeared in New York magazine (and thoughts on over-advising appear in Air Mail.) Read more about me here.

If you found me on TikTok, way to click through. I never read/reply to comments so you’re much more likely to find helpful information on this site. (Hint: check out sample essays.)

Hi, I’m Jerry.

I specialize in helping students discover their voices.

Here’s the milquetoast version of my bio: I graduated as valedictorian of my high school, went to Yale, then worked as a product manager at companies like Google and an artificial intelligence lab. After a 7 year career in tech, I left to go to film school.

The nuanced version goes like this: Even though I went to a competitive STEM high school that deprioritized the arts, I knew my love for performing and storytelling was my greatest asset. Instead of pigeonholing myself in a STEM discipline, I opted for a Computer Science and Art joint major at Yale that exercised both my left and right brain. However, my pragmatism (instilled at a young age) misled me to a career in tech, where I languished in endless meetings questioning if this would be the rest of my life. A deep dissatisfaction (and a FaceTime with Sanibel) convinced me to do the unthinkable: quit my coveted position and move to Chicago to study comedy and filmmaking at the Second City. Writing scripts and producing short films galvanized my creative spirit and I channel this energy into supporting students as a college essay coach. 

My super power is injecting personality into (otherwise bland) essays. 

My work has been selected to screen at The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmakers Showcase at Cannes Film Festival and Wicked Queer: Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Read more about me here.