As my daughter began her senior year of high school and started to fill out her college applications I vowed that I would not hire someone to help with college essays. She was an honor student, with very good grades, had always done well in English class. My daughter downloaded all the applications and began the daunting process of getting her words down on paper. After weeks and weeks of work, she edited and edited, she could not cut down the amount of words without sacrificing content. That’s when we knew that we needed help. We called Debby, who came highly recommended from a friend. Because of her years of experience and expertise, she was able to guide my daughter both in whittling down her essays and in polishing them to perfection. Happily, my daughter was accepted to all of the schools were she applied. Debby took an arduous task and helped make it more manageable. My daughter adores her and my younger one cannot wait to work with her.

Debby has worked with my daughter since she was a freshman in high school. The time she has devoted to creating a sincere and personal relationship with my daughter has paid off in both good grades and a more positive outlook towards school. Her attention to my daughter’s academic needs has allowed her to become a more confident student. This past year, Debby assisted with everything from Shakespeare to her English term paper and Constitution test. It has been a wonderful experience for us and I fully anticipate utilizing Debby’s expertise when applying to college.

When our son set his sights on University of Michigan and the Ross School of Business, we couldn’t imagine how difficult the application process was going to be. Applying to several competitive business schools, our son worked with Debby to organize each set of essays and to clarify exactly what he wanted to achieve as a business student. Debby took away the stress and anxiety by helping him carefully outline exactly what he needed to write about for each school. He loved what he created in her office and had several outstanding essays—with acceptances to the Kelly School of Business at Indiana, the business school at the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan, he had his pick of schools. He is currently at the University of Michigan and we have Debby to thank for a wonderful application experience.

When your panicked and stressed out daughter walks in the door smiling after a one hour session, you know that you have found the right person to help your child to succeed. I have been fortunate enough to have Debby work with two of my children—both were incredibly successful experiences and both were very different.

My daughter loves to write—and it was important to her that her “voice” be heard throughout her essays. Debby and my daughter developed an instant rapport. I must say that this is one of Debby's greatest talents—she truly has a gift of connecting and relating to teens. She guides and encourages without judgment and gives them the confidence to be their best self. My daughter was accepted into colleges she had dreamed about.

Debby makes what seems impossible—possible. She builds confidence, discusses realistic expectations and makes it all seem more fun along the way. There is something about her calm and assuring presence that diffuses the panic-mode and helps her students to produce their best work.

Thank you Debby for all that you do! Our family feels so lucky to have you as a part of our educational process.

Over the past six years, Debby has assisted all three of my children with their college application essays. She helped them organize their thoughts, outline ideas and create essays that were totally out of the box. My kids are completely different and Debby found a way to create a really nice relationship with each one. She made each session productive and appealing and my kids never complained about doing their essays! There was no stress, no panic, and everything was finished a month before the due date. I have a graduate of Ohio State University, as well as, a senior and incoming freshman. Working with Debby was the key to an easy application process.

I was applying to about seven colleges or so and writing the numerous essays seemed overwhelming at best. Ms. Shulman made it a goal of hers to—before getting into the essay topics—get to know me. This personalization did not just help her understand more about me, but helped me feel comfortable discussing the topics I wanted to write about.

Per her advice, I would come prepared each session with either a full or partial essay draft and we would revise it together, always staying true to my own ideas, even as the dictation or syntax changed. She challenged me to write down every idea that I had, telling me that we could revise it later, but noting the importance of just “having words on the page”. Ms. Shulman made it a goal of hers to help me make my voice stand out.

She helped make the imposing task of writing college essays simple, methodical and straightforward.

I met with Ms. Shulman once again, a year and a half after my college essay days, and she helped me write a personal statement for my application to the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at University of Wisconsin. I was accepted into the program shortly after.

I have Ms. Shulman to thank for the university that I currently attend and the program that I am currently in.

It is with great pleasure and complete conviction that I recommend Debby Shulman as a writing tutor. Debby worked with both of my kids on their college essays and her guidance provided outstanding results. Debby’s professional and positive style enables her to connect with both kids and adults immediately establishing trust. She facilitates the topic brainstorming session quickly and ignites enthusiasm for the writing process (which is an art in itself). She kept my kids on task and focused even though all the writing was done during the summer. The best part was that it was all stress free! I strongly and highly recommend Debby Shulman! She is a great writing tutor and a wonderful person!

Debby worked with my twins on their college essays. While I am a writer by trade, I came to realize that what she does is highly specialized and invaluable. I would dream of attempting this on my own.

Her ability to quickly get to know each student and their individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as their goals and dreams, makes the process seamless. Debby’s experience and knowledge about the college admission game made it much less daunting for our family. My kids felt extremely comfortable with her, and her ability to make essay writing so enjoyable was highly astonishing. What began as fear and drudgery became confidence and excitement.

To say that we were pleased with this outcome is an understatement

After experiencing weeks of mental writer’s block in the fall of senior year, I was introduced to Debby in order to tackle my college essays and their harsh deadlines. At our first meeting, we clicked immediately. She somehow drew out my emotions, stories, and creativity and helped me to get actual words down on paper. With the proper guidance and assistance, Debby improved my ability to show rather than just tell my stories by using vivid descriptions and my voice. I soon had countless essays to choose from and felt that each and every one was personal, ye quick to the point of the question at hand.

Debby did an outstanding job with my son, a senior at Deerfield High School. He was accepted to seven schools. Debby helped him write outstanding college essays and helped to build his confidence. He will be a freshman at the University of Illinois next fall. Thank you Debby, you are a genius.