Admission Essay
Masterclass

Write your way into college with Lauren Gillespie

BYU Essay Masterclass
Now Available

Writing effective college essays is a learnable skill, and I can teach you how!
Just as you can improve your abilities and potential with a math tutor or hitting coach, there are specific strategies and writing skills that will empower students to write their way into college.

My Masterclass offers a 90-minute crash course in how to write effective BYU essays including:

  • Understanding what each essay question is asking

  • How to think critically about your activities and experiences so that you can identify stand out topics for each essay 

  • How to write authentically using your own voice and perspective

  • Reviewing the BYU Aims and how they relate to your essays

  • How to organize all of your ideas in the short space each essay provides

  • How to revise, edit, and polish your own essays so that you can achieve your best work and stay under the required character count

Last spring my live Masterclass webinar was challenging for many students due to busy schedules, so this fall the Masterclass will only be available by video, allowing students to watch it at a convenient time.

Information about BYU’s
Essays and Activities Commitment Clause

Last year the BYU application added an “Essays and Activities Commitment” clause that states: 

You may not pay anyone to help you with your application, and you may not use generative AI tools (like ChatGPT) as you compose your responses.*

Back in June I worked with other writing teachers and essay coaches around the country to contact BYU and gain further insight as to what this clause entails and why, specifically, you can’t pay a professional writing instructor to help you improve your writing abilities. Director of BYU Admissions, Naomi Aide responded to inquiries by email on June 3rd saying:

"The [honesty clause] relates to paying someone specifically or using generative AI to write the student’s essays for them and complete their application on their behalf.”

While this explanation was helpful, I wanted to ensure that my Masterclass isn’t in violation of the clause and in a separate email (also on June 3rd) Ms. Aide specifically addressed my question, answering:

“If you are not writing the essays on the student’s behalf or telling them how to respond, you are complying."

I appreciate that the Director of BYU Admissions has clarified through the above statements that students are allowed to receive writing instruction so long as they do their own work, and that my Masterclass falls within the boundaries of what is acceptable. 

If you have further questions, you can email BYU Admissions Director Naomi Aide directly at naomi.aide@byu.edu.

Meet Lauren Gillespie.

In 2003, I was invited to serve on a panel of Brigham Young University (BYU) graduate students tasked with teaching workshops at local high schools on how to “write your way into BYU.” This was the first moment I clearly understood that writing effective college essays is a learnable skill, like any other academic discipline. As part of that teaching initiative, I met with the Director of BYU Enrollment to review their criteria, guidelines, and suggested strategies for college essays. In the fall of 2022, I had a second opportunity to interview a BYU Enrollment staff member to review the current trends in regard to admissions essays. These interviews, combined with two decades of writing instruction, have shaped and informed my curriculum.

Many colleges, like BYU, now offer appointments with enrollment counselors who can help prospective students better understand the admissions process. My expertise is the writing process! I teach foundational writing principles that will empower students to communicate their experiences and activities in an effective and authentic way. Instead of throwing things at the wall and hoping one will stick, I help students channel their hard work and ideas into crafting focused, intentional college essays. Students learn how to organize their ideas and write about their life in a way that will help them to feel truly seen and heard.

When it comes to college admissions there aren’t quick tricks or magic bullets. Every college has its own set of standards and criteria they measure applicants against. But the essays matter, and over the years I’ve taught hundreds of students writing skills that have helped them gain acceptance to their first-choice school, including 93% of my clients in 2023.

I hold a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English from BYU. As an undergraduate I worked at the campus writing center, and during my two-year master’s program I taught freshman writing courses. Since 2004 I’ve offered private writing instruction and coaching specializing in undergraduate and graduate admissions, and study abroad and scholarship application essays.

My book From Couch to College: Writing Standout Admissions Essays is available on Amazon.