Make Your College Essay Stand Out.

College admissions has never been more competitive. Common App reported 1,429,747 distinct first-year applicants for the 2025–26 cycle through March 1, 2026 — a 2% increase over the prior year.[1] Total application volume rose to 9,423,621, up 5% year over year, with students now submitting an average of 6.59 applications each — the highest ratio Common App has recorded since it began tracking this trend in 2021.[1] With most selective colleges requiring several supplemental essays in addition to the Common App personal statement — often 5 to 15 more, depending on how many schools a student applies to[2] — the essay workload facing today's applicants is larger than it has ever been.

Barrett Ward, PhD, brings over twenty years of combined experience in education and the military to help students cut through that workload efficiently — writing essays that sound like them, without wasting the limited time they have this admissions season.

Sources:

[1] Common App, "Deadline Update, 2025–2026: First-Year Application Trends Through March 1," March 12, 2026.

[2] College Essay Guy, "The Basics" (estimate range, not official Common App data).