A native of New York City, Chris graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with a double major in History and English, earned a Master's from the London School of Economics, and attended Stanford Law School.
He worked as a journalist for The Wall Street Journal and The Economist, published two books with Doubleday and Houghton Mifflin, and now brings a decade of one-on-one essay mentorship to ambitious applicants.
Four qualities that define every essay engagement.
Helping students communicate ideas with depth, precision, and the kind of thinking admissions readers actually notice.
Essays that sound thoughtful, personal, and unmistakably like the student — never coached into a template.
Extensive experience guiding applicants to the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, and other highly selective universities.
One-on-one guidance tailored to each student's goals, strengths, voice, and target schools.
Five principles that shape every draft I work on with a student.
Surfacing the experiences and ideas worth writing about.
Clear outlines that give every paragraph a defined job.
Tightening language until each sentence earns its place.
Preserving the student's real way of thinking and speaking.
Aligning the essay with the broader application narrative.
Ambitious students applying to the most competitive universities — across disciplines and backgrounds.
Students targeting Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and other Ivies.
Engineers, scientists, and math-minded applicants finding their voice.
Writers, historians, and thinkers crafting essays that show range.
Applicants from outside the U.S. navigating American admissions.
Students aiming at sub-10% acceptance schools.
Students applying to top 25 American universities.
"There is no better mentor than Chris. He immediately set an efficient action plan to craft powerful essays and had immense knowledge of what each school looked for."
"Chris supported my son through every part of the application process — essay topics, structure, and tone. He was accepted to Princeton."
"With Chris's help, I was accepted to Harvard and Stanford. He gave me the freedom to share my story while providing edits that enhanced my essays."
A writer's career that informs how I help students think about narrative, voice, and structure.
Staff correspondent in the London office of The Economist and the Hong Kong bureau of The Wall Street Journal.
Two first-person narratives — the genre closest to college essays — published by Doubleday and Houghton Mifflin.
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