Meg D

I have over ten years of experience in teaching writing to and editing documents for non-native speakers of English from East Asia. I have helped a number of undergraduate and graduate students through the process of drafting and polishing statements of purpose and other application essays. All of these students were accepted into top-ranked colleges, including the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Colorado-Boulder, among others.

Helping students discover their unique voices and articulate their unique experiences, aptitudes, and dreams in their application essays is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my work. Having studied and worked in several foreign countries, I know how stressful the application and interview process can be. I love helping students through the nerve-racking part of the process so that they can experience the exhilarating part: being accepted into a program and taking those first few steps off the airplane toward a new venture in a new land.

Besides application essays, I also have extensive experience editing academic journal and conference submissions, Ph.D. dissertations, Master’s theses, and presentations.

I received my B.A. in Finance from the University of Northern Iowa and my M.A. in Public/Non-profit Administration from the University of Colorado-Denver. Before teaching, I worked as a volunteer for the U.S. Peace Corps and the U.N. in Central Asia. I then worked as Assistant Director at a non-profit literacy center in Colorado. I currently own a language academy in Austin, Texas. In each of these positions, I have screened, interviewed, and hired job applicants, and this experience of being on the other side of the table, so to speak, gives me insight into what admissions officers want to know about an applicant and what catches their attention and sets one applicant apart from the masses.