Time to write your essays
ABOUT ME
Jennifer Kim is an award-winning teacher, writer, and writing coach who shows students how to write captivating personal essays for college applications. Her students have been accepted to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Penn, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, UC Riverside, USC, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, Harvey Mudd, Pomona, Tufts, University of Chicago, Chapman, and more. She has taught 1000+ students how to write this pivotal essay for their future.
A credentialed teacher for over 15 years, Jennifer uses her 11-step Personal Imagery Method to draw authentic stories from students. Jennifer truly enjoys working with teenagers to help them discover and write their personal story -- and to celebrate their successes.
MIT recognized Jennifer as an influential instructor and UC Irvine honored her on its Educator Wall of Fame. She has held writing and journalism fellowships at Stanford, UCLA, CSULA, and the University of Texas, Austin. Jennifer taught high school English for 12 years (World Literature, AP English Language and Composition, Journalism) and advised nationally award-winning, student media for seven years. She has extensive experience working with young people to improve their writing.
Jennifer's writing and work have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, NPR, KCRW, KCET, East West Magazine, KoreAm Journal, and the City of Los Angeles Asian and Pacific Islander Calendar and Cultural Guide. She has an M.F.A. from UCLA and a B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Jennifer graduated from a college prep high school with Latin Honors where she served as a poetry editor and played three sports.
How I Can Help You
I guide students through my step-by-step Personal Imagery Method which helps them brainstorm,
focus in on a captivating story, and write beautifully and confidently in their own voice.
I teach the "brushstrokes" technique that helps students easily elevate their writing style and grammar to the next level.
I believe in making the college personal essay a time of self discovery and self expression.
I am here to help students identify their passions, believe in themselves, and write the best essay of their lives.
I also aim to make the writing process structured and fun.
Packages and customized lessons available.
HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PACKAGE
Let's get started now!
Five sessions include the following:
Guided exercises to brainstorm and craft your story
Friendly interview to help draw out your story and its meaning
Techniques such as"brushstrokes" to improve imagery and sentence complexity. Painlessly improve your grammar, too!
Revising, editing, and proofreading techniques
Coaching through multiple drafts and final review of essay
Archive of successful student essays written by local students
Optional sessions at creative spaces such as the Los Angeles Arboretum (admission included)
Please contact mskimcoaching@gmail.com for individual and group rates.
HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR PACKAGE
Discover and develop your passions now to create a winning essay for the future.
Junior Package includes Senior Package features. Please contact mskimcoaching@gmail.com for individual and group rates.
TESTIMONIALS
Jennifer Kim was a godsend. My very stubborn daughter wanted no help with her essays, certainly not from her parents, not even proofreading. Jennifer spoke with her and was then able to read, make suggestions, and find a few mistakes before my daughter sent her application to Harvard for early decision. My daughter really enjoyed all her interactions with Jennifer and was very grateful when she was admitted early. Jennifer has a magical way of bringing out the confidence, trust, and best in her clients.
- D. Taylor, Parent of a Harvard University student
Ms. Kim is an excellent teacher, adviser, and writer. The newspaper class she taught is by far the best class I ever took in high school—she brilliantly showed us the importance of journalism and inspired us to be excellent writers and reporters. More than anything, Ms. Kim is an outstanding mentor. She helped any student, even those not in her classes, improve their college essays, find their true interests, and explore their career options. I can honestly say that without Ms. Kim’s generous advice and revisions, I would not have gotten into Yale. Working with her was a transformative experience not only for myself, but for most of her other students as well.
- Carlos C., Yale University
Ms. Kim has a unique approach to coaching students. Because she was a teacher for over a decade, she has an insider understanding of the teenage experience and psyche. My daughter seems to speak a different language than I do, and it was difficult for us to work together as she wanted to be independent in writing her essays. We trusted Ms. Kim to work with my daughter to apply to colleges and guide her in this process.
Hands down, I would recommend Ms. Kim to all parents who might need some support to help guide their kids apply to college. The college application process has become significantly more competitive, and Ms. Kim's approach helps to highlight the unique strengths of each student. We are grateful for her support to help our daughter gain admission to Berkeley (her dream school!). Go Bears!
-M. Li, Parent of a UC Berkeley student
If there is going to be someone who genuinely cares about helping you, it is going to be Ms. Kim. In the one year I had her as an English Teacher, Ms. Kim left a large impact on me as a person. She not only provided insightful critiques on my writing, but she inspired me to continue to write on my own time. Her curriculum had a unit focused on “brushstroke” techniques which highlights the use of sentence variety and taught me sentence structures that I use in most of my writing. After learning that unit, I felt that my writing as a whole improved and reads more like the professional texts that I admired growing up.
Ms. Kim’s teaching style is unique in that she will try to connect with you as a person as best as she can. She won’t just impose the same thoughts onto all of her students, but look at everything individually and provide goals that reflect what each student needs. Through her teachings, Ms. Kim focuses on ways to improve each student at a personal level and encourages them to reach their highest potential in writing. If there were a teacher that I genuinely appreciate knowing, it would be Ms. Kim.
- Brian N., University of California, Irvine
After working with Ms. Kim, I can confidently recommend her to anyone looking to make the most out of their college applications. What I valued the most was her earnestness throughout the process and her perspective as an accomplished writer. Initially skeptical about welcoming outside help on my essays, I left with confidence in every bit of Ms. Kim's guidance.
- Ryan F., Brown University
When I was a junior and senior in high-school, not only did Ms. Kim help me navigate through the hurdles of balancing my academics and extracurriculars, she helped me navigate through paving my path into higher education. By teaching me leadership, perseverance, and grit, she taught me how to take chances and reach for the seemingly impossible. Ms. Kim taught me something standardized testing never did: defining success by my own terms. Success meant being brave enough to challenge yourself, explore your creative side, and help others to do the same.
-Amy P., University of California, Los Angeles
Ms. Kim was my journalism teacher from sophomore year of high school to my senior year. In my time there, she has been nothing but passionate, forward-thinking, and determined. These traits were crucial in her being a great teacher. Her passion in journalism and writing helped pushed me to not only become a better writer but also a better learner.
- Thomas W., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ms. Kim was my high school journalism adviser for three years. During this time, I worked closely with her as a page editor and as editor-in-chief. She taught me how to take initiative and the importance of doing so when pursuing newspaper stories. She pushed me to step outside my comfort zone, and it was with her motivation that made me confident in taking on leadership roles. Ms. Kim constantly encouraged me and the staff to further our writing abilities, suggesting resources like specific books and newspapers to study. She always gave constructive criticism and kept an open line of communication for continual editing. Ms. Kim advised with the clear intent to help students improve and produce the best paper we could.
- Eileen O., Tufts University
I used to hate writing. Not even just writing--I used to hate the English subject in general. Being an immigrant made me feel that I would never be fluent in English. Ms. Kim helped me grow not only in English but also as a person. If I hadn’t been her student, I would still hate writing. I learned about how beautiful and meaningful words can be--how you can express your emotions and feelings through words. Even with tutoring from other people, none of them can be compared to her. She’s incredibly funny and caring, so learning from her was the best I’ve ever experienced.
- Lu June L., California State University, Los Angeles;
Los Angeles Press Club 2019 finalist for Best Feature story, Student Media
I worked with Ms. Kim on the Common Application for Chapman University and other private universities. She helped me express my thoughts effectively and transform my mediocre writing to a whole new level of creativity and professionalism. I especially enjoyed our consultations where she helped me brainstorm potential essay topics. When I started writing my essays, I had no idea what colleges were looking for. However, after a few hours with her, she helped me breakdown the essay process. I really appreciate all that she has helped me through, and I totally recommend working with her.
- Nhi L., Chapman University
I highly recommend working with Jennifer Kim for college applications. I worked with her for the Questbridge application, where I made it to the finalist stage, and the University of California application. I struggled with writer’s block and was ready to turn in mediocre writing, but her charismatic self motivated me to strive for something better. She patiently worked beside me and her introspective questions drew out more fitting content. With her help, I was able to express my points more concisely and with more impact. Her critical comments and suggestions only aided me in developing the best version of my essays. She was dedicated to helping me craft the perfect essay. I believe she played a major role in my college acceptances.
- Shawn H., University of California, Irvine
I’ve admired Ms. Kim since the first time I met her in the classroom. Three years later, it’s safe to say that of all of the teachers I’ve had, she has made the most impact on me both academically and character-wise. Her fun, quirky personality combined with her knowledge and experience makes her extremely easy to work with.
- Selina H., University of California, Irvine
Testimonials to come
-Stanford University, Princeton University
For a complimentary 20-minute consultation, please email mskimcoaching@gmail.com. Thank you!
Serving San Gabriel Valley, CA:
Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada Flintridge,
La Crescenta, South Pasadena, Arcadia, San Gabriel, Alhambra, Monterey Park, nearby cities, and ONLINE.