Personal Statements

ibidPREP's founder, Stuart Servetar, personally handles all work on all admissions writing

As a published journalist (e.g., Art in America, Esquire, Time Out New York), Stuart knows how to help students find their voices. He helps shape their writing through however many drafts necessary to achieve a truly personal statement. Throughout the revision process, Stuart shows students how to strip away the platitudes and vapid mannerisms their writing may have accrued through high school. Ultimately, students learn how to express themselves in an engaging manner that is unique to them.

The writing process begins, usually by the end junior year, with an initial sit-down to plan an overall attack. Brainstorming takes place here, and students are guided to produce free-flowing, super-rough first drafts. Parts of these first meetings are used to encourage students to begin to write unselfconsciously and without worrying about word counts. The writing process continues as Stuart helps students extract resonant through lines that will carry their statements. 

Students and Stuart work back and forth either in sessions or via email to hone all statements, supplements, and every line of text in every application.