Does anyone know if using College Essay Guy tips actually helps with Stanford essays?
I've been using the College Essay Guy's resources to help with my Stanford application, especially the supplemental essays. His exercises about finding your core values and using montages have been interesting, but I’m starting to worry they might make my essays sound too much like everyone else who uses his site.
Is anyone else using his methods for Stanford? Are there people who got in and used his book or website heavily? Just trying to figure out if admissions officers have caught onto these patterns and if it's a bad thing to use them. Would love to hear some success (or failure) stories!
Is anyone else using his methods for Stanford? Are there people who got in and used his book or website heavily? Just trying to figure out if admissions officers have caught onto these patterns and if it's a bad thing to use them. Would love to hear some success (or failure) stories!
6 months ago
•
57 views
Camille Luong
• 6 months ago
Advisor
This is a really common concern, especially with popular resources like College Essay Guy!
Stanford admissions officers do see a ton of essays, so any recognizable method—like the "Montage" or listing core values—can become familiar to them. However, what matters most is what you do with those frameworks. The tips College Essay Guy provides are designed to help you organize thoughts, reflect deeply, and avoid surface-level answers. That’s valuable! But if you end up following a template too closely or using stock phrases and clichéd examples, your essay can blend in with the crowd.
Think of his worksheets as a launchpad, not a final draft. For Stanford, your essays need to reveal actual personality, quirks, and maturity. If you use his methods to genuinely tap into your unique experiences, your writing will stand out. For example, don’t stop at writing about a value like "curiosity"—instead, illustrate curiosity by describing a real moment, like the time you tried to repair a broken violin using YouTube videos, what you learned from failing, and what it sparked in you next. Adding those personal touches and details is what makes an essay memorable!
There are definitely accepted Stanford students who have used College Essay Guy’s materials. What's consistent across successful essays is the unique voice and vulnerability. For example, someone might use a montage structure to show pivotal moments in their life, but the moments themselves are so personal (e.g., interactions with a younger sibling that completely changed their perspective on leadership) that the format falls into the background.
In short: don’t worry about using resources like College Essay Guy—you won't be penalized just for that. Focus on going beyond the exercise prompts. Once you’ve found a structure you like, revise it so it sounds like only you could have written it. Try sharing your drafts with friends; if they say, “Wow, this is so you,” you’re probably on the right track.
Good luck with your Stanford essays!
Stanford admissions officers do see a ton of essays, so any recognizable method—like the "Montage" or listing core values—can become familiar to them. However, what matters most is what you do with those frameworks. The tips College Essay Guy provides are designed to help you organize thoughts, reflect deeply, and avoid surface-level answers. That’s valuable! But if you end up following a template too closely or using stock phrases and clichéd examples, your essay can blend in with the crowd.
Think of his worksheets as a launchpad, not a final draft. For Stanford, your essays need to reveal actual personality, quirks, and maturity. If you use his methods to genuinely tap into your unique experiences, your writing will stand out. For example, don’t stop at writing about a value like "curiosity"—instead, illustrate curiosity by describing a real moment, like the time you tried to repair a broken violin using YouTube videos, what you learned from failing, and what it sparked in you next. Adding those personal touches and details is what makes an essay memorable!
There are definitely accepted Stanford students who have used College Essay Guy’s materials. What's consistent across successful essays is the unique voice and vulnerability. For example, someone might use a montage structure to show pivotal moments in their life, but the moments themselves are so personal (e.g., interactions with a younger sibling that completely changed their perspective on leadership) that the format falls into the background.
In short: don’t worry about using resources like College Essay Guy—you won't be penalized just for that. Focus on going beyond the exercise prompts. Once you’ve found a structure you like, revise it so it sounds like only you could have written it. Try sharing your drafts with friends; if they say, “Wow, this is so you,” you’re probably on the right track.
Good luck with your Stanford essays!
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Camille Luong
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Stanford University, BAH in Urban Studies
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5 years
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