Introduction to the Common App Personal Statement with Erin Edwards of EE College Essays Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM

The personal statement is your primary college application essay, arguably the most important written component of your application. Every competitive school that embraces a holistic applicant review process will tell you this essay is crucial. My class will provide a thorough introduction to the personal statement — what it is, what you really need to know about it, when to work on it, what to avoid, what to embrace, and what a successful PS looks like. This class will particularly benefit juniors, but all students and parents are welcome. Bring your questions! I love to answer them.

About Erin: I absolutely love being an essay coach. It represents the intersection of all my favorite pursuits – writing, psychology, and helping others achieve their goals. I’ve been helping others improve their writing as far back as I can remember, a propensity I inherited from my journalist and editor father. I’ve been editing application essays for 24 years.

I am an Austin native. I graduated co-valedictorian from St. Michael’s Catholic Academy in 1997. As a high school senior, I applied to nine schools and was accepted to all of them, including Rice and Harvard. I chose Rice and earned my BA in Anthropology in 2001. I later applied to graduate school and was accepted at my first-choice school, Emory University, to study clinical psychology. I earned my MA from Emory in 2009. I completed a total of 11 years of higher ed, writing-intensive classes. I am also a LASA mom and a portrait painter. My goal in everything I do is to truly see others and help them express their unique characteristics and personal strengths.