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Best Online Writing Tutoring Services

Chegg is our pick for best online writing tutoring service

Everyone needs a little writing boost from time to time, whether they're working on a term paper, preparing for the essay portion of a standardized test, or developing niche writing skills.

Online writing tutors are a great solution to any writing issues you or your child might have, with plenty of instructors specializing in every niche imaginable, right at your fingertips. And, thanks to the pandemic and the growing need for flexible learning options, online tutoring options continue to expand.

If you're looking for professional help or a way to boost your creative writing skills, we've reviewed some of the best online writing tutoring services out there.

The 7 Best Online Writing Tutoring Services of 2024

• Best Overall: Chegg
• Best for High School Students: Princeton Review
• Best for Transparent Pricing: Skooli
• Best National: Kaplan
• Best for Creative Writing: Wyzant
• Best for Professional Writing: Business Writing Center
• Our Top Picks

Princeton Review

Business Writing Center

• See More (3)

Final Verdict

Comparing online writing tutoring services, frequently asked questions, methodology, best overall : chegg.

• Price: Starting at about $15.95 per month
• Grade Level: High school-age and older
• Frequency: As needed

Chegg makes it easy to find tutors with expertise in your struggle areas. Plus, you’ll be able to submit a paper and receive feedback within 48 hours.

24/7 support

Submit papers for feedback

Plagiarism checker

Different tutor for each use

No real curriculum or lessons

Chegg covers pretty much any subject you might need writing help in, which is a comfort for students. The site has thousands of writing experts, all with their own individual expertise and specialties. Whether students need help with literary analysis, lab reports, or a history research paper, someone can assist.

Chegg’s system allows learners to submit a paper they need help with and have it checked by a suitable expert who can provide feedback within 48 hours, whether it's an answer to a specific question or a general scan of your paper and writing style.

The platform offers a subscription plan for Chegg Writing, which includes a plagiarism detector, free citation creation, and proofreading and grammar scans for an unlimited number of papers.

The writing subscription is $9.95 per month, however there is a free trial. Prices for Chegg study and tutor start at around $15.95 per month.

Best for High School Students : Princeton Review

Use promo code INVESTO15 for 15% off MSRP.

• Price: Starts at $40 an hour up to roughly $350 to $1,450 for six-month flex plans
• Grade Level: K-12 and higher education
• Frequency: One to 10 hours per month, or 10 hours to 50 hours in six months

High school students will benefit from the help of expert tutors that can cater to individuals’ one-on-one needs and specific learning goals. The tutors are available 24/7 for those late-night cramming sessions.

One-on-one tutors plus premade content for academic help

Tutors available 24/7

Heavily vetted tutors include professors, teachers, PhDs and other experts

Can be expensive

No one-off sessions

Princeton Review just might be the perfect fit for high school students looking for help with their writing skills.

Whether they're looking for help on a book report, a research paper, an admissions essay, or something else, they can call on these tutors 24/7 to polish writing skills. Even better: Princeton Review's instructors are categorized by topic, so students can specifically search for tutors with expertise in whatever subject help is needed.

Rather than negotiating rates with individual tutors, Princeton Review offers several different pricing plans, including monthly subscriptions with a set number of hours per month or a more flexible plan allowing access anytime.

Monthly packages range from about $40 for one hour to roughly $340 for 10 hours per month, while six-month flex plans run from approximately $350 for 10 hours ($35 per hour) to around $1,450 for 50 hours ($29 per hour).

These flex plans allow students to log on at any time during the six months, and a session can be as short or as long as they want.

Best for Transparent Pricing : Skooli

• Price: Starts at $0.82 a minute with pay-as-you-go; as low as $0.65 a minute if you prepay 32 hours
• Grade Level: Elementary school through college

There’s no commitment needed with Skooli. You can use the platform as needed, and you’ll only have to pay roughly $1 per minute. 

Get help instantly 

No commitment needed

Pay per minute makes rates reasonable

15 minute minimum

No student-tutor relationship, since you’ll book as needed

Since Skooli offers tutoring in plenty of different subjects, you’re likely to be able to find writing tutors who can help tailor your essays to the specific needs of your subject. Writing a history research paper is very different from writing a literary analysis, and you can browse Skooli’s wide range of tutors to find one with the background and expertise to help with your specific project.

You can use Skooli as a long-term tutoring option—either with one specific instructor or different ones each time students log on—but it’s also designed for in-the-moment queries. The pricing structure reflects that: Skooli charges around $1 per minute rather than monthly or even hourly rates, so all time is accounted for while learning.

For the most part, tutors on Skooli are well-vetted and experienced and hold degrees and teaching certifications, so students can be sure that every minute spent will further their knowledge.

Best National : Kaplan

• Price: Courses start at $549 (ACT prep) and $1,100 (LSAT prep)
• Grade Level: From high school admissions through career advancement
• Frequency: Varies by course

Kaplan is widely known and trusted for online tutoring, and offers test prep tutoring from high school admissions tests through college admissions tests and beyond. 

Robust offering

Help for specific tests

Widely known and trusted brand

Not much offered beyond test prep courses

Not for basic writing tutoring

Kaplan's name and its test prep formulas are top of the line. For students looking for private or group tutoring to prepare for a standardized test or entrance exam, Kaplan’s tutoring program is one of the most comprehensive.

Students can sign up for small-group remote classes with experienced teachers or enroll in private, one-on-one tutoring. Tutoring sessions are highly structured, including multiple full-length practice tests and in-depth explanations for scores. It’s as close as it gets to taking the test before you actually take it.

While a good portion of the tutoring focuses on the multiple-choice sections of these tests, Kaplan tutors also work with students to improve their writing skills and help them learn what the test review boards are looking for in each individual exam. The platform is for serious, long-term tutoring with highly experienced tutors and exclusive materials, not one-time sessions, and the prices reflect that.

Prices vary depending on which test you’re preparing for. If you're prepping for the ACT, you can enroll in an online class with top ACT teachers for $549. If you want one-on-one tutoring, options start at $749. If you're prepping for the LSAT, they offer a live online course for $1,100 and one-on-one tutoring plus a live online course starting at $1,999.

Best for Creative Writing : Wyzant

• Price: Starts at $25 an hour
• Grade Level: All, plus adults

Wyzant allows you to search for tutors in your subject matter of interest, including both gen-eds and more creative classes. 

Ability to search for the type of tutor you want

Search within your price range

24/7 access to tutors

Experience is specific to the tutor you choose

Site does not have tutors adhere to a specific methodology

No tutor/student relationship, as sessions are one-off and as-needed

While the majority of tutoring sites focus more on straightforward academics, Wyzant also includes creative writing tutors. Whether you’re a student working on an English class assignment, a creative writing major looking for a little extra guidance, or just someone wanting to dig into creative writing on your own time, there’s likely an instructor for you.

The site filters tutors by broad subject area and then by narrower expertise. Prospective students can view a tutor’s profile, rating, and hourly rate before reaching out. Many of the site’s creative writing tutors have advanced degrees or professional experience, so you can be sure you’re getting genuine expert help.

Wyzant gives students and tutors a lot of leeway to negotiate their own relationships, both in the classroom and in terms of rates. Tutors set their own fees (the average is between about $25 and $65 per hour, although there are plenty of tutors above and below that range), and the platform offers a one-hour guarantee: the first hour lesson with a new tutor is guaranteed to be a success, or it’s free. It’s a great way to dip your toe in and get help honing your craft.

Best for Professional Writing : Business Writing Center

• Price: $69 up to $595
• Grade Level: Adult
• Frequency: Self-paced for four months

Business Writing Center caters specifically to professionals by teaching business writing for reports, proposals, and other important work writing. 

Specifically for business professionals

Classes for non-native speakers available

Self-paced classes may not be for everyone

Greater fee for individualized courses

Business Writing Center (BWC) isn’t your typical tutoring service.

Rather than aiming its services at secondary school-aged students, the site is geared toward business professionals looking to brush up their writing skills. While some of the offerings are more suitable for business people whose first language isn’t English, there are options for one-on-one tutoring and feedback on professional reports, proposals, and other important work documents.

Rather than hourly tutoring, BWC offers its tutoring services through “coaching” courses. The company has a few different specialties, including document writing, coaching for executive writing, and a more general individual training option.

Self-paced courses start at $69, go up to $595, and can last up to four months. They allow students to work on real-world writing projects and get personalized feedback from an experienced teacher.

An online writing tutor can help students and professionals alike brush up on their writing skills so that their finished writing projects are more successful. Since you can access these tutors from anywhere, they can accommodate most schedules and learning rhythms. We chose Chegg Study as the best overall online tutoring service because it's affordable, convenient, and offers a range of writing tutoring options.

What Is an Online Writing Tutoring Service?

An online writing tutoring service is a website or platform that connects students with writing tutors, completely online and remote. These companies may be geared toward a specific grade level or type of writing, or they may be a more general platform to connect students and tutors.

A research study found that students who sought the help of tutors in writing the second draft of essays progressed more and scored higher on their second drafts than those who did not seek help. The same study found that students who used online tutoring services in addition to in-person tutoring in their school’s writing center scored even higher than those who did not take advantage of online tutoring services.

How Much Do Online Writing Tutoring Services Cost?

Online writing tutoring services cover a wide range of prices. In general, there are two basic models: pay-per-session or subscription. For the former, students pay for access each time they use the service for tutoring help. For the latter, students pre-pay for a package that spans a certain amount of time, number of sessions, or even a mini-course that also includes one-on-one tutoring time. Many tutoring services charge $1 per minute or $35 to $60 per hour. Monthly packages can range from about $69 to thousands of dollars.

What Can You Learn From a Professional Writing Tutoring Session?

Adult professionals can expect to gain practical skills they can apply directly to the writing they do in their chosen profession. Some of those skills may include document writing, executive writing, using basic grammar and sentence structure, and writing for non-native speakers of English.

Online writing tutors may also look over previously written documents and provide edits and/or suggestions to help you polish them.

What Features Do Online Writing Tutoring Services Have?

Every tutoring service structures its offerings a little differently, and each tutor may have their own particular style of teaching. That being said, these platforms are usually based around chat functions, either video/audio or text-based (or some combination of both), and many services have some type of screen-sharing and document-sharing capabilities.

Most online writing tutors will focus on helping students apply their knowledge in a practical sense. While some might have pre-planned assignments to develop particular skills (more common in specialized subjects like creative writing or test prep), other instructors prefer to have students come prepared with an assignment they need help with and give feedback to strengthen it.

Online writing tutoring doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and we’ve tried to make selecting an instructor as easy as possible. Because “writing” is such a broad skill applied to so many different settings, we’ve sorted out some of the categories that we think will be the most useful to the largest number of students. The platforms here range from specialized expertise in niches like business writing and test prep to more general essay-writing assistance.

Students seeking a writing tutor may want a long-term preparatory course or help with an individual essay. With this in mind, we’ve included a wide range of specialties and, more importantly, price points, from pay-per-minute instant feedback to formal, highly researched, long-term prep classes that cost significantly more over the course of several months.

Rachel Weill / Getty Images

Al Chibani W. The effectiveness of online and on-to-one tutoring in the writing center on the students’ achievement: a multiple case study . Int Lett Soc Humanist Sci . 2014;41:192-197. doi:10.18052/www.scipress.com/ILSHS.41.192

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15 Best Online Writing Tutoring Services for 2024 (50 Tutoring Services Reviewed)

Writing is a core skill that is essential for success in high school and college , as well as many graduate programs and future careers. 

However, many schools don’t teach students how to write effectively . Writing is a highly individual skill and the best way to learn is with one-on-one help. 

When school classes assign essays, most students are left to flounder . The students who are the most successful tend to benefit from writing lessons at home from their parents. But this is challenging and time-consuming—not to mention, many parents might not have honed those writing skills themselves!

Families have been increasingly recognizing the immense benefit of private writing tutoring . Learning how to write early on will have a positive ripple effect throughout the student’s academic and professional career, and a little bit of improvement can go a long way!

Sign up for writing tutoring today

What is the Best Online Writing Tutoring?

• PrepMaven – best online writing tutoring overall
• StudyPoint – best big tutoring company for writing tutoring
• Skooli – best super-quick tutoring
• Wyzant – alternative for families on a budget
• Learn to Be – best free writing tutoring (for qualifying families)

The best of the rest:

• Tutor.com / The Princeton Review – disappointing quality from test-prep giant
• ArborBridge – pricey service with mystery tutors
• Learner – writing tutoring that includes ESL learners
• Club Z! Tutoring – tutoring franchise with (purported) writing curriculum
• Sylvan Learning – tutoring franchise that includes Spanish-speaking staff
• Varsity – uneven quality at higher prices
• Chegg – lightweight essay review on a membership basis
• Revolution Prep – Decent rates but mystery tutors
• Tutoring Service of New York – new service with higher minimum package
• Preply – lower-cost tutoring marketplace platform

Schedule a free educational consultation

Best Online Writing Tutoring in 2024

#1 – prepmaven.

Our Verdict — Best Online Writing Tutoring Overall Price: $75–349/hour PrepMaven offers high-quality one-on-one writing tutoring at an incredibly reasonable price, given the qualifications of its instructors. All of PrepMaven’s tutors are Ivy-League grads, mostly from Princeton. (A few tutors are from elite universities that aren’t Ivies, like Stanford or Duke.) Many of PrepMaven’s writing tutors have won Ivy-League academic prizes for their written work. Not only do these tutors come from the most prestigious colleges in the US, but many also have professional writing experience. Among PrepMaven’s fantastic writing tutors are professional Hollywood screenwriters, journalists, published authors, and editors for academic presses. What makes PrepMaven special is that they don’t just offer essay editing and support with school writing assignments — they also provide expert instruction in how to write, which is a foundational skill that will help students succeed throughout their lives. PrepMaven has developed an original writing curriculum through their sought-after Academic Writing Workshop and expanded this for students seeking individualized tutoring. In addition to support with school writing assignments, PrepMaven can also provide students with educational enrichment outside of their school curriculum — this is especially beneficial for writing, which often isn’t taught effectively in schools. Students can work with PrepMaven tutors to craft research papers, literary analysis essays, or creative writing projects that will teach them essential writing skills. PrepMaven also offers specific coaching through the college essay writing process and has 15 years of experience helping students to gain acceptance to their dream schools. Read here for more specific information about college application essay help. Founded by brothers and Princeton grads Greg and Kevin, PrepMaven focuses on delivering consistently high-quality tutoring to students. Because PrepMaven’s tutors hail from the most elite universities, they’re uniquely positioned to coach students towards writing great school essays and papers. All tutors undergo a thorough training program and can use proprietary teaching materials to help students reach their goals. To make high-quality tutoring accessible to more families, PrepMaven offers tutoring at several different price points. At the most affordable rate, students can work with current Ivy-League undergraduates who specialize in writing. At higher rates, students can work with coaches who are both Ivy-League grads and professional writers (screenwriters, journalists, editors), many who also hold advanced graduate degrees.

Sign up for PrepMaven’s Ivy-League tutoring now

PrepMaven’s one-on-one writing tutoring is the best option for any student wanting high-quality writing help or enrichment.

At a glance:

• Cost: $75–349/hour, depending on tutor qualifications; minimum $450 package
• Writing tutor qualifications: Princeton graduates and professional writers (or current Princeton students); all experienced and highly trained, some with master’s or doctoral degrees

What we like:

• Experienced Ivy-League tutors  — most of their writing tutors are Princeton grads or current students, with some from Harvard and other Ivies, and many tutors have won prestigious academic prizes for their writing
• Professional writers — option to work with professional writers in nonfiction (journalism, published academic authors, academic book editing) or creative writing (screenwriters, playwrights, novelists, poets)
• Different pricing options to meet different families’ circumstances
• Smaller, boutique company offers more individualized approach customized for each student

What we don’t like:

• Because they take the time to pair each student with the tutor that will be the best fit, sessions are not instantaneous and usually it takes 1–3 days to schedule with an Ivy-League tutor

Sign up for PrepMaven’s one-on-one tutoring now

#2 – StudyPoint

Our Verdict — Best Big Tutoring Company for Writing Price: $60-120/hour StudyPoint is a large test-prep company that keeps its rates lower than Princeton Review or Kaplan. While they do require basic qualifications for their tutors (2 years of experience and a college degree), it’s hard to know much about the tutor you’ll be matched with. You’ll also need to pay more for a more experienced tutor, so StudyPoint’s top rate of $120/hr runs on the more expensive side. While we like StudyPoint’s platform and their tutor qualifications, there’s likely to be a wide variance in tutro quality, since not all their tutors are from top schools. We’d suggest that families consider working with a Standard Tutor at PrepMaven , where fees start at $79/hour for Ivy-League tutors.

• StudyPoint is a good option for families who want to work with a large, established company at decent rates.
• Cost: $60-120/hr
• Tutor qualifications: 2 years of tutoring experience and a Bachelor’s degree
• Higher educational experience — their tutors have some experience and a college degree
• Responsive – from our experience, it’s easy to get in touch with someone at StudyPoint
• Tutors aren’t necessarily from top schools , and it’s not possible to see any information about their tutors
• Rates may be high for standard academic tutoring

Why is learning how to write important for future success? Jump below .

#3 – Skooli

Our Verdict — Best Super-Quick Tutoring Price: $39–49/hour Skooli is a newer online tutoring platform and the only one we’ve found that offers tutoring charged by the minute. Families can purchase packs for 8, 16, or 32 hours, or purchase individual hours. Students can then use these hours in as little as 15-minute increments. This might be handy for students who want to ask a tutor quick questions, and who don’t care about developing a relationship with a consistent tutor. Tutors for Skooli have college degrees, but haven’t necessarily graduated from a top-tier school. It’s not possible to see more details about individual tutors until after giving credit card details. Their online interface is slick and modern, although according to our inside sources it crashes frequently.

• Students who want to work with a tutor to answer quick questions (sessions as short as 15 minutes).
• Cost: $1248 for 32 hours ($39/hr), $672 for 16 hours ($42/hr), $352 per 8 hours ($44/hr), or $49/hour for individual hours, billed by the minute ($0.82/minute, minimum 15 minutes)
• Writing tutor qualifications: college graduates
• Tutoring available in very short increments , with a minimum session length of just 15 minutes
• Instant tutoring — on-demand tutoring is available 24/7, and just enter your credit card information to start immediately
• Reasonable pricing
• Students can’t work with the same tutor consistently , which is less effective for learning
• Online tutoring platform has some technological problems and crashes frequently

#4 – Wyzant

Our Verdict — Alternative for Families on a Budget Price: $20–600/hour There are plenty of large platforms with large stables of part-time tutors and coaches available to work with students. Wyzant is one of the largest such platforms, with more than 65,000 tutors providing services through their website — including 4,260 online writing tutors. Students and families can pick individual tutors to work with from their roster and arrange tutoring services directly. One benefit of this model is that tutors can set their own rates, which vary hugely. Families on a budget can find online writing tutors as low as $20 per hour. However, these tutors might not have any teaching experience or training, and they may not have graduated from a top school or have professional writing experience. Some tutors on Wyzant with more qualifications may have much higher rates — as high as $600 per hour!

• Families on a budget who are willing to work with a freelance tutor directly.
• Cost: $20–600/hour
• Writing tutor qualifications: varies
• Marketplace platform means that some tutors list low rates for tutoring, which can make tutoring more affordable

Families can choose their own tutor directly out of over 4,000 writing tutors listed

• No training for tutors — which leads to uneven quality of instruction
• Families are hiring individual tutors, which means tutor qualifications vary enormously , and there are no guarantees
• Choosing the right tutor out of 4,000+ is one more task for busy families

#5 – Learn to Be

Our Verdict — Best Free Writing Tutoring (for qualifying families) Price: free (or voluntary contribution of $9–30 per month) Learn to Be is a fantastic non-profit organization improving education for underserved youth in the US. Students work with the same tutor consistently, which allows them to build a strong relationship and allows for mentoring as well as learning. Students working with Learn to Be have seen an average increase in test scores of 15.8% and an average GPA increase of 1.6 — nearly two full letter grades (for example from a C to an A-)! Tutors are volunteers who are passionate about educational equity, and range from current high school and college students to professionals or retirees. The program works primarily with foster youth, homeless youth, and other lower-income families. Possible qualifications for free tutoring with Learn to Be include: student attends a Title 1 school, receives free or reduced lunch at school, comes from a single-parent home, is a foster child, is homeless, or qualifies for food stamps. It’s possible to work with a Spanish-speaking tutor through Learn to Be.

• Students who qualify for free tutoring (foster youth or low-income families).
• Non-profit helping underserved youth
• Completely free tutoring for qualifying families
• Students work with the same tutor consistently, which builds trust and leads to a better individualized educational experience
• Volunteer tutor qualifications vary — some tutors are high school students as young as 14 years old
• Only for qualifying youth in the US (low income or foster youth)

Read below : how learning how to write well can unlock success for decades to come

Best of the Rest for Online Writing Tutoring

#6 – princeton review / tutor.com.

Our Verdict — Disappointing Quality from Test-Prep Giant Price : lower-quality instant tutoring at $29–35/hour, minimum package $350; monthly subscription instant tutoring at $36–40/hour Back in 2014, Tutor.com acquired the well-known test-prep company The Princeton Review. In 2022, a Chinese private-equity firm Primavera Capital Group, purchased Tutor.com and The Princeton Review. (Note that the Princeton Review has no connection to Princeton University.) They now offer subject-area tutoring in over 80 different academic areas, including math. The range of tutoring options is a little confusing, but it basically breaks down to two different models: families can choose one-off tutoring packages of 10–50 “instant tutoring” hours that can be used over a six-month period, or a monthly subscription for 1–5 instant tutoring hours each month. Tutors are available 24/7 for instant sessions. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with the quality of this offering from The Princeton Review. In contrast to their operations for standardized test prep (like SAT and ACT prep ), their platform for subject-area tutoring does not provide instructors with training, so there’s very little consistency. Tutors are also capped at 2 or 3 sessions per day, so they’re by design part-time instructors who are teaching a little on the side. While The Princeton Review / Tutor.com claims to count Ivy grads and experts with advanced degrees among their tutors, we found this to be misleading. Most of their tutors have only a BA, and most have graduated from local schools that are not even in the top 200 universities. Pay for tutors is minimum wage, so it’s difficult for them to attract good teaching talent. Surprisingly for The Princeton Review, their subject-area tutoring is a tutoring marketplace platform (similar to Wyzant ). Families select individual tutors to work with based on their bios and arrange the tutoring sessions individually. For us, this obviates the point of working with a large company like Princeton Review, where in theory the advantage is quality control and a standard curriculum, even if it comes with a more corporate feel. With this marketplace model, tutor quality and qualifications vary considerably, especially given that tutors do not receive any training or teaching materials.

• Cost: Homework Help packages that can be used over a period of 6 months: $350 for 10 hours ($35/hr), $950 for 30 hours ($32/hr), or $1499.99 for 50 hours ($29/hr); Homework Help tutoring subscriptions: $40 for 1 hour each month, $115 for 3 hours each month ($38/hr), or $180 for 5 hours each month ($36/hr)
• Tutor qualifications: college graduates
• Reasonable pricing for tutoring and a range of payment models
• Tutors are available 24/7 for instant Homework Help packages
• Tutor qualifications vary — most are from local or state schools, not competitive colleges
• Online platform is buggy and crashes frequently
• Challenging for them to attract good teaching talent as pay is minimum wage
• Low quality of teaching , surprising for a big-name player in test prep

#7 – ArborBridge

Our Verdict: Pricey Service with Mystery Tutors Price: $165+/hour, minimum package $2400 for 15 hours Featuring crisp, minimalist visuals and a younger team, ArborBridge calls itself “the next generation of test prep.” They’ve always been remote and online, so they haven’t suffered the growing pains with the shift to online learning that many competitors with outdated platforms (like Pearson and Princeton Review ) have experienced. That said, their tutoring is quite expensive! Their rate is always at least $160 per hour, and the minimum package is a hefty $2400 for 15 hours of tutoring. They also advertise a “concierge” tutoring service with a more customized experience — price upon request. Is it worth the price? We’re not so sure. ArborBridge claims to have hired the “best” tutors but they do not list any specific qualifications for their tutors or provide any bios for their tutor roster. On their (slightly-defunct) Instagram page they have provided some fun facts about a few of their tutors, but they don’t list any educational background, years of experience, or relevant professional credentials, just favorite foods and television shows. There’s no indication that their tutors have graduated from top colleges, have teaching experience, or any other relevant qualifications — unlike services like PrepMaven or Tutoring Service of New York that only hire Ivy-League tutors. In fact, our sources have mentioned that their tutors don’t receive much training prior to teaching. They also, unlike the Princeton Review, don’t offer any guarantees for raising grades or scores. In the end, we’re not sure why ArborBridge has such high prices without offering particularly high-quality tutoring in return. Their website looks nice, though!

• Cost: $160/hour, minimum package is $2400 for 15 hours (+ 1 bonus hour); $4800 for 30 hours (+ 3 bonus hours); $7200 for 45 hours (+ 6 bonus hours) — or “concierge tutoring” with “highest level of hands-on care,” price upon request
• Writing tutor qualifications: unknown
• Known for good customer service
• Younger, more modern tutoring service that’s built with technology from the get-go
• Expensive , with a minimum cost of $2400 for 15 hours of tutoring
• No information about tutor qualifications provided
• No guarantees for grade or score raises
• Seems more design than substance

#8 – Learner

Our Verdict — Writing Tutoring that Includes ESL Learners Price: $55–80/hour, minimum $400 package Learner is another newer online tutoring platform. Unlike many of the other services on this list, Learner also provides tutoring services to adults, especially for non-native English speakers. While they advertise that their tutors have degrees from “top universities,” it seems that the only necessary qualification for tutors at Learner is a college degree (not just from top schools). We found their sign-up sequence to be frustrating. New clients start by answering a series of questions about their students. While it repeatedly seems like they’ll show a selection of tutors that may be a match, this is a bait-and-switch tactic, and they never display any actual tutor profiles. Instead, new clients must first make a payment before they can view any tutor details. Learner has a “satisfaction guarantee,” which simply means that they’ll allow families to request a switch to another tutor if it’s not a good fit. Their rates are on the pricier side for “average” tutors who do not have teaching experience or degrees from elite universities.

• Cost: $400 for 5 hours ($80/hour), $700 for 10 hours ($70/hour), $1200 for 20 hours ($60/hour), or $1650 for 30 hours ($55/hour)
• Explicitly offers tutoring for ESL learners
• No specific tutor qualifications beyond a college degree
• Prices are high given quality of service

#9 – Club Z! Tutoring

Our Verdict — Tutoring Franchise with (Purported) Writing Curriculum Price: varies by location (franchise) Club Z! is a tutoring franchise, so pricing and other details vary by location. Tutors with Club Z! do not have any specific qualifications. We’ve included them on this list because they claim to have developed a writing tutoring program, The Power of Words ©, which helps students write more effectively and efficiently for writing assignments and timed essays. However, our sources have mentioned that they do not actually provide tutor training or teaching resources, so it’s unclear to what extent this writing tutoring program has actually been implemented. They offer both online and in-home tutoring.

• Cost:  varies depending on franchise location
• Writing tutor qualifications: not specified
• (Supposed) writing curriculum , The Power of Words ©
• No specific qualifications for tutors — so unclear if tutors are college graduates, come from strong educational backgrounds, or have teaching experience
• No training or teaching resources for tutors , leading to uneven quality

#10 – Sylvan Learning

Our Verdict — Tutoring Franchise that Includes Spanish-Speaking Staff Price: varies by location (franchise) Like Club Z! Tutoring , Sylvan Learning is a franchise, so pricing and other details vary by location. While previously Sylvan Learning was entirely in-person, they have more recently pivoted to offer online tutoring as well via their “MySylvanMarketplace” platform. Families can find online writing tutoring via this platform. Tutors with Sylvan Learning do not have any specific credentials like college degrees, elite educational backgrounds, or teaching experience. However, we like that many Sylvan Learning centers do have Spanish-speaking staff, which may be helpful for some families and students. On the whole, we found their website and platform a bit challenging to navigate, and it was difficult to get answers to our questions. Since each of the Sylvan centers is locally owned and operated, the customer service experience can vary significantly.

• Cost: varies depending on franchise location
• Some staff at Sylvan Learning centers may speak Spanish
• No specific qualifications for tutors — so unclear if tutors are college graduates (let alone come from strong educational backgrounds) or have teaching experience
• Confusing website and online tutoring platform

#11 – Varsity Tutors

Our Verdict — Uneven Quality Without Budget Pricing Price: $75+/hour Varsity Tutors is an enormous tutoring platform offering online instruction in all academic subjects and test prep, including writing. These days their marketing has been ubiquitous! However, Varsity Tutors’ size has many downsides — most notably, very uneven quality of teaching. Read our full Varsity Tutors Review here . Tutors at Varsity need only a high school degree, and there is no requirement for tutors to have a college degree or teaching experience, let alone a top-tier educational background or professional writing credentials. Tutors can join the Varsity team very quickly and are paid lower rates than nearly any other tutoring company (just $12–15 for sessions that cost families up to $95), so it’s difficult for Varsity to attract and retain good talent. Lucky families might get assigned a good tutor, but that’s not at all assured. Varsity Tutors also does not provide any tutor materials, curriculum, or training, so it’s up to individual tutors to create everything from scratch, contributing further to the unevenness of quality. With rates higher than the competition with similar types of tutors (no specific qualifications beyond a college degree), Varsity is significantly overpriced. We’d recommend that families either consider a more budget-friendly option that would offer the same quality as Varsity in the $30–40/hour price range, or else consider a service like PrepMaven (starting at $75/hour) or Tutoring Service of New York (starting at $112/hour) that pairs students with highly-qualified tutors with advanced degrees, professional writing experience, and Ivy-League backgrounds.

• Cost: $ 75+/hour
• Writing tutor qualifications: high school graduates
• Large number of tutors , so certain to find a tutor to fit your schedule
• No education or training requirements for tutors , along with low pay rates for instructors, means tutors are less-qualified than alternative writing tutoring services
• Uneven teaching quality due to lack of resources for instruction
• Overpriced given the lack of required qualifications for tutors

#12 – Chegg

Our Verdict — Lightweight Essay Review on a Membership Basis Price: $20 per month Chegg is one of the biggest tutoring platforms, so families may be familiar with their name already. We should note that they’ve pivoted several times in the past few years, so their service may have changed from what families have read. Whereas previously (first as InstaEDU, then as Chegg Tutors) Chegg offered live tutoring instruction online, Chegg no longer offers one-on-one tutoring. Instead, they now offer two subscription levels that allow students to view instructional videos, access answer keys for common textbooks, and receive asynchronous written feedback to homework questions. These questions are primarily answered by “subject matter experts” located in India. We’ve kept Chegg on our list for online writing tutoring because the higher subscription tier, their “Chegg Study Pack,” does include the option to submit papers for limited written feedback with a 48-hour turnaround time. Students can submit up to 15 short papers per month, up to 3000 words each (about 6 pages double-spaced). That said, this is not the same as active writing tutoring with live discussion and exercises directly with a tutor. The written feedback provided by Chegg’s essay review service is limited. Moreover, the essay reviews are done by different tutors every time, so there’s no opportunity to grow through working with one tutor consistently. This service might work for students who want merely a quick check of their grammar or other small details on school assignments and don’t care about long-term improvements as a writer. They also throw in an online tool to scan for plagiarism. Even if you didn’t intend to plagiarize, this tool can check for well-meaning “paraphrasing errors or missing citations.” However, we don’t think it’s a good way to learn how to write. For the best educational experience, families should look for online writing tutoring services that provide one-on-one video sessions with a consistent tutor each time.

• Cost: $15 per month for Chegg Study subscription, which provides homework resources only and no essay reviews; $20 per month for Chegg Study Pack subscription which provides essay reviews (up to 15 short papers per month, up to 3000 words each) and math question help in addition to the homework resources
• Writing tutor qualifications: none specified
• Large number of written essay reviews per month , up to 15 short essays
• Asynchronous, written feedback is not an effective way to learn
• No education or training requirements for tutors , and no information about who the writing reviewers are
• No option to work with the same writing tutor for each review, so no chance to grow with an individual tutor

#13 – Revolution Prep

Our Verdict — Decent Ra tes but mystery tutors Price: $79/hour, minimum $948 for 12 hours Revolution Prep is a larger platform providing online tutoring with a focus on interactive learning. While they used to offer more affordable small-group classes, they no longer do so for math tutoring.. Their individual tutoring rate of $132/hour is quite high, especially given the backgrounds of their instructors. While we like that all of their tutors are full-time staff, versus tutoring part-time alongside another career, their tutors do not have any other specific qualifications. These rates are comparable or higher than other services that provide more customized learning with Ivy-League tutors, like PrepMaven or select tutors on Wyzant..

• Cost: individual tutoring $79/hour, minimum $948 for 12 hours
• Tutor qualifications: none specified
• All tutors are full-time staff
• Small-group tutoring provides lower prices
• No specific qualifications for tutors
• Tutoring rates are high for the type of service

#14 – Tutoring Service of New York

Our Verdict — New Service with Higher Minimum Package Price: $ 130–155/hour Founded by a former tutor with the now-defunct Ivy Global tutoring service, the new Tutoring Service of New York offers subject-area tutoring online, including literature and writing. We like that they state that they teach both academic writing and creative writing — only #1 service PrepMaven and TutaPoint explicitly include creative writing. Most of their tutors are current graduate students, many at Columbia University and NYU. The higher prices of the Tutoring Service of New York reflect the more elite educational background of the tutors. However, their minimum of $1200 for at least 5 sessions is high, especially since many other services have smaller minimum packages (compare $510 minimum at PrepMaven or $450 minimum at The Princeton Review ), or else allow families to purchase one-off tutoring sessions ( Pearson , Skooli , and others).

• Cost: $1200 for five 90-minute sessions; $2000 for 10 sessions; $2700 for 16 sessions
• Writing tutor qualifications:  college graduates, mostly current graduate students at Columbia or NYU
• Qualified tutors with mostly Ivy-League backgrounds
• Creative writing included along with academic writing
• New service , so client reviews are still limited
• Higher minimum tutoring packages

#15 – Preply

Our Verdict — Lower-Cost Tutoring Marketplace Platform Price: $10–40/hour Preply is a lower-cost marketplace platform. It’s significantly smaller than Wyzant , and currently there are only 45 writing tutors listed on the platform (compared with over 4,000 writing tutors listed on Wyzant). Among those writing tutors listed, most don’t have high educational backgrounds. We spotted a number of grammar and punctuation mistakes on some of the tutor bios, which doesn’t bode well for their abilities as writing instructors. Preply is a more international platform, and some of the tutors are from other countries or located outside the US. One benefit of Preply’s platform is that rates are very low, ranging from $10/hour to $40/hour. These rates are actually comparable or higher than the pay rates for most of the larger platforms on our list (like Pearson , The Princeton Review , Varsity Tutors , and TutaPoint ), so don’t necessarily take these numbers on their own as indications of lower quality — just that tutors are earning a larger share. That said, the writing tutoring available through Preply does appear to be lower-quality than other options.

• Cost: $10–40/hour, depending on rates set by individual tutors
• Writing tutor qualifications:  varies
• F amilies can choose individual tutors on their marketplace platform
• No specific qualifications for tutors and no quality control
• Task of choosing the right tutor can be stressful

Top 50 Online Writing Tutoring Services Considered

• Pearson’s Smarthinking
• Learn To Be – free tutoring for underserved youth in the US
• Tutor.com/The Princeton Review
• Club Z! Tutoring
• Sylvan Learning
• Varsity Tutors
• Lehman Tutoring Center
• Business Writing Center
• UPchieve – free tutoring for underserved youth in the US
• SpecialEdTutoring.com 
• GilliamWritersGroup
• Jamie Haverkampf, MFA
• Suprex Learning
• UniversityTutor.com
• Huntington Learning Center
• Cluey Learning
• Galaxy Grades
• Clever Fox Education
• Nurturing Wisdom
• Themba Tutors
• Tutoring Service of New York
• Carla Castillo, carlaswritingspace.com 
• Literacy Access, Ivy Sandz 
• Kaplan Tutoring Services (separate from Kaplan)
• ArborBridge
• INC Education – focus on BIPOC students
• Central Park Tutors
• Special Education Resource
• Revolution Prep

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Why is writing tutoring important?

According to research done by the US Department of Education , effective academic tutoring is linked to increased content mastery and even higher graduation rates. Out of all the academic disciplines, writing is one of the most important tom aster before college.

Writing is a core skill that is essential for success in high school and college , as well as many graduate programs and future careers . 

Consider the following:

• AP tests that require short answers and essays: AP English Literature, AP English Language, AP US History, AP European History
• College admissions essays
• Scholarship essays
• Writing samples for college applications
• Exams and papers for college classes
• Internship applications
• Grant applications
• Fellowship applications (Fulbright, Rhodes, Gates, NIH, etc)
• Graduate school applications (medical school, law school, business school, etc)
• Research paper samples for graduate school applications
• Master’s and doctoral theses
• Coverletters and resumes for job applications
• Networking with potential mentors
• Written updates for your supervisor
• Quarterly and annual reports for your job
• Advertising for your freelance business
• Letter for your mortgage application
• Instructions to your direct supervisee
• Speeches for your best friends’ weddings
• Emails to your boss asking for a raise

Effective writing is at the heart of nearly every life hurdle! 

The skills that you build when you’re writing school assignments will be incredibly useful throughout your life. They’re applicable in nearly any job that you can imagine! Even for STEM jobs like doctors or computer engineers, clear writing is a highly-valued skill — one that becomes increasingly important as one aims at higher roles.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers , 72.7 % of employers want a candidate with strong written communication skills . According to the College Board’s National Commission on Writing , two-thirds of salaried workers in large US companies have jobs that require writing . 

“Writing skills are fundamental in business ,” a survey respondent in the College Board report said, “It’s increasingly important to be able to convey content in a tight logical direct manner particularly in a fast-paced technological environment.”

A recent publication from the Harvard Business School agreed, noting that “companies will waste lots of time and effort if their executives and employees can’t communicate clearly.”

However, many people lack the writing skills to succeed in their careers . The College Board’s study found that a majority of US employers said that a third of workers fail to meet the writing requirements of their positions.

When I was teaching college students at the University of Notre Dame, many of my students (especially freshmen and sophomores) had brilliant ideas, but were not able to communicate those ideas clearly in writing.

If writing is such a key skill for success in education, career, and life, why do so many people lack this skill?

Unfortunately, many schools don’t teach students how to write effectively . Classes assign essays and leave students to flounder, especially in larger classes where well-meaning teachers might not have enough time to help each student individually. 

The students who are the most successful tend to benefit from informal writing guidance at home from their parents or other mentors. But this is challenging and time-consuming — not to mention, many parents might not have honed those writing skills themselves!

Families have been increasingly recognizing the immense benefit of private writing tutoring . Learning how to write early on will have a positive ripple effect throughout the student’s academic and professional career, and a little bit of coaching can go a long way!

Learning to Write for College Admissions Essays

Because they’re one of the most consequential writing assignments students face, let’s focus on college application essays for a moment.

Can a great college essay alone get you into Harvard?

No. You’ll need your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities (as well as letters of recommendation and interview) to be outstanding.

But can a mediocre essay be the reason you didn’t get into Harvard?

Yes . There are thousands of amazingly-qualified students who graduate from high school each year. Great grades and test scores might be a prerequisite for admission to a competitive college, but they alone aren’t enough.

College essays are a key component of a student’s application. When done well, they transform a collection of numbers — GPA, class rank, SAT scores or ACT scores , number of AP classes taken, AP scores — into a picture of a real, individual person.

Essays do many things. Good college essays can highlight extracurricular achievements which otherwise would be overlooked in a sterile list. Strong essays often indicate the student’s future plans — how they plan to leave a mark on their college campus and on the world. They can shine a light on unique challenges that a student may have had to face on their journey.

College admissions officers only have a few minutes to spend on each application. College essays need to be original , interesting , and memorable . They need to grab the attention of the admissions officer and persuade them that this is the student out of hundreds or thousands of other similarly-qualified applicants who should be admitted .

College admissions essays are usually unlike any other kind of writing that students have done before. They’re a combination of memoir and marketing pitch, and they need to be creative but also highly strategic . That’s a tough assignment!

A great writing tutor can help students learn the essential skills that underpin this unique kind of writing.

Schedule a free short college essay consultation

Why work with a writing tutor?

You may want to consider working with a writing tutor if:

• You want to improve your grades in your school essays and papers
• You want to improve your performance on the writing portion of exams (like many APs)
• You don’t know how to make an outline before writing an essay
• You don’t know how to write a thesis statement
• You’re not sure how to improve your writing based on feedback from your teachers
• You’re not sure how to edit and refine what you’ve written
• You have a hard time keeping yourself on track for your writing assignments and want an external structure to hold you accountable
• You have no idea where to start in order to write your college application essays
• You don’t know how to craft a compelling story for your college application essays
• You feel overwhelmed by all of the different ideas you have and don’t know what would be the most strategic for college admissions—and what topics to definitely avoid for college essays
• You’re tired of conflict between students and parents about college essays
• You’re aiming at a competitive college (not just the Ivy League!) and know that you need your essays to be outstanding
• Your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars aren’t exceptional, so you need your college essays to make your essay stand out from the pack
• You’re unfamiliar with the US college admissions process (a common situation for international students and first-generation families in the US)
• You want to learn to write so you can succeed in your later career
• You know that if you learn to write well now, you’ll do better on every class, exam, assignment, and application for the rest of your life!

Any of these are good reasons to consider working with a writing tutor.

A good writing tutor should not only provide students feedback on writing assignments (comments like “your thesis statement should be clearer” or “your introductory paragraph needs a better hook”) — they’ll teach students how to effect those changes . 

A good writing tutor can provide lots of examples of good student writing and model how to improve the specific areas that need improvement for each individual student.

Remember, writing is an essential skill for most degrees and most careers — even in STEM! Learning to write well early on will make each subsequent education and career step easier and more successful.

What makes a good writing tutor?

Of course, a good writing tutor should be someone who understands how to write well!

But in addition to that sine qua non , a good writing tutor should be an amazing teacher with experience, a strong educational background, and the ability to plan appropriate enrichment assignments.

Good writing has two components: 

• a micro level : good grammar, a rich vocabulary, correct punctuation, and the other nuts and bolts of writing “correctly”
• a macro level : being able to organize your ideas clearly and communicate them effectively — figuring out what you want to say, in what order to present your ideas, and how to connect them

Both are crucial to written communication, and a good writing tutor will teach both the micro level and the macro level.

It can be surprisingly challenging to find a good instructor who can teach both sides of writing.

Look for experienced tutors with strong educational backgrounds (i.e. who attended top universities) who have taught writing previously.

Writing is a highly individualized activity — learning to write is, after all, learning how to communicate. This means that individual tutoring is particularly effective for learning how to write more effectively. 

The personal nature of writing also means that students will learn better when they can establish a relationship with their writing tutor . Look for a tutoring service where students can continue with the same tutor and build a sense of rapport.

A good writing tutor can help students to succeed on any writing assignments they may have for school . They can teach students how to work through the entire process of brainstorming, researching, planning, outlining, writing, and revising an essay.

An experienced writing tutor can also create additional assignments for students that will teach them key writing skills for the future and enrich their education. 

These enrichment assignments might include research papers, literary analysis papers, or creative writing projects appropriate to their grade level. This can be a great opportunity to challenge high-achieving students and develop their skills beyond what is offered by their school.

Sign up for PrepMaven’s one-on-One writing tutoring

Best overall: The one-on-one writing tutoring from PrepMaven is the best out there both in terms of tutor quality and price. While PrepMaven’s tutors can certainly help with school assignments, they can also offer educational enrichment and coach students through creative writing projects. Starting at $75/hour, students can work with current undergraduates at Princeton, Harvard, and other Ivy-League universities to improve their writing skills. Families can also work with experienced, professional educators and Ivy-League graduates at $149/hour. As a boutique tutoring service, PrepMaven offers careful attention to each student and boasts amazing customer reviews. Unique among the tutoring services we surveyed, PrepMaven doesn’t just offer assignment support — they can also teach students how to write.

Best of the big companies: The Smarthinking platform developed by publishing giant Pearson provides reasonably-priced tutoring both on-demand and scheduled in advance, and it’s better than the tutoring provided by other large companies. Their tutors have a higher level of education than many other options — the majority hold advanced degrees. That said, mosts of their tutors aren’t from top-tier universities, and they struggle to keep good teachers. In addition, their online platform is older and prone to crashing.

Best super-quick tutoring: If students want short-term tutoring available instantly, they might consider Skooli . Skooli is the only tutoring service we reviewed that offers tutoring by the minute. Tutors aren’t necessarily from top schools, and students can’t work with the same tutor consistently, so the quality of tutoring is lower, but on-demand tutoring can start as soon as you enter your credit card details.

Alternative for families on a budget: For families on a tighter budget, we’d suggest looking for an independent tutor on Wyzant . It’s a tutoring marketplace platform, so the quality varies hugely and there’s no oversight or qualification requirements, but you might find a decent tutor under $40/hour.

However, in our experience a good tutor can accomplish more with a student in one hour than an average tutor can do in five hours . With that in mind, it might be more effective to choose fewer hours of reliably high-quality tutoring.

Best free writing tutoring (for qualifying families): For qualifying lower-income families and students, Learn to Be is a fantastic option for free tutoring. Students can work with the same tutor consistently, which provides a good environment for learning. Tutors are volunteers with a wide range of backgrounds and experience levels, from current high school students to retired professionals.

Ready to learn to write with one of our experienced tutors? Schedule a free tutoring consultation with Jessica (Director of Tutoring) or one of our founders to see what would be the best fit for your family.

Regardless of your current writing abilities and planned career path, learning how to write well is a skill that will pay dividends throughout your life . 

Remember that essays can be used to earn scholarships as well as college admission , so a few months of writing coaching now can pay off with up to $300,000 in tuition saved later.

Writing is also a highly-valued skill in the workplace , and employers are looking for graduates who are strong writers.

To start working with an Ivy-League writing coach today, set up a quick free consultation with our team.

Sign up for PrepMaven’s Ivy-League writing tutoring

Related Tutoring Articles

• How Colleges Read Your Application: A 4-Step Process
• 14 Best College Essay Services (75 Services Reviewed)
• National Merit PSAT Scores: How to Earn $300K in 3 Hours
• 15 College Application Essay Examples
• Scoring on the SSAT: Your Complete Guide
• 13 Best SSAT Tutoring Services
• What’s A Good SSAT Score?
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Emily graduated  summa cum laude  from Princeton University and holds an MA from the University of Notre Dame. She was a National Merit Scholar and has won numerous academic prizes and fellowships. A veteran of the publishing industry, she has helped professors at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton revise their books and articles. Over the last decade, Emily has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay. 

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The Best college essay Tutoring Online

Find the best college essay tutor.

Patient Virtual tutor that specializes in Statistics & College Essays

I am a higher education professional and educational consultant who has a passion for not only helping students get into college, but make it through college. I have taught research methodology at the university level and have a PhD in Educational... See Christal-Joy's full profile

Not only did she really have a strong mastery of the material, but she presented and organized the lesson in a way that was very helpful. Lots of people know this stuff, but not everyone can share that knowledge in a way that mak... read the full review - Kristen , 12 lessons with Christal-Joy

Writing Mentor specializing in College Application Essays

A professional writing mentor, I have worked chiefly with university applicants since 2013; full time the last 5 years. Essay Mentor for Fulbright Commission, 2015-2020, working with extremely promising applicants to help them in applying to... See Jonathan's full profile

Jonathan helped our daughter prepare essays for almost 20 schools. He worked with her weekly over several months to generate strategies for how to approach each application (e.g., which supplemental essays to choose if there is a... read the full review - Nahid , 92 lessons with Jonathan

English tutor and PhD w/ 3+ years experience in college essay coaching

Since 2017, I've helped students write the essays that have gained them admission to the colleges and graduate schools of their dreams. I can help at any stage in the process, from brainstorming ideas to revising early drafts to proofreading the... See Nathan's full profile

Nathan is wonderful! He helped my son tremendously with his college application essays. From the Common App personal statement to the supplemental essays for the Ivies to the safety schools, Nathan provided expert guidance with br... read the full review - Kathryn , 10 lessons with Nathan

Published Author, NYU MFA in Writing, Personal Statement Specialist

I have assisted students through their college journeys since 2016. Since then, I have run large college essay workshops and have worked privately with individuals applying to top schools such as Stanford University, The University of... See Eitan's full profile

Eitan is so knowledgeable about the structure, grammar, and wording of essays and always gives extremely helpful feedback. He is very patient and is willing to go out of his way to help his students succeed. He not only helps with... read the full review - Elena , 29 lessons with Eitan

Experienced Consultant in College Essay Writing

...as well as, external (not university-affiliated) companies, and private tutoring. On top of working with students on college essays , I worked for two years as a graduate teaching assistant working with students on crafting strong argument-driven essays... See Leigh's full profile

Expert Writing Coach & College Essay Consultant; Former UNC Professor

I work with students applying to college, medical school (AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS), law school, graduate school, and dental school. I began assisting students with their personal statements and college essays as an Essay Coach with... See Erica's full profile

Dr. Erica is the best!!! She is very experienced and patient. She brainstormed with my daughter and guided her on college application. She also provided feedback and edited her essays, activity list, and resume. She has a knack f... read the full review - Elizabeth , 8 lessons with Erica

Award-winning Harvard Grad / College Essay and Application Consultant

Throughout my tutoring career, I have helped numerous clients refine and polish academic papers, college essays , and applications. Whether you need assistance with your writing style, grammar, vocabulary, or paper structure, I can use my... See Teagan's full profile

Teagan has been helping my daughter with her college essays and counseling and has been exceptional! He has been patient, always positive and brings out the best in her. He clearly understands what various colleges need and guides... read the full review - Varadan , 8 lessons with Teagan

College Essay Consultant

I am an Ivy League alumna and veteran high school teacher. Prior to becoming a college essay consultant three years ago, I volunteered as an Alumni Admissions Ambassador for my alma mater. In that role, I conducted applicant interviews... See Barbara's full profile

Don L-- English, Literature, SAT prep, Grammar, and Writing Teacher

I have worked with hundreds of students and their college essays . Most of this work was done in my high school Honors and College Prep English classes. I have also worked with many students on highlighting skills for their applications.... See Donald's full profile

Don was Great! I needed help with a "Fiction Analysis" paper for English 102. Don was able to help me understand exactly what my professor was looking for in this assignment and then helped me with different ways that I can approa... read the full review - Christie

College Application Essay Specialist with PhD from Berkeley

I’ve been helping university applicants with their college essays since 2016. My clients have been accepted at top-tier universities across the US. Taught academic writing at UC Berkeley for ten years. Directed 30 senior theses primarily... See Ben's full profile

If you’re struggling with a tight deadline and getting your ideas down on paper, book a session with Ben. He knows just the right questions to ask and has an amazing technique for getting your essays done as fast and as well as p... read the full review - Katherine

Certified ELA Educator: College Essays , Writing, College Composition

This may come by helping students with writing coursework (college or high school), navigating college applications, reviewing college application essays , writing scholarship essays, organizing content, and/or study skills.... See Julie's full profile

If you are looking for a tutor, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t give Julie an opportunity to connect with you. From the very start, you will see Julie’s high level of organization, planning, and flexibility whi... read the full review - Dan , 7 lessons with Julie

3+ yrs experience helping students find/get into their dream schools

It’s hard to choose between two stellar candidates with generic essays, so admissions offices move on to the essay that reads, feels and behaves like a real person. My approach to the college essay is simple and effective. It’s a... See Henrik's full profile

My son was struggling with trying to organize and write his paper for his Brit. Lit. English class. We feel so fortunate to have found Henrik through the Wyzant app. Henrik was always very responsive when communicating with me thr... read the full review - Allison , 2 lessons with Henrik

Experienced College Essay Coach with UCLA PhD in English

As a PhD in English who spent nearly a decade teaching at UCLA, I have developed deep professional skills in helping students excel at college essay writing. My background as a writer and professor also gives me insights into what... See Gabriel's full profile

Gabriel taught me how to write engaging and unique essays. He showed me how to effectively tell a story and balance important details with reflections on your experiences. I liked the fact that he was extremely knowledgeable about... read the full review - Vijay , 11 lessons with Gabriel

Harvard Grad and College Essay Expert

Ever since giving my first chess lesson when I was 11 years old (certainly the most exciting $2 I have ever made in my life) I have continued tutoring in almost every imaginable capacity, from ACT, to college essays , from middle school... See Razi's full profile

Razi was an absolutely incredible college essay expert. Throughout our sessions together, Razi ensured every minute was well spent, very efficient, and fun. I significantly struggled finding my “voice” in these essays and making t... read the full review - Gabriel , 12 lessons with Razi

Experienced Grad-School, Fellowship, and College Essay Tutor

I'm happy to work with you on any stage of the writing process, whether it be last-minute final edits, brainstorming content and outlining, or anything in between! College and graduate school essay coaching has been a focus of mine for the past... See Madeline's full profile

I could write pages on how significant Maddy has been for me throughout my graduate applications process, but I will try to keep it short because I want you to read my entire review. I have been working with Maddy since Summer 20... read the full review - Danielle , 179 lessons with Madeline

Psychology PhD, Dissertations, Research Methods, College Essays

Hi, I'm Dr. Nicole. I have a PhD in health psychology and have served as a dissertation-level research and writing coach for 8 years. I have successfully guided numerous psychology graduate students to earning their PhDs or PsyDs. This means that... See Nicole's full profile

Nicole is a brilliant and passionate writing tutor who truly cares about her student and helping them in accomplishing their goals. She helped me succeed in transforming my paper from average to EXCELLENT! She is knowledgeable and... read the full review - Tiffany , 5 lessons with Nicole

The College Lad - Leading SoCal Writing Coach & Test Expert

My own writing has been published in over a dozen publications and my years of experience writing web copy have taught me how to apply that punchy style to college essays in order to grab a reader's attention. I don't just write... See Nick's full profile

College Essay Expert with 5-Star Rating

As a college essay expert with a 5-star rating, I have helped countless students craft compelling and impactful essays that showcase their unique strengths and personalities. With a background in education and a doctorate in education, I... See Bryan's full profile

Bryan is an exceptional College Essay coach who can demolish any writer's block through a systematic approach that breaks down the prompt into small achievable goals. Bryan's ability to pull out the writer's most powerful thought... read the full review - Christopher , 15 lessons with Bryan

Conquer the College Essay with Author, Journalist and Writing Teacher

I am an award-winning author and journalist with bylines in The Wall Street Journal, NPR's magazine, and Village Voice Media (200+ articles published). As a communications consultant, my clients include the World Bank, World Vision International... See Amy's full profile

I can't imagine a better writing tutor; she absolutely exceeded my expectations. I have been in the process of applying for speech-language pathology graduate school. It is an EXTREMELY competitive program (25-35 spots and 400 app... read the full review - Marissa , 7 lessons with Amy

Writing/Editing/Proofreading/Public Speaking, Doctorate/ College Essays

I have a BA in Communication from Michigan State University. As an industry professional with 30+ years in public relations/marketing/business communications, I wrote articles, literature, proposals, presentations, press releases, and advertising... See Karen's full profile

My daughter and I have been meeting with Karen for over 4 months writing college essays. She is extremely knowledgeable, meticulous, and supportive. We met Karen for the first time and knew that she was the perfect match. Her pers... read the full review - Michelle , 29 lessons with Karen

Experienced Ivy university instructor for writing, college apps, GRE

I am also a published academic author with a strong command of different styles and approaches; I can help students with high school and college essay writing, academic research writing, persuasive writing, prose style, formatting, and all... See Lev's full profile

Professor Specializing in College Essays /Personal Statements

Dear potential student, If you are struggling with any aspect or phase of composing your document, I am here to assist. I hold a PhD in philosophy from Emory University and was a tenured professor at a reputable New England University for... See Anthony's full profile

Published Writer, Editor & Document Formatting Specialist

...), and 20 years of experience in helping people improve their formal and informal writing, including: college essays , college application essays , research papers, memoirs, fiction, business documents, personal and business correspondence, etc. Very... See Larisa's full profile

Larisa is a wonderful tutor and is very skilled with editing APA format. She is a lifesaver!!! I highly recommend Larissa. This was my first time using Wyzant, and I am very satisfied! ... read the full review - Nancy , 2 lessons with Larisa

Skilled Editor and Writing Coach

...composing, and editing of their essays and papers. In addition to helping a number of students construct their college application essays , I have provided expert copyediting for final drafts of formal papers. At whatever stage of the writing process... See Jonathan's full profile

Jonathan helped all three of our children to prepare for their ACT/SAT exams. They all loved working with him and found him to be knowledgable, approachable, patient, and an overall exceptional tutor. As a parent, it was easy to a... read the full review - Nadin , 33 lessons with Jonathan

Make Your Essays Shine!

I have worked with students on their college essays and supplements, helping them be accepted into the schools of their choice. I work with students to understand their assignments so that they can express themselves creatively, but with... See Becky's full profile

I wish I had known Becky before, for my daughter (who had another college consultant). Now, for my son, Becky is the most organized, focused, resourceful, empathetic, college coach! She helped us narrow down the college list, li... read the full review - Julie , 4 lessons with Becky

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TJ and College Application Essay Tutoring

Writing the common application essay is a nerve-wracking and complex process for students. what does a college want to know about me do i tell them i have diabetes is being captain of my soccer team too cliche can i use a story about my science fair project if i didn’t win how do i write a compelling essay that expresses my unique voice and personality.

These questions are not easy to answer for teenagers, but with the help of writing tutors, Cathy Colglazier and Kate Lewis , students can learn to navigate the college application essay process and find the right topics for their essays. They might even enjoy the experience, regardless of how reluctant they are as writers.

Cathy has worked as a writing tutor with Inspiring Test Prep for over ten years. She is a former English teacher and department chair at both TJHSST and McLean High School. Kate has worked as a writing tutor with Inspiring Test Prep for over a year, and after her years at TJHSST, earned a MFA at George Mason University, later becoming a professor at both GMU and Northern Virginia Community College.

Former students would characterize Cathy and Kate as “Teen Whisperers” as they eas ily est ablis h a rapport with their students. The process then becomes one where the students’ voices emerge -and not the tutor or parents .

These essays are critical parts of the admissions folder, giving colleges insight into who the applicant is and whether the school is a good fit for them.

With Cathy’s and Kate’s help, students will polish their personal writing and become strategic in their choice of topics. Using effective language, correct grammar, and diction are, of course, essential, but compelling and insightful content is crucial for a successful essay. Colleges want the essays to answer the question “Who are you?”

The tutors will work with your student on an individual basis to achieve polished essays for their application portfolio.

For questions or to schedule an appointment call Cathy at 703-628-2348 or Kate at 571-344-2156.

Their fee is $150 per session with packets of four sessions being the suggested choice ($600). The number of sessions needed depends on the number of colleges the student is applying to, as well as the writing skill of the student. The tutors accept Venmo, but will arrange other modes of payment, if needed.

Cathy and Kate also work with students applying to private school, TJHSST, graduate school, medical and law school, summer internships, and scholarships.

If you want essay instruction please contact Cathy Colglazier and Kate Lewis directly.

Do not contact Kate Dalby for essay instruction. Mrs. Dalby only coaches the math portion of the TJ entrance exam. Her email is [email protected].

Cathy Colglazier – Writing Instructor 703.628.2348 [email protected]

Kate Lewis – Writing Instructor 571.344.2156 [email protected]

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Key to success: college essay help

After finishing school every college applicant is dealing with certain difficulties. Gathering all grades and scores, composing list of post-school activities, a person is ready to submit an application. But here another thing appears to be done! College entrance essay is unavoidable part of graduate's routine. And here a poor future student is, sitting in front of blank piece of paper without any thoughts in his head.

It's not a secret that college essay writing demands huge efforts and plenty of time. When you are struggling with putting words and sentences together and compose a winning piece of paper you might seek for support. College essay writing service with experts of enormous experience is available to solve that problem. You won't be devoting countless hours rotating thoughts and ideas, plots and turns, fitting your writing to strict format. College essay writing help will take care of it. As a result you get charming and engaging article about yourself to impress committee.

What college essay tutor can do

If you think that someone is going to do all work while you're relaxing under sun, that's a wrong approach. College essay help consists in guidance, making you compose paperwork yourself. Details and hints will be explained to you, and it would be an elementary task to describe your own individuality to admission staff. You will learn about college essay heading and can use correct format. In fact, college essay tutor is your guide through journey to your deepest treasures. He can help not only with illustrations of best qualities you posses but teaches to ask questions and challenge yourself during work. For every kind of essay there's a specific format you need to use. When making essay scholarships for college students you need to specify why you deserve that money and how it's beneficial for college to give you that scholarship. It is strongly recommended to seek for experts help when applying for scholarship. And most importantly is use of proper format, so committee would notice immediately from college essay header that writing was made by highly organised and educated person

What traits should be reflected in essay

Even if you consider your life boring, tutor can find captivating and attractive facts in your biography. In general essay should demonstrate how significant events in past helped you to become a unique individual you are and how this very college might influence you.

Adult Learning Center

The Adult Learning Center provides quality instruction in reading, writing, math, and the English language to help adults transition into college and/or prepare for the GED tests. Services are available in Grangeville, Lewiston, Moscow, and Orofino.

What is Adult Basic Education?

ABE is a basic skills program for adults 16 years of age and older who are not currently enrolled in high school. We also serve adults who have graduated from high school and want to improve their reading, writing, or math skills so they can transition into college or the workforce. All new students attend an orientation session that covers program expectations and provides assessments.

Each student's course of study is framed by an educational plan based on the unique needs of the student. ABE offers structured classes at various levels of reading, writing, and math. Our students have the option of online instruction as well.

ABE can help you:

• Improve math, reading, and writing skills.
• Prepare for college.
• Prepare for and pass the GED.
• Become digitally literate.
• Learn to speak English (for non-native learners).
• Prepare for U.S. Citizenship

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Top SAT Essay Tutors

I am a graduate of Stanford University and earned a bachelors in Biology. Since graduation, I have been volunteering my time tutoring with underserved populations throughout California and Pennsylvania. While I tutor a broad range of subjects, I am most passionate about Mathematics (all branches from Algebra to Calculus) and Science (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics). As a high school student, I vividly remember preparing for the SAT and hope to use the tactics that I... Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Reading , SAT Math , SAT Mathematics and 98 more subjects.

• Stanford University - Bachelor of Science, Biology, General

Test Scores

• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1540
• SAT Math: 770
• SAT Verbal: 770

...Rice University where I was a pre-med student studying Public Health and Anthropology. I'm passionate about working with students, and I was active in TA and mentorship roles during my time in school. While standardized test prep can be intimidating or tedious, I strive to make sessions fun while tailoring my approach to the needs of the student. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking and keeping up with the latest TV shows. Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Writing and Language , SAT Mathematics , SAT Math and 55 more subjects.

• Rice University - Bachelor in Arts, Public Health

...global finance student at the Johns Hopkins University, I have countless experiences in the fields of history, English, mathematics, and language. Furthermore, I have taken numerous AP classes in high school and am capable of educating in subjects that are of the relevant fields. In addition to this, I have taken the SAT and ACT, and have achieved high scores, giving me the ability to show you how to take these tests. Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Mathematics , SAT Math , SAT Reading and 103 more subjects.

• Johns Hopkins University - Bachelor in Arts, International Economics
• ACT Composite: 34
• ACT English: 33
• ACT Math: 34

I am an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Cell Sciences whilst minoring in Health Science. I aspire to attend Medical School after graduating. Since beginning my tutoring journey, I have tutored students on SAT/ACT/PERT examination preparation, high school and college-level math courses, and the sciences (e.g biology, chemistry, etc.). Amongst this broad range of subjects, my favorite materials to tutor would definitely be the SAT... Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Writing and Language , SAT Mathematics , SAT Math and 50 more subjects.

• University of Florida - Bachelor of Science, Microbiology
• ACT English: 36
• ACT Math: 35

I aim to give students the skills to approach any problem with confidence. Through active problem solving and diagnostics, even the most daunting assignments and problem sets can be deconstructed into digestible information. Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Writing and Language , SAT Mathematics , SAT Math and 36 more subjects.

• Rice University - Bachelor in Arts, Music Performance
• University of Phoenix-Southern California Campus - Current Grad Student, Music Performance
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1580
• SAT Math: 800

I am a current Junior at Hamilton College and will soon receive my Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Math. I tutor primarily in Math and Test Prep with a strong emphasis on fun :). In my free time I enjoy playing soccer and chess, traveling, and learning new things! Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Reading , SAT Writing and Language , SAT Mathematics and 61 more subjects.

• Hamilton College - Bachelor in Arts, Mathematics
• ACT Composite: 36
• ACT Math: 36

I'm a junior in chemical engineering at ASU Barrett and I specialize in math and physics tutoring. If you need help with any of your math subjects or have trouble with physics and chemistry I'm the one to call. I love working with students and each and everybody's success is my top priority. Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Reading , SAT Math , SAT Mathematics and 36 more subjects.

• Arizona State University - Bachelor of Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Arizona State University - Current Grad Student, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1560
• SAT Verbal: 760

I studied computer science and statistics in college. Since late high school I have had a regular teaching commitment, whether it was helping younger students prepare for standardized tests or TA'ing for college courses. I can tutor very effectively across a variety of math, computer science, and statistics subjects, but am most passionate and have the most 1-on-1 experience in probability and statistics and test prep. I believe that anyone with a good amount of... Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Writing and Language , SAT Mathematics , SAT Reading and 86 more subjects.

• University of California-Berkeley - Bachelor in Arts, Computer Science

Howdy! My name is Meghana, and I am a BS/MD program student and President's Endowed Scholar at Texas A&M University studying neuroscience/biology and English. I enjoy helping my students with the SAT and ACT, English grammar, literature, writing, and AP subjects, especially in the sciences. Please feel free to message me for more info or to schedule a session. Thank you! Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Reading , SAT Writing and Language , SAT Mathematics and 78 more subjects.

• The Texas AM University System Office - Bachelor of Science, Neuroscience
• ACT Math: 32

...law degree at Boston University School of Law. I can tutor in many disciplines, but I most enjoy tutoring for standardized tests to prepare students to excel on the LSAT, GRE, and SAT. I am enthusiastic about helping students reach their goals, and I am confident that I can help anyone make a significant improvement in their scores by sharing the tips and tricks I learned myself when preparing for these exams. Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Mathematics , SAT Reading , SAT Writing and Language and 45 more subjects.

• Colgate University - Bachelor in Arts, Neuroscience
• Boston University - Juris Doctor, Legal Studies
• SAT Writing: 790

...I studied at Carnegie Mellon University, where I obtained a degree in computational neuroscience. I'm really passionate about computer science, math, biology, and psychology, as well as their intersection. I also have a passion for research, and have worked in research laboratories both in academia at Yale, CMU, and Jax, as well as in industry. In my spare time, I like to write poetry, work on personal coding projects, go biking, and travel. Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Writing and Language , SAT Mathematics , SAT Math and 71 more subjects.

• Carnegie Mellon University - Bachelor of Science, Neuroscience

As a self learner, I understand different struggles that students like myself might come across. I have a great passion for math and would love to share the tips and tricks that I have discovered that are application to not only the liberal arts but also in non academic activities as well. Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Reading , SAT Math , SAT Writing and Language and 72 more subjects.

• Cornell University - Bachelor of Science, Computer Science

Because of my passions for helping others and sharing my knowledge, I've gravitated toward tutoring since my early high school years. I'm now in my last year of college-- I study environmental science and art history at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City-- and I'm happy that I've been able to continue to tutor a wide range of ages in a wide variety of subjects throughout college. My passion for languages shapes... Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Reading , SAT Math , SAT Mathematics and 97 more subjects.

• Barnard College - Bachelor in Arts, Environmental Science
• ACT Composite: 35
• ACT Math: 33

I am a graduate of The University of Texas at Dallas. I received my Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with a focus in neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. Since graduation, I have been volunteering quite a bit at my local homeless shelter as well as my local free clinic to gain some experience for my next step of going into medical school. I mainly tutor pure SAT in its entirety, Reading Writing, and Math. In my tutoring... Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Math , SAT Reading , SAT Writing and Language and 50 more subjects.

• The University of Texas at Dallas - Bachelor of Science, Neuroscience
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1480
• SAT Math: 780
• SAT Verbal: 700

...and have worked as an editor for fellow students' essays for several years. When it comes to how I teach and my overall philosophy, I believe in a conversational approach; myself and the student work together to decipher what needs to be worked on, the best ways to tackle it, and the result of these practices. Education should be a judgement-free zone and as long as both parties are working together in harmony, any material... Read more

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• Washington University in St Louis - Bachelor in Arts, Women's Studies
• ACT Composite: 33
• ACT English: 35
• ACT Reading: 36

I am a 7-12 certified middle school History teacher. I also am on the premedical track. I have a major in History and minors in Biology/Chemistry from Duke University. I love teaching and firmly believe in the potential of every student. I utilize an uplifting teaching model that empowers students to not only learn the material, but be confident in their knowledge. I have over 8 years of teaching and tutoring experience in a variety... Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Reading , SAT Mathematics , SAT Math and 217 more subjects.

• Duke University - Bachelor in Arts, History

Hello, my name is Jason! I am currently a mechanical engineering student at UMASS Amherst and I enjoy math and science. Read more

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• University of Massachusetts Amherst - Mechanical Engineer, Mechanical Engineering
• SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1410
• SAT Math: 710
• SAT Writing: 700

Growing up, both my parents were professors so I learned to value education from an early age! I am excited to share my love of learning, and am looking forward to my 7th year of tutoring experience. In high school, I was awarded the titles of Valedictorian as well as National Merit Scholar. Now, I'm a student at Indiana University studying English and History, along with a minor in Labor Studies. I also have a... Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Writing and Language , SAT Reading , SAT Math and 98 more subjects.

• Indiana University-Bloomington - Bachelor in Arts, English

Hello, my name is Kristen! I am a current doctoral candidate in the Spalding University Psychology program. I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology and Education from Centre College. My experience includes elementary, middle, high school, and college level tutoring. I love working with people and would love to help you achieve your goal! Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Math , SAT Writing and Language , SAT Mathematics and 50 more subjects.

• Centre College - Bachelor of Science, Psychology
• Spalding University - Current Grad Student, Clinical Psychology

I am a current Mechanical Engineering and Plan II Honors double major at The University of Texas at Austin. I have lots of volunteer experience including being a camp counselor for teenagers with disabilities. As someone who has gone through the college application process and has an appreciation for how difficult it is, I am ready to help students learn and show what they are capable of. Read more

Can also tutor: SAT Writing and Language , SAT Mathematics , SAT Reading and 80 more subjects.

• The University of Texas at Austin - Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering
• SAT Verbal: 780

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Watch CBS News

Teens come up with trigonometry proof for Pythagorean Theorem, a problem that stumped math world for centuries

By Bill Whitaker

May 5, 2024 / 7:00 PM EDT / CBS News

As the school year ends, many students will be only too happy to see math classes in their rearview mirrors. It may seem to some of us non-mathematicians that geometry and trigonometry were created by the Greeks as a form of torture, so imagine our amazement when we heard two high school seniors had proved a mathematical puzzle that was thought to be impossible for 2,000 years. 

We met Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson at their all-girls Catholic high school in New Orleans. We expected to find two mathematical prodigies.

Instead, we found at St. Mary's Academy , all students are told their possibilities are boundless.

Come Mardi Gras season, New Orleans is alive with colorful parades, replete with floats, and beads, and high school marching bands.

In a city where uniqueness is celebrated, St. Mary's stands out – with young African American women playing trombones and tubas, twirling batons and dancing - doing it all, which defines St. Mary's, students told us.

Junior Christina Blazio says the school instills in them they have the ability to accomplish anything. 

Christina Blazio: That is kinda a standard here. So we aim very high - like, our aim is excellence for all students. 

The private Catholic elementary and high school sits behind the Sisters of the Holy Family Convent in New Orleans East. The academy was started by an African American nun for young Black women just after the Civil War. The church still supports the school with the help of alumni.

In December 2022, seniors Ne'Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson were working on a school-wide math contest that came with a cash prize.

Ne'Kiya Jackson: I was motivated because there was a monetary incentive.

Calcea Johnson: 'Cause I was like, "$500 is a lot of money. So I-- I would like to at least try."

Both were staring down the thorny bonus question.

Bill Whitaker: So tell me, what was this bonus question?

Calcea Johnson: It was to create a new proof of the Pythagorean Theorem. And it kind of gave you a few guidelines on how would you start a proof.

The seniors were familiar with the Pythagorean Theorem, a fundamental principle of geometry. You may remember it from high school: a² + b² = c². In plain English, when you know the length of two sides of a right triangle, you can figure out the length of the third.

Both had studied geometry and some trigonometry, and both told us math was not easy. What no one told  them  was there had been more than 300 documented proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem using algebra and geometry, but for 2,000 years a proof using trigonometry was thought to be impossible, … and that was the bonus question facing them.

Bill Whitaker: When you looked at the question did you think, "Boy, this is hard"?

Ne'Kiya Jackson: Yeah. 

Bill Whitaker: What motivated you to say, "Well, I'm going to try this"?

Calcea Johnson: I think I was like, "I started something. I need to finish it." 

Bill Whitaker: So you just kept on going.

Calcea Johnson: Yeah.

For two months that winter, they spent almost all their free time working on the proof.

CeCe Johnson: She was like, "Mom, this is a little bit too much."

CeCe and Cal Johnson are Calcea's parents.

CeCe Johnson:   So then I started looking at what she really was doing. And it was pages and pages and pages of, like, over 20 or 30 pages for this one problem.

Cal Johnson: Yeah, the garbage can was full of papers, which she would, you know, work out the problems and-- if that didn't work she would ball it up, throw it in the trash. 

Bill Whitaker: Did you look at the problem? 

Neliska Jackson is Ne'Kiya's mother.

Neliska Jackson: Personally I did not. 'Cause most of the time I don't understand what she's doing (laughter).

Michelle Blouin Williams: What if we did this, what if I write this? Does this help? ax² plus ….

Their math teacher, Michelle Blouin Williams, initiated the math contest.

Bill Whitaker: And did you think anyone would solve it?

Michelle Blouin Williams: Well, I wasn't necessarily looking for a solve. So, no, I didn't—

Bill Whitaker: What were you looking for?

Michelle Blouin Williams: I was just looking for some ingenuity, you know—

Calcea and Ne'Kiya delivered on that! They tried to explain their groundbreaking work to 60 Minutes. Calcea's proof is appropriately titled the Waffle Cone.

Calcea Johnson: So to start the proof, we start with just a regular right triangle where the angle in the corner is 90°. And the two angles are alpha and beta.

Bill Whitaker: Uh-huh

Calcea Johnson: So then what we do next is we draw a second congruent, which means they're equal in size. But then we start creating similar but smaller right triangles going in a pattern like this. And then it continues for infinity. And eventually it creates this larger waffle cone shape.

Calcea Johnson: Am I going a little too—

Bill Whitaker: You've been beyond me since the beginning. (laughter) 

Bill Whitaker: So how did you figure out the proof?

Ne'Kiya Jackson: Okay. So you have a right triangle, 90° angle, alpha and beta.

Bill Whitaker: Then what did you do?

Ne'Kiya Jackson: Okay, I have a right triangle inside of the circle. And I have a perpendicular bisector at OP to divide the triangle to make that small right triangle. And that's basically what I used for the proof. That's the proof.

Bill Whitaker: That's what I call amazing.

Ne'Kiya Jackson: Well, thank you.

There had been one other documented proof of the theorem using trigonometry by mathematician Jason Zimba in 2009 – one in 2,000 years. Now it seems Ne'Kiya and Calcea have joined perhaps the most exclusive club in mathematics. 

Bill Whitaker: So you both independently came up with proof that only used trigonometry.

Ne'Kiya Jackson: Yes.

Bill Whitaker: So are you math geniuses?

Calcea Johnson: I think that's a stretch. 

Bill Whitaker: If not genius, you're really smart at math.

Ne'Kiya Jackson: Not at all. (laugh) 

To document Calcea and Ne'Kiya's work, math teachers at St. Mary's submitted their proofs to an American Mathematical Society conference in Atlanta in March 2023.

Ne'Kiya Jackson: Well, our teacher approached us and was like, "Hey, you might be able to actually present this," I was like, "Are you joking?" But she wasn't. So we went. I got up there. We presented and it went well, and it blew up.

Bill Whitaker: It blew up.

Calcea Johnson: Yeah. 

Ne'Kiya Jackson: It blew up.

Bill Whitaker: Yeah. What was the blowup like?

Calcea Johnson: Insane, unexpected, crazy, honestly.

It took millenia to prove, but just a minute for word of their accomplishment to go around the world. They got a write-up in South Korea and a shout-out from former first lady Michelle Obama, a commendation from the governor and keys to the city of New Orleans. 

Bill Whitaker: Why do you think so many people found what you did to be so impressive?

Ne'Kiya Jackson: Probably because we're African American, one. And we're also women. So I think-- oh, and our age. Of course our ages probably played a big part.

Bill Whitaker: So you think people were surprised that young African American women, could do such a thing?

Calcea Johnson: Yeah, definitely.

Ne'Kiya Jackson: I'd like to actually be celebrated for what it is. Like, it's a great mathematical achievement.

Achievement, that's a word you hear often around St. Mary's academy. Calcea and Ne'Kiya follow a long line of barrier-breaking graduates. 

The late queen of Creole cooking, Leah Chase , was an alum. so was the first African-American female New Orleans police chief, Michelle Woodfork …

And judge for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Dana Douglas. Math teacher Michelle Blouin Williams told us Calcea and Ne'Kiya are typical St. Mary's students.  

Bill Whitaker: They're not unicorns.

Michelle Blouin Williams: Oh, no no. If they are unicorns, then every single lady that has matriculated through this school is a beautiful, Black unicorn.

Pamela Rogers: You're good?

Pamela Rogers, St. Mary's president and interim principal, told us the students hear that message from the moment they walk in the door.

Pamela Rogers: We believe all students can succeed, all students can learn. It does not matter the environment that you live in. 

Bill Whitaker: So when word went out that two of your students had solved this almost impossible math problem, were they universally applauded?

Pamela Rogers: In this community, they were greatly applauded. Across the country, there were many naysayers.

Bill Whitaker: What were they saying?

Pamela Rogers: They were saying, "Oh, they could not have done it. African Americans don't have the brains to do it." Of course, we sheltered our girls from that. But we absolutely did not expect it to come in the volume that it came.  

Bill Whitaker: And after such a wonderful achievement.

Pamela Rogers: People-- have a vision of who can be successful. And-- to some people, it is not always an African American female. And to us, it's always an African American female.

Gloria Ladson-Billings: What we know is when teachers lay out some expectations that say, "You can do this," kids will work as hard as they can to do it.

Gloria Ladson-Billings, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, has studied how best to teach African American students. She told us an encouraging teacher can change a life.

Bill Whitaker: And what's the difference, say, between having a teacher like that and a whole school dedicated to the excellence of these students?

Gloria Ladson-Billings: So a whole school is almost like being in Heaven. 

Bill Whitaker: What do you mean by that?

Gloria Ladson-Billings: Many of our young people have their ceilings lowered, that somewhere around fourth or fifth grade, their thoughts are, "I'm not going to be anything special." What I think is probably happening at St. Mary's is young women come in as, perhaps, ninth graders and are told, "Here's what we expect to happen. And here's how we're going to help you get there."

At St. Mary's, half the students get scholarships, subsidized by fundraising to defray the $8,000 a year tuition. Here, there's no test to get in, but expectations are high and rules are strict: no cellphones, modest skirts, hair must be its natural color.

Students Rayah Siddiq, Summer Forde, Carissa Washington, Tatum Williams and Christina Blazio told us they appreciate the rules and rigor.

Rayah Siddiq: Especially the standards that they set for us. They're very high. And I don't think that's ever going to change.

Bill Whitaker: So is there a heart, a philosophy, an essence to St. Mary's?

Summer Forde: The sisterhood—

Carissa Washington: Sisterhood.

Tatum Williams: Sisterhood.

Bill Whitaker: The sisterhood?

Voices: Yes.

Bill Whitaker: And you don't mean the nuns. You mean-- (laughter)

Christina Blazio: I mean, yeah. The community—

Bill Whitaker: So when you're here, there's just no question that you're going to go on to college.

Rayah Siddiq: College is all they talk about. (laughter) 

Pamela Rogers: … and Arizona State University (Cheering)

Principal Rogers announces to her 615 students the colleges where every senior has been accepted.

Bill Whitaker: So for 17 years, you've had a 100% graduation rate—

Pamela Rogers: Yes.

Bill Whitaker: --and a 100% college acceptance rate?

Pamela Rogers: That's correct.

Last year when Ne'Kiya and Calcea graduated, all their classmates went to college and got scholarships. Ne'Kiya got a full ride to the pharmacy school at Xavier University in New Orleans. Calcea, the class valedictorian, is studying environmental engineering at Louisiana State University.

Bill Whitaker: So wait a minute. Neither one of you is going to pursue a career in math?

Both: No. (laugh)

Calcea Johnson: I may take up a minor in math. But I don't want that to be my job job.

Ne'Kiya Jackson: Yeah. People might expect too much out of me if (laugh) I become a mathematician. (laugh)

But math is not completely in their rear-view mirrors. This spring they submitted their high school proofs for final peer review and publication … and are still working on further proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem. Since their first two …

Calcea Johnson: We found five. And then we found a general format that could potentially produce at least five additional proofs.

Bill Whitaker: And you're not math geniuses?

Bill Whitaker: I'm not buying it. (laughs)

Produced by Sara Kuzmarov. Associate producer, Mariah B. Campbell. Edited by Daniel J. Glucksman.

Bill Whitaker is an award-winning journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent who has covered major news stories, domestically and across the globe, for more than four decades with CBS News.

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Ukraine’s Seaborne Grain Exports Bounce Back to Near Prewar Levels

The flow of grain ships through ports in the Odesa region is a welcome boost for Ukraine’s war-ravaged economy. But analysts warn it may not last.

• Share full article

By Constant Méheut

Reporting from Odesa and Kyiv, Ukraine

The 700-foot Liberian-flagged ship slowly sailed out of the Ukrainian port of Odesa, past rows of yellow cranes and into the still waters of the Black Sea. Its hull was almost completely submerged, weighed down with corn bound for Bangladesh. Offshore, more grain-laden freighters had already left the port, passing vessels about to enter.

It was mid-March in Odesa, and what seemed unimaginable just last summer, when a Russian naval blockade paralyzed all commercial activity, was now a reality. The port was back to its usual hustle and bustle, the result of a military campaign that pushed Russian warships out of Ukrainian waters and secured a shipping route to markets abroad.

The operation has been so successful that Ukraine’s seaborne grain and oilseed exports — an economic lifeline for the war-torn nation — are now approaching prewar levels, according to data shared with The New York Times.

In the past six months, Ukraine has exported 27.6 million metric tons of grain and oilseed through the Black Sea, the country’s main export route, according to figures from the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority. That is just 0.2 million metric tons short of the average export volume in the same period from 2018 to 2021, before Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

In the first quarter of this year, Black Sea grain exports even exceeded prewar levels, according to the Ukrainian data.

Estimates of grain and oilseed exports by Dragon Capital, a Kyiv-based investment firm, and figures on the number of grain ships arriving in Ukrainian ports collected by Lloyd’s List Intelligence , a shipping-data company, point to similar trends.

Sal Gilbertie, the head of Teucrium Trading, a U.S.-based firm that sells securities tied to agricultural commodities on the New York Stock Exchange, said statements by Ukrainian officials that seaborne grain exports were close to prewar levels were “accurate.”

Ukraine still faces a number of challenges that could prevent grain exports from stabilizing at prewar levels, including continued Russian attacks on port facilities and a smaller harvest this year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects Ukrainian grain exports to decrease in the near future.

But analysts say that the overall environment has been improving, noting that freight companies are eager to ship Ukrainian grain despite the war. “The data shows that there’s no shortage of shipowners that are willing to take the risk and go in there,” said Greg Miller, a senior maritime reporter for Lloyd’s List.

Ensuring a high flow of grain exports is a strategic necessity for Ukraine. Grain and oilseed accounted for a third of Ukraine’s exports last year, said Natalia Shpygotska, a senior analyst at Dragon Capital. They have become critical to sustaining Ukraine’s war-ravaged economy and, ultimately, its war effort.

Tariel Khajishvili, the head of Novik LLC, a Ukrainian shipping agent operating in Odesa, said that “it’s obvious that without grain exports,” the country’s economy would flounder.

After Russia invaded, Ukraine was forced to stop trade through the Black Sea for several months because of Russia’s military control of the sea, threatening global food security . In July 2022, a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey allowed Ukraine to resume exports through an agreed upon Black Sea corridor.

But Russia withdrew from the agreement a year later and threatened all commercial vessels heading to and from Ukraine, causing seaborne grain exports to cease last August.

To try to get exports moving again, the Ukrainian military launched a campaign to drive the Russian navy out of parts of the Black Sea, destroying many of its warships and attacking its headquarters in Crimea, the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula. The successful operation allowed Ukraine to establish a new shipping corridor that hugs the Ukrainian coast before taking ships into the territorial waters of NATO members.

Dmytro Barinov, the deputy head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, recalled that when the first grain ship sailed that corridor in mid-September, “We were very nervous — we prayed that everything would go well.”

Eventually, the ship made it out safely, and soon the “familiar, pleasant sound” of foghorns could be heard again in Odesa, he said.

The number of grain ship arrivals at the three ports of the Odesa region — Odesa itself, Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk — increased to 231 in March from five in September, according to data compiled by Lloyd’s List.

The rise has been helped by deals that Ukraine has brokered with global insurers to provide cover for ships. Mr. Gilbertie, from Teucrium Trading, said that Moscow also had an interest in keeping the fighting from spreading to the Black Sea, as it also uses it to export goods.

Today, Ukraine can use only the ports in the Odesa region to ship its grain by sea, as its other seaports are either too close to Russian lines to operate or are occupied by Russian forces. Even so, with 4.1 million metric tons of grain and oilseed shipped each month on average, the three ports are now close to overall prewar seaborne export volumes.

The reopening of the Odesa ports is a welcome financial boost for Ukraine. Having lost key economic assets in the war — like its metal factories in the east, which were captured or destroyed by Russia — Ukraine is now more dependent on grain exports to support its economy. Dragon Capital estimated in the fall that a return to full operation of the Odesa ports could add several percentage points to Ukraine’s gross domestic product growth this year, which it forecast at 4 percent.

But analysts caution that the initial success of Ukraine’s new shipping route may not last.

Russia continues to target port infrastructure in Odesa , and with Ukraine now facing a shortage of air-defense weapons, more missiles are getting through. In mid-April, Russia successfully hit two food export terminals in Pivdennyi , destroying several containers.

Ms. Shpygotska, from Dragon Capital, also noted that Ukraine’s recent high grain export volumes partly reflected shipments delayed by the Russian naval blockade, meaning that such volumes may not be reached again in the future, especially as grain production is forecast to decline.

“Producers and exporters are now well positioned to export as many crops as available,” she said. “But it all depends on the harvest.”

Constant Méheut reports on the war in Ukraine, including battlefield developments, attacks on civilian centers and how the war is affecting its people. More about Constant Méheut