As an English professor, I take very seriously both good grammar and a writer’s voice. June helped our daughter with both of these, and, even more importantly in our case, connected with her in such a way that our daughter felt comfortable working with June and responded to her advice. June was astonishingly available, despite the fact that we live on the East Coast, and during the thick of it was in contact with my daughter over email and Skype multiple times a day. In conversations with her, I found her to have a strong sense of integrity and a great sense of humor, both of which she brings to bear on her work. She also has a great deal of knowledge about various universities and colleges as well as a number of tips about applications in general. My daughter was accepted Early Decision into her top choice, Wellesley College, and I have no doubt that June was part of the reason for this. I give her my very highest recommendation and will definitely be calling her again when my younger two children start this process.
(K.M., Parent and Ivy League Professor)
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I can’t speak highly enough of June. Her expertise on writing, combined with patience and healthy doses of humor, helped our child navigate the last remaining part of the college admission process. June was flexible and always available for consultation, whether through email, Skype or phone. With her excellent command of the English language, knowledge of the college admission system, and understanding of the teenage mind, June helped our child work through her essays in great detail until they came alive. The result was polished essays that genuinely reflected our child’s voice, and she was accepted at her top choice school.
(G. R., Parent)
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I have nothing but the highest praise for June’s work with our son. She has a remarkable knack for putting young people at ease and hearing their voices, enabling them to bring their best selves to the table and shine through their written words. Her command of the English language is superb and she also knows what colleges are looking for—the opportunity to get to know the heart of the student. She took a creative and thoughtful approach to working with our son, focusing on the concrete ways that he could make his essays come alive—and fit within very tight word limits. We were also thrilled with her responsiveness; she was flexible and accommodating, and worked with humor and patience until everything was done, and done wonderfully well.
(S.M.S., Parent)
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Working with June has changed my life. Without her help, I would not have known where or how to begin writing my graduate school admissions essays. She guided me step by step through the writing process to understand what the prompts truly signified, was extremely easy to talk to, and helped me brainstorm compelling ideas for all of my essays.
I was applying to five graduate school programs, and she helped me tailor my essays to match the different prompts and school requirements exactly. She is also both extremely articulate and skilled at making essays succinct—she helped me to cut mine down from 1500 to 500 words!
June was the key to my acceptance into all five schools, which is all the more impressive considering that I wanted to enter a completely different field. She takes the time to get to know you so she can empower you to bring your story and motivations alive. She is a great pleasure to work with and is truly dedicated to helping you get into your dream school and realize your career goals.
(V.L., Student)
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We were so pleased to have June’s expert assistance for our son’s college application process. Although both my husband and I were willing and qualified to help him, we felt it important to have an experienced editor to take a more objective look. Our son sent drafts of his essays for review. June was particularly thorough and responsive in helping him edit his work. It was especially generous of her to offer a rapid turnaround and telephone consultation when my son was writing his essays near the due date. We appreciate that June was proactive, reaching out to offer excellent detailed feedback even if she hadn’t heard from him for a while. Her attentive style was particularly suited to a shy student who might not be comfortable asking for any help.
The quality of her suggestions was top-notch. Her recommendations were spot-on. Her feedback was invaluable, making it possible for our son to communicate in his true voice. When our son received offers of admission from highly selective schools, we knew we owed a large thank you to June for her expert and generous editorial advice.
(Dr. N.W., PhD, Harvard University, Parent)
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In the daunting application process when applying to a top-rated college—your son or daughter will have to navigate over a critical hurdle—the essay.
When all things are equal, the essay will be a pivotal factor in the decision-making involved for the acceptance of one student over another student.
June Scudder Donenfeld is a highly skilled and expert writing coach and editor who has mastered the art of advising applicants about why they should be chosen and how to express this when writing admission essays.
I would have to say that she is surely an essential ingredient for a successful application.
I can say this because of what I experienced with my own son’s application and his acceptance at a highly competitive university which accepted only 17.8% of its applicants for the fall of 2014.
(Dr. R.P., M.D., Parent)
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Having June work with my daughter was a true blessing. The college application process is stressful yet June was able to help my daughter maintain focus as well as her sanity. June has an astonishing capacity to provide critical feedback on writing in a way that helps strengthen confidence and enhance creativity. Further, she was constantly accessible by phone, email or Skype and was able to help keep my daughter on schedule with gentle reminders. I feel strongly that the essays my daughter wrote in her applications were instrumental to her being accepted at her top choices. I cannot recommend June highly enough.
(D.H., Parent)
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Although my daughter had mastered the mechanics of writing and could adequately transmit her thoughts on paper, her college essay had a flat quality to it. June was able to pinpoint the fundamental ideas she was trying to express, and my daughter’s submission went from simply an essay that was technically adequate and descriptive to a vibrant demonstration of her voice and passion. She was accepted at all five of her preferred college choices and is happily attending the one at the top of her list.
(L.L., Parent)
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June helped my son enormously with his personal statement and I feel sure this essay was one of the reasons he was accepted at some of the most competitive schools in the country. Although he was already a good writer, she was able to point out specific ways in which he could improve his technique to make his essay more compelling and really show himself in a fully three-dimensional way. Thanks to June, he is also now better able to look at his own work, see it clearly, and figure out how to make it better, something I know has served him well at college and will continue to serve him long after he graduates.
(P.H., Parent)
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June helped my niece get into her three top-choice colleges and her success was thanks to June’s perseverance! She is not only a precise thinker and extremely articulate, she is endlessly patient with teenagers…she really speaks their language. As an aunt, I just had to keep to the sidelines as June provided vital encouragement and support. She helped my niece write her life story and the entire process was not only incredibly rewarding for her but therapeutic as well. My niece has ADHD so the task was not easy, but June never gave up. She showed her how to polish her star and helped her shine through the written words. I will be thanking June for years to come.
(D.H., Aunt)
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I can honestly say that my application essays before and after working with June were two entirely different things; the difference was night and day! Not only were my essays polished and persuasive after working with her, she did more than just help me edit. June really worked with me to help me find the flaws in my writing and fix them myself. My application essays improved dramatically, but I feel that I improved as a writer as well. I cannot give enough glowing recommendations about her services; she is nothing short of a magician!
(H.S., Student)
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June was an amazing help to me in the college essay writing process. From the Common App essay to the supplements, she was there every step of the way, allowing my inner voice to shine through! June helped me polish my essays and was extremely flexible in communication, working through both email and Skype. Best of all, June always allowed me to choose what to write about, to find my own errors, and to ultimately make my essays my own. The product of which was an overjoyed high schooler – equipped with better writing skills – who was admitted to her top choice school!
(C.S., Student)
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June helped me greatly with my Common Application essay. She not only helped me with the grammar and spelling, but the content as well, helping me brainstorm and think of the best ways to improve my ideas. With her assistance, knowing that 25% of my first-choice college’s decision was based on the essay, I at least felt 25% sure I would get accepted—and I did!
(K.C., Student)
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June has helped me more than I could have ever imagined in teaching me how to find the best ways to bring my “story to life.” Her first-hand knowledge of both the French and American academic systems also made it much easier for her to guide me as I worked through my essays. She was always very supportive and extremely flexible. Thanks to her, my writing skills have improved dramatically, from structuring my ideas to choosing the most effective words, tools I know I will be able to take forward with me as I go on to college.
(M.H., Student)
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June was truly a blessing for both our two children, one a transfer and one a freshman applicant. At the time of his application process, my son was experiencing some large challenges, but June went above and beyond my expectations of her as a writing coach, guiding, supporting, and encouraging him till he actually hit the “submit” button on his applications. Both children found it incredibly helpful to have brainstorming sessions with her. Once they wrote the first couple of drafts, she would give very positive comments combined with precise, constructive feedback on how their essays could be improved. With lots of polishing, they all turned out wonderfully. Both our children are now doing well in college and we have only June to thank for this. We couldn’t have done it without her.
(R.R., Parent)