What Is The Purple Pen Process?


Ideally the college essay writing process begins in the spring of a student’s junior year. At the first meeting I will get to know each student’s academic background and early thoughts on courses of study and potential college choices. Essay ideas are discussed and goals are set for timeline creation. Follow-up meetings are planned for late summer for rising seniors. Although it’s ideal to start early to maximize the time for essays to develop and to fit high school seniors’ very busy schedules, accommodations can be made for clients throughout the entire application process from September through spring of senior year.

Although many college applicants find the essay-writing portion of the experience the most daunting, it doesn’t have to be. Because of my years leading content creation and execution for many national magazines, I have proven techniques and strategies for helping writers at every level shape stories and statements that are creative, accessible and compelling. My experience in the parenting category uniquely qualifies me to relate to and bring out the best in adolescents. As a mother of five grown kids—all college (including Brown, Columbia, Connecticut College) and grad-school (including Princeton, Cornell, University of Michigan) graduates—I’m able to translate my personal knowledge of how young adults think, feel and act into my work with students of widely varying personal styles, and at every academic level.


Our Services

What We Do

  • One / 1:1 Meetings
  • One-on-one initial meeting in person, by phone or on Skype.

  • Two / Assessment
  • Assessment of all needed application essays and supplemental statements.

  • Three / Timeline
  • Customized timeline creation and reminders provided.

  • Four / Idea Generation
  • Idea generation based on all applications including the Common Application prompts.

  • Five / Essay Writing
  • Support provided during the statement and essay writing process.

  • Six / Feedback & Editing
  • All feedback and editing via phone, emails, Skype or in person.

  • Seven / Proofreading
  • I will proofread and copyedit all writing following professional grammatical standards.

  • Eight / Cover Letters
  • Coaching on all cover letters’ structure and content.

  • Contact Information
  • Please call or email me for more information about my services and fees.

    Email: freddi.greenberg@gmail.com
    Telephone: 1 (212) 982-1343
    Cell: 1 (914) 525-2910