Is EssayEdge worth it?

[soonerpillow]

If any of you have had your personal statement (or other essay) edited by EssayEdge (or any other essay editing service), do you think it was worth all that money? I noticed the ads on this site and checked out their web site and it sounds really good, but kind of expensive. So, on a scale of 1-10, what did you think of the benefit vs. the cost (10 = definitely worth it, 1 = you couldn't pay me to do it again)?

Thanks for the input.

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[carrigallen]

You can have SDNer's edit & evaluate your personal statement for free! Dig a few pages back for the thread (started by oldman or Adcadet) there is a huge list of people who will read your essay, I think.

 

[HaveFaith]

I used EssayEdge last year and was very disappointed. After the first "edit" there were multiple grammatical errors... so many, in fact, that I called them and they assigned a new editor to me. Unfortunately, after the second "edit", again, there were multiple errors. I expressed that I was not satisfied and I was told that they help with overall content and I should not expect all of the grammar to be correct!! At that point, I couldn't believe it.. and was pretty disgusted. Maybe I just happened to get two editors who were not that great...

 

[momoco way]

There was an old thread on EssayEdge.com that you might want to take a look at herehttp://www.studentdoctor.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1562&highlight=essayedge

Since someone provided an essayedge coupon code, I thought I would give them a try, and my editor was really good. I gave my personal statement to a lot of people to read, but the editor was still able to point out ways in which I could improve the essay. Several interviewers even told me how much they liked my essay. Overall, I think it's a great service, especially if you want the opinion of someone who has read a lot of application essays. They know the sort of essay that would make people want to continue reading. Hope this helps.

 

[Dr. Dodger Dog]

no essay edge is NOT worth it.... just click on it a few times to benefit SDN... but otherwise... rely on SDN readers...

 

[phar]

Yeb, waste of money.............go to your english professor....and give her a kiss after she edits it.......is what i did.........it worked...i am in now!!!!......maybe, i should go back and give her a fake essay....for the sake of earning another kiss.....

 

[UCLAMAN]

I don't think those companies are worth it(albeit I have never used one) but I'll give my reasons why.

One person who went to harvard or whatever is not the end all final word on what makes a good essay.

The best approach for the personal statement is to have as many people read it as possible. And I mean MANY. I'm talking 10-15 people, more if you can get more. The people who are willing to read essays on sdn are great resources as they have been through the process already. In fact I think they are more valuable than some harvard english grad who isn't applying to medical school(I don't necessarily know who the readers are. Even if they are former medical school applicants or have experience with the process...you can get 10 of those people from sdn and more from your undergrad campus if you looked hard enough. So why pay?). The best advice for the personal statement is to make sure if demonstrates you and the intangibles you would bring to medicine like heart, compassion, etc. This is your opportunity to subjectively tell admissions committees why you are unique, what drives towards medicine, etc.

The goal is to get as many opinions as possible and make your decisions to change or not change things based on what everyone has said. You can target different aspects of the essay by using different people. For example, an English prof may be more astute to the grammer and style of the writing, while a medical student may be more astute to the type of content and how it should be conveyed that would be most effective in the process.

No need to pay! But hey...if it makes ya feel better, go for it!

I never used an essay service and I have been to interviews where they have said that my essay was great. I've also had an admissions counselor tell me i wrote a great letter of intent. hehe.

good luck!

 

[lola]

content/structurewise essay edge really helped me. i'm sure it depends on who you get as a reader, but my reader helped me rearrange my essay so that it flowed a bit better. she was also able to compare it to other personal statements she'd read, which made me feel a bit better about it b/c she knew what makes a good personal statement.
if what you need is a grammar check, use your friends, profs, etc...

 

[shamthis]

Originally posted by HaveFaith
I used EssayEdge last year and was very disappointed. After the first "edit" there were multiple grammatical errors... so many, in fact, that I called them and they assigned a new editor to me. Unfortunately, after the second "edit", again, there were multiple errors. I expressed that I was not satisfied and I was told that they help with overall content and I should not expect all of the grammar to be correct!! At that point, I couldn't believe it.. and was pretty disgusted. Maybe I just happened to get two editors who were not that great...

Me too! It was awful! And they weren't even "Harvard-Educated"- I might as well have edited it myself. Only difference is I paid twice, even after writing a nasty letter. I hope the disservice of that "service" is further elucidated by your complaints.

 

[TechMan]

Sounds like EssayEdge is a crapshoot... just like medschool admissions. LOL

 

[hamhamfan]

I'm wondering about the different levels of service that they provide. Will the 80-300 dollars be well spent? I'm having serious brain block right now as I try to think up of a personal statement.

I don't know any good writers and I took english a long time ago....so having them proof read it might not be as good as having a "harvard educated" person read through it.

 

[soonerpillow]

Originally posted by hamhamfan
I'm wondering about the different levels of service that they provide. Will the 80-300 dollars be well spent? I'm having serious brain block right now as I try to think up of a personal statement.

I don't know any good writers and I took english a long time ago....so having them proof read it might not be as good as having a "harvard educated" person read through it.

I never did use EssayEdge. I just had people on SDN and some friends proofread it. Of course, I can't really say if it turned out well or not. A couple of my interviewers have said they liked it. So, my advice is to use SDN. There will be a thread in a couple of months of people volunteering to read Personal Statements. Just jump on that and you should be fine.

 

[LP1CW]

I used www.essayrx.com

This company is small, only a few editors. They're not flashy; they don't spend money on big ads, but their work is excellent. They are also inexpensive. The cheapest editing service that I found online.

I was so pleased by the level of work that I got there. I submitted a essay that was weak. My editor did more than edit my essay. He restructured it. He fixed several paragraphs.

I'm going to continue to use them for anything that needs to be well crafted. If you use them, request that you recieve Mr. C. Wanger.

P.S. I did feel a bit quilty because it was so good that it sort of felt like I was cheating. But every interviewer has commented on the quality of my essay.

 

[SpiritiualDuck]

Hey Lp1CW

I too used www.essayrx.com

I also had Mr. Wanger edit my essay. Don't get me wrong, I'm a good writer. In fact, I've completed several writing classes, but he was able to find things and fix things that I was blind to.

Also, the price was so fair. If Mr. Wanger goes on his own and starts his own editing service, I'm going to stick with him.

Because the price is so cheap, you can't go wrong...that's the way I looked at it. I also had him rework a couple of my secondaries. I'm very, very, very pleased.

And I agree a Harvard Degree doesn't mean that someone is a good editor. In fact, I don't even know where Mr. Wanger went to school. I don't care. I just want good work.

P.S. essayrx website is a bit boring. They should really try to jazz it up a bit, but I guess they don't need to because their work speaks for itself.

Also if you don't want to spend money on editing, just post them here. Several of us have agreed to read them.

 

[hamhamfan]

Whoa, it's a lot less expensive than essay edge. Thanks!

 

[Zeloy]

I used Essay Edge when applying to undergrad for multiple essays. I was insecure about my essay writing skills and thought it would be the end of my life if a school rejected me based on my essay. They played on my insecurities and got my money. Anyway, one editor I had actually did a real good job and helped make my essay better. Another editor for a different essay didn't help me much at all. In the end I didn't get into any school that I used Essay Edge for anyway! Oh well I've wasted money on worse things.