Has anyone used online essay editing services?

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I am writing my PS, and I was interested in using essayedge.com or ivyessays.com or other online essay editing websites. I was hoping for feedback if you have used it, or just general opinions if you think it is worth the price. Thanks for any help
 
Termwean said:
I sent my essay to essayrx last night...I'll let you know how it goes. ... I'll let you know how it goes, and if I got my mony worth.
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Hey cool! I was wondering the same thing, if they were useful or just a waste of money. Will you let us all know how it goes? Thanks in advance!!!
 
I've always been happy with www.essayrx.com

At first, I was skeptical, but they do a good job of hooking you up with an editor that has similiar interest. For instance, they have a law student, with a background in writing, do the editing for people applying to law school. So, that's cool because they know more about the process than just an English major would.

My editor is starting medical school this fall. The other reason I used essayrx is because of the price. They were the cheapest I could find online, but I would have paid more. I saved money, but I found this to be better than some of the other companies, because my editor had insight into the process. Also, he's really creative, a good writer.
 
I've written this before, but I've tried other editing services, but essayrx has been the best in the bunch because they are really laid back and honest about the process. It's not about pretense. They just help you get a good essay done. The editor that I use actually worked for some of the other online companies before as a freelance editor, but decided to work for essayrx because they offer a better service for less. So, the editors you get at the other companies are often the same editors used by a different company. You're paying for the editor, so why pay more is my thought?

I think essayrx does a good job of keeping the cost down and giving you a great edit. If you use them, request Mr. Wanger. He's a creative writer, fiction. He's won a national award for his writing.
 
It seems that essayrx might be the way to go. Do they just email you with a critique? Can you email them back and ask questions, I would call essayrx but they are closed on the weekeneds. Thanks
 
I actaully used essayedge and i was happy with the quality of my PS, but it was a little expensive





~ice
Aka arabdoc
 
How did the process of essay edge work? Can you email them multiple times with questions?
 
It depends on the plan you buy, some of the expensive ones you can email them several times for the duration of the plan. however, check on the website to be sure.
 
I used essayedge and was not helpful at all because they really don't know you. I ended up not even using any of their comments.

The best option is if you can find an older mentor or person who has applied to any top-notch graduate school (i.e. mba/law/med) who would be willing to spend a few hours with you and review your statement. Their comments will be far more valuable than any service.

If you do go the professional route- call MCAT review programs if they have any leads for essay doctors who live locally in you area. At least they can meet you face to face which is helpful.

Good luck
 
How's about contacting a med school and asking them to look at what you've written? I didn't use any pro service, but did speak with three folks for review:
1) My pops - English prof at local univ., for grammar check. Lucky me.
2) SUNY Upstate MS III who did student portion of adcom.
3) Univ of Mich EM doc/adcom member.

I don't feel I've written God's gift to PS, but I do feel okay about it.

Good luck.

dc
 
Why spend the money. I had numerous people look at mine, and they made a lot of fantastic changes.

First off if they are friends or family, tell them that you will not be happy with "oh this looks great, you jsut need to change this to that and you'll be great."

Instead I said, rip the thing apart, if you hate it tell me you hate it and offer a suggestion. I thought my PS was awesome, but it was quickly shredded by everyone. I made a lot of great corrections, sent it back and forth between all my editors, and my PS is tons better than just payi9ng someone $75+ to read.

You need to get a lot of people's input on your essay, not just one (like the essay services have). Save your money and use friends, family, co-workers, doctors you shadowed, etc. It worked for me.
 
The reasons why it's worth it to spend the money on an editing service is because you can get a person that is used to reading these types of essays, they've seen many essays, they know what to expect and what's expected of you. They can also measure you against the competition.


Also, you can't be sure that you're going to get a good editor. So, once you get one, stick with them and that's why I always tell my friends to use Mr. Wanger at EssayRX. He's honest, creative and open. Since he's starting medical school too, I think this year. He knows what we're going through. If he was to go and work for another editing company, I'd follow him. An editing company is only as good as there editors.

The thing about Mr. Wanger is that he's busy. He's probably the most requested online editor out there. Everyone seems to want him. I've had other editors from other companies and they didn't help me too much.
 
LP1CW said:
So, once you get one, stick with them and that's why I always tell my friends to use Mr. Wanger at EssayRX. He's honest, creative and open. Since he's starting medical school too, I think this year. He knows what we're going through. If he was to go and work for another editing company, I'd follow him. An editing company is only as good as there editors.

The thing about Mr. Wanger is that he's busy. He's probably the most requested online editor out there. Everyone seems to want him. I've had other editors from other companies and they didn't help me too much.
Click to expand...

So this Mr. Wanger guy is just STARTING medical school, but yet he's a essay god?

My FREE editors were honest, creative, and open, but yet I didn't need to spend a dime. Some of which are already in medical school and two that are on adcomms. I guarantee I got a better essay out of my friends/family/collegues than i would have gotten from spending $75.
 
FiveForFighting said:
So this Mr. Wanger guy is just STARTING medical school, but yet he's a essay god?

My FREE editors were honest, creative, and open, but yet I didn't need to spend a dime. Some of which are already in medical school and two that are on adcomms. I guarantee I got a better essay out of my friends/family/collegues than i would have gotten from spending $75.
Click to expand...

I think he's good. Although he says that he wants my essay to be mine, he did edit some things out of the essays that I felt were important to me. Also, his writing style is very different from mine.

BTW, spiritualduck and LP1CW seem to pop up every time this essay editing topic comes up. LOL. Really, I tried the SDN route using a different username, but nobody responded to my requests for help. 🙁
 
Yeah, I think he's in his 30's. He's not like 21. I think the reason why he gets most of the med students is because of the fact that he's been through the process. Going to med school is definitely a career change for him.

But I also think you should save your money. Online editing is a good option if you can't find a friend that can give you good feedback. Your friend should also know what this type of essay demands.

I'm always defending online services because I've used them. And it helped me. Lots of people knock them.

But the best editor out there is my wife. Sometimes, I think she got me through school.
 
I knock them because I can think of a million other ways to spend your money. Hey donate the $75 to me, and I'll have several people look over your essay for 'free.'

Besides there are plenty on SDN that will read for free all you gotta do is ask.
 
I'll do it for $20 dollars, a slice of pizza, and Pop Tart.
 
hamhamfan said:
I think he's good. Although he says that he wants my essay to be mine, he did edit some things out of the essays that I felt were important to me. Also, his writing style is very different from mine.

BTW, spiritualduck and LP1CW seem to pop up every time this essay editing topic comes up. LOL. Really, I tried the SDN route using a different username, but nobody responded to my requests for help. 🙁
Click to expand...


Hammy, please see your PM, I proofed your PS.

I still think editing services suck. I bet I could edit an essay for 25 bucks better than these schmos can...
 
Peterock said:
Hammy, please see your PM, I proofed your PS.

I still think editing services suck. I bet I could edit an essay for 25 bucks better than these schmos can...
Click to expand...

Thanks Peterock!
 
i used essayedge, and I think the editor did i good job. she didnt change anything dramatic because she said it was strong already, she just helped me reword stuff and finesse out my long wordy sentences, tie things together, made sure everything made sense. also, i have verb tense problems! overall, i thought essayedge was good.
 
wends said:
i used essayedge, and I think the editor did i good job. she didnt change anything dramatic because she said it was strong already, she just helped me reword stuff and finesse out my long wordy sentences, tie things together, made sure everything made sense. also, i have verb tense problems! overall, i thought essayedge was good.
Click to expand...

Admittedly my rough draft was, well, rough. I kind of expected major changes in structure, but he really changed things around. In fact, he introduced some things that I probably didn't want in my essay (I kind of dumped on him anything bad that has happened to me). Also, the running theme that I had in my essay was subjugated into this little paragraph.

Also, how long should the essay be? The final essay that he gave me was about 3,700 characters, IIRC.
 
i guess it depends on the editor too. my essay was kept at the approx 5300 characters.
 
Termwean,

So, any thoughts? Would you recommend your editor?
I'm not sure about how I feel about using an editor. Is it wrong? I want an editor that can help me find shape. My brother and cousin both used EssayRx, mainly because the cost was good. They were both thrilled. One used the Wanger guy, the other used Groff. Both seem good.

My brother used Mr. Groff for his college essay. Has anyone used him? I really need a good essay. My GPA got hurt a bit during freshman year. I'm at a really good school. I'm just so nervous. I really want to get in.

I'm so glad that I have this site. 🙂
 
I just sent in my essay last night, to Mr. Wanger. He emailed me almost immediately with initial comments. He said I was a good writer and my essay flows well. He gave me other compliments, and spoke of how he could improve it. He gives a great first impression and makes me feel confident that he can make my essay more impressive. I will keep posting as I go through the process.
 
I agree with wends.

I used essayedge and I thought it was well worth the price...ultimately because I got into medical school. Anyway, my editor kept my original message and tone but changed the order to make it more appealing and readable. After he was done it sounded a lot more like a good story than a personal statement.
 
I had my essay edited by essayrx.com. I thought it was well worth the money. I started with just a general idea of what I wanted for my amcas personal statement. The editor (Alice) helped me pick out the best angles from my hodge-podge. It was really cool to see what good guidance from a pro can do. I was able to refine it into an awesome personal statement WITH my voice intact.

I highly recommend essayrx because I got into medical school and was TOLD that my essay made a big difference in the consideration of my application. Moreover, I used EssayEdge before I used essayrx and I found the personal attention much better with essayrx. There is an actual dialog with an editor at essayrx who KNOWs about the medical school process. Not just some generic IVY league graduate who doesn't have a clue about what doctors are all about as with Essayedge.

Oh, btw I do think it is helpful to get help from fellow SDNers, but sorry to say I would rather have a pro work on my material. Especially when you consider that you will be sending the AMCAS personal statement to ALL the medical schools you are applying to. For the cost of a 2ndary at a school like Tufts you get a great edit. Besides opening my essay up to general public comment was not a pleasant thought to me. It seemed analogous to running around a big city and asking anybody with a suit and an opinion to edit my essay. No thanks.


Just another opinion.
 
Termwean,

I'm still hoping you can give us some feedback. I'm trying to decide what I should do. I don't think I want everyone reading my essay. I've seen some people on SDN post their actual essay. That seems crazy to me. People could steal some of your ideas. I'd don't know, but we don't really know anyone on this forum. How can we trust everyone. Sorry if I offended anyone.

One of my professors read it and really liked my essay. Maybe that's good enough.
 
Termwean, thanks for your thoughts. Good luck too. I hope it works out well for all of us. Although, I know it won't.

I'm going to use an editor. I'm going to use EssayRx, but I also know that Mr. Groff can edit. I've seen his work. And lots of people like Wanger. I bet that they all do about the same job. Editing is editing, isn't it?
 
While I did not use an online service one of my friends did and he had a great experience. He started with a $hit essay and was able to get into a good school with the help of one of the essay services. All I can really say is that they worked with him on a regular basis until it was good enough to be sent out with his application. I will set back and let you know which service he used.
 
I spoke to my friend and he told me that he had used the www.essayrx.com guys. He still rants and raves about how much help they were.
 
The feedback I got was excellent from essayedge, I can't help but think it's one of the reasons I got in. Bascially their advice was "make it personal". Being an engineer by training I have a tendency to be objective and a bit...well...clinical. They rewrote my essay to make it so touching I couldn't help but be impressed.

Their "recipe" is quite simple. Details. Details. Details. When you're talking about the patient you met volunteering in the ER mention the "well-earned wrinkles from a lifetime of smiling, a warm chuckle interrupted by boughts of pain". Make the reader "feel" the experience.

Don't even bother to consider the cost. I think my review was $75. Peanuts compared to what I spent applying a second time and the lost revenue of an additional year of not being a doc.

~Tony
OHSU class of 2008
 
bummer! i guess i'm lucky to have had rose. she was awesome and kept my voice. good luck to ya tammy!
 
To all you who have used Essay RX, what kind of time frame do they get it back to you in? EssayEdge promises 48 hours, 365 days a year, is it similar? thanks

Liz
 
krebse said:
To all you who have used Essay RX, what kind of time frame do they get it back to you in? EssayEdge promises 48 hours, 365 days a year, is it similar? thanks

Liz
Click to expand...

They promise 2 days or it's free but don't bank on it. Mine was turned in on Thursday and I didn't get it back until Tuesday night (with errors, I might add). My editor did help with a couple of the passages but just be SURE to read that thing with a fine tooth comb. I don't know if he was tired or what but he had deleted things out and then not added words in to make it make sense so I had two sentences that had no verbs at all and others that just sounded disjointed. I think they can be helpful but man, just be careful with it.
 
are you talking about essayedge or essayRx?
 
I got the streamline edit at EssayRx.com. I think that there was one type of edit that had a longer turnaround time. I think both are around five days. I got great service and turned around in 48 hours and an amazing essay. I did tell them them I had a time constraint.

Now in general, I've talked to 4 or so friends who have had their edits done this year at EssayRx.com, and a few that had used them last year. The concensus is that EssayRx.com offers more of a full blown thematic/grammar/flow edit. Everyone I spoke too recommend them HIGHLY. I am sure, just like with any company, there are bound to be a few dud essay edits. I think overall their quality is higher than essay-edge, I have used both. I think they specialize in medical schools or something.

Another drop in the bucket of opinion.
 
I think every editor/company will have good edits and not as good of ones. It happens. I took the advice of some of my friends and used EssayRX. My essay came back so much better, it really is great now.
 
Okay, all of you seemed to like EssayRX and either Wanger or Groff. I just looked at the website, and I was wondering how y'all were able to choose your editor. I don't see that option, unless it's after you submit your credit card number. Also, if I have a rough draft written, but it's not very impressive, is the streamline or deluxe package better?
 
I have no experience with EssayRx, but I have used EssayEdge and was very happy with the edited essay I received back from them. I basically wrote my essay in two hours and sent it to them. I was under tremendous time constraints; fortunately they were able to send the edited version back to me in less than 48 hours. My editor didn't "rewrite" my essay for me, but she did rearrange my essay so it flowed a lot better and it made it convey a more personal tone to it. I seriously believe that if I hadn't sent it to an editing service such as EssayEdge, I wouldn't have gotten so many interviews even as I applied so late in the cycle (November). What's $100 if your future depends on it?
 
I don't know. It just seems to me that if a lot of people on this forum can recognize a specific editor's changes from essayedge (I'm refering to an earlier post), what keeps the adcoms noticing the same thing too?

Some guy posted his PS on here not too long ago, and everyone was like, "is that Dr. So and So from essayedge?" It just seems to me the adcoms would recognize the same sort of thing on your application, and would think that it was taking away from the personality and individuality of it.

Maybe i'm being too overeactive, but I think they would notice it and recognize it as almost unoriginal.

Again, I'm up in the air on this, so any thoughts?
 
tautomer said:
I don't know. It just seems to me that if a lot of people on this forum can recognize a specific editor's changes from essayedge (I'm refering to an earlier post), what keeps the adcoms noticing the same thing too?

Some guy posted his PS on here not too long ago, and everyone was like, "is that Dr. So and So from essayedge?" It just seems to me the adcoms would recognize the same sort of thing on your application, and would think that it was taking away from the personality and individuality of it.

Maybe i'm being too overeactive, but I think they would notice it and recognize it as almost unoriginal.

Again, I'm up in the air on this, so any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Good question--id like to hear more about this from people.....also for people that used essayrx should i get the streamline or deluxe if I want interact with the editor. Ive been working on my essay for a while but id like to see which of my two intros works better with my essay and also how to better incorp leadership activities. What is the turnaround time on the essays through the streamline? Also, how would i request a specific editor? Thanks!
 
I got a deluxe edit the second time I used them. It took 4 days to finish my essay and I had ongoing conversation with my editor during that time. I still emailed him for awhile after my essay was finished to get his opinion on my secondaries.

It is one of them best customer service oriented companies I have interacted with. They are very responsive to deadline requests that deviate from their policy. BTW I requested my editor in my submission email, after I paid.
 
As to the possibility that adcoms can actually distinguish which editor some one used...

I think there is such a remote chance that this might happen that it may be considered impossible. Consider that a adcom reviews perhaps 4000-7000 essays a year from applicants. Have you ever tried to read more than 20 essays about the same subject ? ...Ughh... That adcoms are actually able to discern anything like stylistic similarities AND attribute that to a common source is overstating adcoms abilities.
Moreover, I think that organizations that actually do try to discern these types of attributable characteristics of writing have analysts that are trained in this regard and ARE trying to do so and typically are not successful (NSA,CIA) (read, Body of Secrets, James Branford). That adcoms whose purpose and training are completely different, qualifies the possibility as completely improbable, and not worth even considering.
 
tautomer said:
I don't know. It just seems to me that if a lot of people on this forum can recognize a specific editor's changes from essayedge (I'm refering to an earlier post), what keeps the adcoms noticing the same thing too?

Some guy posted his PS on here not too long ago, and everyone was like, "is that Dr. So and So from essayedge?" It just seems to me the adcoms would recognize the same sort of thing on your application, and would think that it was taking away from the personality and individuality of it.

Maybe i'm being too overeactive, but I think they would notice it and recognize it as almost unoriginal.

Again, I'm up in the air on this, so any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I think it's a not insignificant possibility. The fact that so SDNers recognize editors is evidence enough that I'd be wary of going that route.
 
I disagree...

Reasons enumerated:

1. The population in question is not SDNers. It is adcoms. These are very different populations with different purposes and experiences.

a. ADVICE: SDNers get advice about choosing editors from other SDNers. Hence, they are more likely to use the same editors.

b. PURPOSE: SDNers are applying to medical school and adcoms are reviewing applicants. SDNers may read 1-10 essays from other SDNers who choose the same editors because of reason (1.a.). Adcoms read 100's of essays from non-SDNers and SDNers.

c. PROBABLE CO-INCIDENCE: SDNers are likely to notice similarities in edited essays because they are more likely to share the same editor because they have looked at SDN for choosing an editor.

d. REASON: SDners are interested in looking at similarities between their own essays and others because they have a vested interest in the process and curiosity. Adcoms are reviewing essays for choosing quality applicants, a completely different reason.

e. SEA OF SIMLARITY: Adcoms are suffering from essay overload with 1000+ essays to review. When you read 100+ essays about why people want to be doctors, everyone's story seems the same. Do it every year and nothing seems the same and you can probably write the last half of most essays given the first. That two essays might have two editorial similarities will be lost in the sea of sameness of 1000's of essays

2. We are talking editorial changes here, not original essays. In a collaborative editorial process, the mix creates difference not similarity.

Simply in terms of purpose alone the probability is insignificant. Just imagine sitting there with a stack of 100+ essays to read on the same subject. You think they are going to pick out the 2 or 3 that may have used the same editor. I am sure they could care less. There brains will be ouzing out of there heads before they could be bothered with reading for such similarities. SDNers care. Adcoms don't. I have spoken with a Psychiatrist who sat on a few adcoms. He suggests that adcoms could not be bothered with splitting hairs on editorial similarities in essays. He also said that most essays are mind numbingly similar even to notice such PARTICULAR similarities would be amazing. Note: He is an advocate of the cognitive dissonance theory of application review.

I do sincerely appreciate the perspective of those people that disagree with my view.
 
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