Professional editing?

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sharpieLIFE

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Anyone recently use a professional editing service?
Thoughts on it?
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There are professional editors/writers who give their services for free (because they are changing fields) on the pre-allo readers list. Save yourself the money and find one of them.

In full disclosure, I used to be a pre-allo reader and I was a professional editor so people really got most of the professional experience when working with me. After 300 (or so) personal statements, I've retired from SDN editing. There still are others that are doing it though.
 
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I would emphasize family aerospace. While I do not do it much anymore, I frequently have reviewed essays on SDN in the past and at the same time charged 200/hr in real life. You are getting as good or better editing services here than what you can buy.
 
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I used a professional editing service, and I really liked it. They had me reshape my writing, not just tinker with it, which is what I found most of the people who do it for free give in feedback. They can definitely be spendy, though. For my whole application, I think it was somewhere around $500.
 
MrLogan13 said:
Waste of money for most people.
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IMO, 'most people' should be more cautious sending their personal statements to self-proclaimed 'experts' on an internet forum...

To the OP,
If you're still a student, take advantage of your career services center. Ask around the English department or check in with science professors you've had in the past. If you attend a school with an affiliated medical school, it's very possible your professors have experience reading applicant PS' from previous years. Do your homework and develop a strategy you feel comfortable with.

If you are non-traditional, your job becomes a little more difficult. It's hard to rely on family/friends/co-workers. In this scenario, I know many who are pleased with the results editing services provide. These individuals also have full-time jobs and can afford ~$500 cost of editing services.

Yes, I am one of the latter, non-traditional applicants who chose a similar route. I had the final PS reviewed by several professors from my undergrad who I maintained contact with, one of which had previous experience serving on the AdCom. They highlighted strong elements on my PS that were specifically refined during my editing process.

This was the route that seemed best given my situation. 'Most people' (edit: 'All people') have unique situations. Good luck to you.
 
familyaerospace said:
There are professional editors/writers who give their services for free (because they are changing fields) on the pre-allo readers list. Save yourself the money and find one of them.

In full disclosure, I used to be a pre-allo reader and I was a professional editor so people really got most of the professional experience when working with me. After 300 (or so) personal statements, I've retired from SDN editing. There still are others that are doing it though.
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@familyaerospace Come out of retirement please? 😉
 
sharpieLIFE said:
Anyone recently use a professional editing service?
Thoughts on it?
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Go for it. As HarryH00d mentioned, sending your personal statement to some faceless entity on the internet really is NOT the smartest thing to do. Hire a professional if you can afford to. It's safer. Check out tutoring services, ask about writing tutors...that should help you locate a solid editor.
 
XxThaDoggxX said:
@familyaerospace Come out of retirement please? 😉
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I partially went into retirement because of the attitude of so many people on SDN. Too many ungrateful people and too many people saying things like "You get what you pay for." I assure you, if you went to my company, you would get similar results and you would be charged for it.

Also seeing the same mistakes over and over again drove me up the wall even when I said in red ink (or should I say "track changes"?) how to change it. I'm sure you've seen my blog post, that is the direct result of my frustration regarding the latter.

I have read a few dozen since I retired two years ago and that is only because certain issues have to be worded very carefully and they needed someone very intimately familiar with the issues. I've also done a few scholarships and a residency statement. I really need to understand more about what is needed for the latter! 🙂
 
I used IvyEssays. It cost me like $150. Was it necessary? Probably not, as I had spent months revising my paper prior to submitting it to them. Was it worth it? Yes, without a doubt. I needed a complete stranger to give me their professional opinion, and they gave me wonderful feedback. More importantly, I had more confidence in my application when I submitted it. I considered the SDN thing, but personally just felt more comfortable paying for it.

The cycle is really long, and you will have many times where you doubt every single thing about yourself. IMHO, now isn't the time to be stingy. You have to do whatever it takes to feel confident about your application. You don't want to be regretting not doing this or that in middle of an already very stressful process. Good luck!
 
I used to read personal statements, but after I posted that I was willing to read them, I started getting 5-6 per day and after clearing a 30+ backlog, stopped. My wife (DA) edits medical school/law school essays on the side. She typically charges $150-200 / hours.
 
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Ditto. I just don't have the time for them anymore.


mimelim said:
I used to read personal statements, but after I posted that I was willing to read them, I started getting 5-6 per day and after clearing a 30+ backlog, stopped. My wife (DA) edits medical school/law school essays on the side. She typically charges $150-200 / hours.
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Well if any of you lovely souls would feel inclined to hop back in the saddle to read mine let me know 🙂
 
sharpieLIFE said:
Anyone recently use a professional editing service?
Thoughts on it?
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I used Brian on gurufi.com and I was very impressed with his work. My personal statement was decent before I sent it to him, and I was a bit skeptical about sending my essay to someone I'd never met before, but it was seriously the best decision I've made so far in the application process. I told him what I was trying to achieve in my personal statement, and he completely turned it around and polished it. He kept the skeleton of my essay the same, but made the sentences flow more, made it more of a story, and did a better job of organizing my ideas. A friend of mine read the essay after he edited it and she literally had tears in her eyes because of the emotion and storytelling he helped me achieve. Overall, I'd say it was worth the money. You can check out his prices on gurufi.com and look at all the reviews. He has over 100 5-star reviews and I think a couple 4-star reviews. Totally worth it! I promise he won't disappoint. If you have any questions about his editing or my experience, send me a message! 😀
 
SouthernPreDoc said:
I used Brian on gurufi.com and I was very impressed with his work. My personal statement was decent before I sent it to him, and I was a bit skeptical about sending my essay to someone I'd never met before, but it was seriously the best decision I've made so far in the application process. I told him what I was trying to achieve in my personal statement, and he completely turned it around and polished it. He kept the skeleton of my essay the same, but made the sentences flow more, made it more of a story, and did a better job of organizing my ideas. A friend of mine read the essay after he edited it and she literally had tears in her eyes because of the emotion and storytelling he helped me achieve. Overall, I'd say it was worth the money. You can check out his prices on gurufi.com and look at all the reviews. He has over 100 5-star reviews and I think a couple 4-star reviews. Totally worth it! I promise he won't disappoint. If you have any questions about his editing or my experience, send me a message! 😀
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Thanks for the hot tip, Brian..
 
SouthernPreDoc said:
I used Brian on gurufi.com and I was very impressed with his work. My personal statement was decent before I sent it to him, and I was a bit skeptical about sending my essay to someone I'd never met before, but it was seriously the best decision I've made so far in the application process. I told him what I was trying to achieve in my personal statement, and he completely turned it around and polished it. He kept the skeleton of my essay the same, but made the sentences flow more, made it more of a story, and did a better job of organizing my ideas. A friend of mine read the essay after he edited it and she literally had tears in her eyes because of the emotion and storytelling he helped me achieve. Overall, I'd say it was worth the money. You can check out his prices on gurufi.com and look at all the reviews. He has over 100 5-star reviews and I think a couple 4-star reviews. Totally worth it! I promise he won't disappoint. If you have any questions about his editing or my experience, send me a message! 😀
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From the TOS:

SDN is a nonprofit organization that promotes open discussion among students and doctors. It is not operated as a free service for promotion of your site, product or service.

Looking at you, BRIAN
 
SouthernPreDoc said:
I used Brian on gurufi.com and I was very impressed with his work. My personal statement was decent before I sent it to him, and I was a bit skeptical about sending my essay to someone I'd never met before, but it was seriously the best decision I've made so far in the application process. I told him what I was trying to achieve in my personal statement, and he completely turned it around and polished it. He kept the skeleton of my essay the same, but made the sentences flow more, made it more of a story, and did a better job of organizing my ideas. A friend of mine read the essay after he edited it and she literally had tears in her eyes because of the emotion and storytelling he helped me achieve. Overall, I'd say it was worth the money. You can check out his prices on gurufi.com and look at all the reviews. He has over 100 5-star reviews and I think a couple 4-star reviews. Totally worth it! I promise he won't disappoint. If you have any questions about his editing or my experience, send me a message! 😀
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r/hailcorporate
 
efle said:
From the TOS:

SDN is a nonprofit organization that promotes open discussion among students and doctors. It is not operated as a free service for promotion of your site, product or service.

Looking at you, BRIAN
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wouldn't be the first time someone used this site to promote (and failed). That "doctorpremed" kid who was pimping his website and service was unintentionally hilarious.
 
Vote Efle!!!...Moderator in 2016...'Everywhere IT matters!'
 
If you guys go to my profile and look at my recent postings/activity, you'd see that I'm actually a student applying to med school right now. The only reason why I posted about Brian is because he offered me a discount on a future edit if I wrote a review on a site like this one. Joke's on you.

The original question was about professional editing services and I answered it - so if you decide to follow my advice or not, that's up to you. 🙂
 
xyphr said:
^ You joined 3 weeks ago. Relax bruh....I mean Brian.
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What does joining 3 weeks ago have to do with anything? Lol. Are professional editors known for joining SDN 3 weeks before they post or what?

If I was a professional editor, I could have joined 5 years ago and it wouldn't make a difference anyway. 😛
 
SouthernPreDoc said:
What does joining 3 weeks ago have to do with anything? Lol. Are professional editors known for joining SDN 3 weeks before they post or what?

If I was a professional editor, I could have joined 5 years ago and it wouldn't make a difference anyway. 😛
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calm down Brian
 
For my PS I used gurufi.com and my editor was Brian. I'm very happy with the service and will be using it again for my supplemental essays. I had to do a lot of research to make sure I can find a credible editing website that would actually help me improve my essay and Brian truly did that for me.
 
pspsn said:
For my PS I used gurufi.com and my editor was Brian. I'm very happy with the service and will be using it again for my supplemental essays. I had to do a lot of research to make sure I can find a credible editing website that would actually help me improve my essay and Brian truly did that for me.
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how about people write their own essays...
 
I paid ~100$ for someone to edit my personal statement. It was worth it for me...
 
Hi guys, sorry for resurrecting this thread.....

But I have a question for those who have edited for others in a professional paid capacity:!how did you get started with it?
 
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