For a Knockout Essay, Get Thee to an Editor

Online services help students hone their writing

Excerpted from Business Week Magazine; March 10, 2001 Issue

David Hamilton, college adviser at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Wheaton, Md., has about 200 seniors to shepherd through the arduous application process. He has a new tip for the Class of '01: Check out essay-editing Web sites, such as EssayEdge.com. "The essay is a crucial part of the package," he says. "Services like this can be extremely helpful."

Essay editing is one of the fastest-growing online services targeting the college-bound. The entire transaction, from edit to payment, can take place in just a couple of days. Rates run from $25 for a one-time critique to several hundred dollars for a more extensive consultation.

EssayEdge is staffed entirely by Harvard University grads--from founder to line editors. The site is well-designed, offering a full description of editing services and prices, which range from $24.95 to $240, depending on the essay's length, and a turnaround time of 24 to 48 hours. The site also offers free writing tips. Founder Geoff Cook, Harvard '00, says essay editing is not a guise for selling essays. "Our editors do not add new content," he says. Instead, he says, they look for flaws--statements without supporting evidence, weak intro paragraphs, or poor transitions.

By Ellen Neuborne