To whom it may concern,

Stan Lemons was a critical support to our son in the process of his college application. At the time Tripp applied to undergraduate school, he was very unsure of his writing skills and nervous about his ability to get into a good school. Stan tutored him not only in writing his essay for admissions, but also encouraged him to apply both to the schools at the top of his list and to some not on his list that were even more difficult to get into. He did a great deal for our son's self-esteem.

Tripp was at the Latin School of Chicago, a private independent school, applying to a range of competitive colleges. Stan talked with Tripp as Tripp struggled with a theme to answer the various questions on the multiple college applications. Once Tripp chose a theme, Stan asked him to write the essay. With a first draft of his essay, Stan walked him through the process of editing and rewriting until Tripp had an essay that came from his heart and showed the admissions committee who he was. The essay was finished when it showed the relevance of his theme on Tripp's life and thinking. Stan coached him, but when Tripp had a finished product, it was clearly his own thoughts and writing. It was authentically Tripp's essay – and a well written personal statement. Walking someone through this process until they have an authentic piece of work is quite a task, and Stan seemed to be a natural at this process. It required commenting, teaching and then standing back and allowing the student to do the work himself building on his writing and editing skills. Stan was gifted at this. Tripp was accepted early admission at Kenyon College in Ohio.

There aren't words to express how much this meant to us. As parents, we couldn't help Tripp through this difficult task. Our thoughts and ideas were too caught up in our own hopes and wishes for our son. Stan stepped in with great skill and did a better job than we or anyone else could have done. Tripp, for once, truly enjoyed the writing process.

If you have a chance to work with Stan, I recommend you take it. You won't be disappointed.

Eleanor Baldwin

I met Stan a few years back when I was applying to business school. Stan helped review my MBA application, and gave me some pointers on how to improve both the content and the flow of my essays. Moreover, he provided valuable insight on what admissions officers may be looking for in a candidate... further helping me to determine what I should focus on in my writing.

Stan's warm and friendly personality, along with his capable coaching, made me feel confident that I was submitting the best application that I could put together.

And, by the way, I was admitted and matriculated to the Anderson School at UCLA, a top ranked MBA program.

Tiffany Chu

TheSecretToWriting.com was recently challenged to develop a bio and summary of my professional experiences to use to support my business partnership. This bio was to be used on our web site in the "about me" section and as an additional marketing tool for attracting new clients and employees. As is often the case, it's hardest to write good things about yourself, so we saw great value in going to the experts to help us with the task. The process included interview, research and interpretation. The result was a clear, compelling and succinctly written "story" of my life. Thanks to TheSecretToWriting.com, we've completed the content for our web site and are on our way to new destinations.

Lisa Bacote
Partner, Tag Team Marketing Resources