One-on-one with a real, working writer — until the essay only your student could write is the one they actually send. No AI, ever.
Book a Free Call →BadEssay is a college essay studio built around one-on-one coaching from real, working writers — for the single part of the application your student fully controls.
Journalists, essayists, and former admissions readers — people who earn a living with words, not tutors with a checklist.
We interview, coach, and edit the way professional editors work with authors. The essay is genuinely theirs — and genuinely good.
No AI touches the essay — not for drafting, editing, or "ideas." We put it in the contract, along with your deadline.
Based in Orange County, CA · Working with students nationwide over Zoom
15 minutes, parent and student together. You leave with a plan and a deadline map — whether or not you hire us.
The 650-word Common App essay — story-finding interview, unlimited revision rounds, one writer start to submit.
Learn more →"Why this school," community, and challenge prompts — tailored per college so no two schools get the same essay.
Learn more →All four PIQs for the University of California application, chosen and coached as a set that covers your strengths.
Learn more →Essays that win money — leadership, service, and hardship prompts coached with the same editorial standard.
Learn more →For community college and four-year transfers — a statement that explains the move and makes the case.
Learn more →Not sure what to write about? Two sessions that surface the story only your student can tell.
Learn more →"My daughter went from dreading this essay to being proud of it. Her writer never wrote a word for her — he just kept asking better questions until her real story came out."