Personal Statement Tutoring at CSU Chico
Hey Wildcats! The graduate school personal statement can seem like the most daunting and difficult part of your application. Silver lining, though: a well-written essay can:
- Wake up a bored admissions committee (most essays they'll read are extremely similar)
- Convey your real personality and make you come alive to your readers
- Depict your experiences in movie-like clarity and detail
- Show your best qualities and values
- Help the reader see why you and their program are such a great fit
Simply put, the essay is not a to-do; it's a powerful tool to help you get accepted! Text Vince at 760-542-8395 to get started.
All personal statement tutoring sessions with Vince are $45 for 60 minutes.
Vince Kotchian
Why Choose Us?
Experience and expertise matter when you're applying to grad school - a decision that is probably going to be life-changing.
Vince Kotchian has been helping people write their graduate school personal statements and statements of purpose for more than 10 years. Whether you just want some feedback on a draft, or you're staring at a blank Word doc and don't know where to begin, he is happy to help you turn your story into a compelling statement that will actually stand out and that will help you get accepted.
All personal statement tutoring sessions with Vince are $45 for 60 minutes.
(Note that this is a special discount rate only available for Chico State students working with Vince Kotchian - our normal rates are much higher).
Vince can help with:
- Statements of Purpose
- MS in Business Analytics personal statements
- MBA personal statements
- Law School personal statements
- PsyD personal statements
- Physician Assistant personal statements
- Physical Therapy personal statements
- Speech-Language Pathology personal statements
- Occupational Therapy personal statements
- Marriage and Family Therapy personal statements
- Master's degree personal statements
- Masters of Public Health personal statements
- Master's of Public Policy personal statements
- Nursing School personal statements
- Veterinary School personal statements
- PhD personal statements
- and more!
Contact Vince directly at 760-542-8395 (phone or text), or send us an email.
Location
California State University, Chico
Behavioral & Social Sciences Building
230 West 1st Street
Chico, California 95928
FAQ
"Isn’t the Writing Center free?"
Yes—and it’s helpful for feedback and proofreading. But they are writing generalists; I'm a personal statement specialist. I focus on the parts of your statement that actually move the needle: which stories to tell, how to structure it, and how to signal program fit. Some students use both: strategy with me, polish with the Writing Center.
|
What You Need |
Writing Center |
With Vince |
|---|---|---|
|
Brainstorm + pick the story |
Yes, time-permitting |
Yes—fast & structured |
|
Outline that matches adcom expectations |
Not their primary scope |
Core deliverable |
|
Program-specific messaging |
General writing support |
We tailor for SLP/PA/PT/MSW/MBA |
TESTIMONIALS
"Vince really helped the most in helping me to brainstorm possible ideas to write about as well as editing later in the process. It was very helpful to have someone to bounce ideas off of, especially as he is highly knowledgable on what grad schools are looking for and the structure of a polished essay. Vince was great in drawing out the best possible essay out of my existing narrative. Very helpful and cut down a lot of time and anxiousness in the essay writing process. I was very satisfied with how my essay turned out and in the end I did get into all the schools I applied to." - Jamie Y.
"Use Vince if you need help with your personal statement for undergrad/grad school! He is very caring and attentive even if communication is only through email. His help can really elevate your application! I would give Vince 10 stars if I could! I was stuck and did not know what to write about in my personal statement, but Vince helped navigate my thoughts into creating an amazing personal statement. Overall, I highly recommend him and his services." - Priscilla M.
"I loved that Vince was so patient with me! He took the time to hear out what I wanted to include in my essay and the message I wanted to transmit to the admissions committee. From there he helped me brainstorm and extract the important information that I should include in my essay and that would make me stand out as an applicant communicate my best qualities.
My essay had a completely different turn out than where it started. Working with Vince was just awesome because he was always very prompt, professional and detailed with his feedback. He always replied to me as soon as he could or kept me updated if he needed more time on revising my essay. Needless to say, I was accepted to my #1 choice for the Industrial Organizational Psychology Ph.D. Program and will be starting this Fall. Also, I received admission offers to 4 other graduate programs I applied to....Sooo EXTREMELY HAPPY!!!" - Minnelly R.
"I was in the process of applying to several graduate programs and was having trouble finding direction with my statement of purpose. I met with Vince and after telling him a little bit about what I wanted to write about he helped me outline the ideas I wanted to include. He was clear, concise, and very knowledgable. I met with Vince a a few times for revisions, ended up writing a pretty great statement of purpose, and got into 5 graduate programs! Vince is your guy if you need guidance in the graduate school application process." - Gabbi R.
"I came to Vince for help with my grad school personal statements because I had absolutely no idea where to start. In the short amount of time we had, he was able to help me organize my thoughts and write out all the points I needed to hit in the statement. His guidance and suggestions helped me form a strong essay and I was accepted into not just one, but a couple of schools that I had applied to! It was an extremely good experience working with Vince, and he makes sure to keep in touch and see your progress throughout the application process, which I think was a very nice personal touch. I highly recommend Vince when it comes time to think about graduate school!" - Nicole N.
"I enlisted Vince's help on writing my statement of intent for grad school. I got into my dream program, which is very competitive, and I owe a lot of that to the fabulous advice I got from him. He is always available via email, and responds quickly which is so important during stressful times like wondering what is the most important thing to focus on in your statement, wondering if what you wrote is just not jiving with the reader (he's totally honest with the kindest of deliveries). Really guys, Vince is the real deal and totally worth the cost when making it into your dream program on your first try is of the utmost importance." - Chelsie S.
OTHER GENERAL QUESTIONS
How long should I spend writing my personal statement?
We generally recommend about 4-8 weeks - 6 weeks is a good sweet spot. It takes time to come up with ideas and get those ideas onto paper in a compelling form.
How can I make my personal statement stand out?
MOST personal statements are BORING! Not because the person writing them is boring, but perhaps because:
- Their focus is too broad. They try to cover everything they've done, and nothing ends up standing out.
- They're impersonal. It's a personal statement - the reader needs to get a sense of who you are and what you're actually like - not some sanitized "professional" version of you.
- They're too safe. Ironically, a statement that takes no risks can be the riskiest thing you can do. We're not applying to a program with the intent of blending in with all the other applicants!
Granted, the above things can be overdone, or done wrong. But most statements make absolutely no impact, so it's worth thinking about how yours actually can!
For more personal statement tips, check out Vince's video: 7 Ways to Write a Crappy Graduate School Personal Statement.