For Parents Considering Chromolo:

Thank you for entrusting us with this responsibility.

All three of us appreciate how hard the college application process can be for a parent. We each remember the intensity of watching our own parents as they read our work, how they obsessed over our essays as much as (or even more than) we did. We all got frustrated at some point during the process — but these days, we understand a little better where they were coming from.

At Chromolo, we want to make one part of the application process easier for you and your child. We are always happy to answer questions or soothe anxieties — many families like to be in frequent communication with us, and we often encourage students to show later drafts of their essays to their parents. Parents often have great suggestions for edits; after all, you know your kids better than anyone!

With that said, a word of caution. You’ve probably heard this before, but it bears repeating: colleges want to hear each student's voice, not adult voices. Admissions committee members know how to spot ghostwriting — whether from a parent, an English teacher, or a writing coach — from a mile away. We don’t write essays for our students; we aim to help each student find, strengthen, and highlight their own, singular voice.

We work hard to ensure that your child’s completed essays will read as intelligent and polished, but they will be different essays from the ones you or we might write. There’s a specific tone and vernacular to the way that many teenagers — especially smart kids — talk, and few older people can replicate that. It’s best for us to approach your student’s writing on their own terms.

With all that said, we want to say once more: thank you for deciding to embark on this process with us. The application process may be long, but we hope to be part of making it a great one. We’d love to talk with you.

Until then, all the best.

The Chromolo Team