M.C. Steffen

I’m a storyteller, in many forms. As an artist, I discovered my love of writing stories from my own life when I studied creative nonfiction at the University of Chicago. And as a teacher, I use the artistic tools I gathered there to help my students tell their stories — even students who don’t think of themselves as writers or creatives.

Stories are some of the most powerful persuasive tools we have as people. They don’t just entertain us: we use them to discover new and interesting things to think about, and to learn new ways of thinking about them. This is why an incredibly specific story about the things you love to think about can make for a great college essay.

My students have written stories about a wide range of niche topics: the psychology behind board game strategy, the tenacity required for rock climbing, the patience and chemistry knowledge they pour into their winemaking hobby. Stories that were fun to read and fun for them to write — and that also worked as the perfect vehicles to show schools like Stanford, Princeton, and Columbia the qualities that make them great.

I promise, no matter what you’re passionate about, we can find a compelling story in it. I’m eager to meet you, and to use my experience as a writer and editor to help you find it.

Shelly Horwitz

I’ve been a professional editor, in various disguises, for years. I love working with writers at every level of experience — from high schoolers to professional playwrights and journalists — to help them hone their voices and craft each story into the most powerful shape it can take.

As a former English major at the University of Chicago (alongside an additional major in Theater and Performance Studies), I’ve always delighted in powerful, personal stories. As a teacher, I love watching students and writers understand themselves a little bit better through the art of essay-writing — and I’ve found the best way to help them is with humor and support.

My students have been accepted to a wide variety of schools including Harvard, Yale, MIT, UPenn, Stanford, and Oxford, among others. I have also helped students successfully apply to prestigious jobs, scholarships, and graduate programs including the Fulbright, the Truman, Yale Law School, and the Chicago Booth School of Business. Wherever it is that you’re hoping to go, a powerful essay can help get you there.

Josh Harris, Founder

I’m Joshua Sonny Harris, and I founded Chromolo Writing Instruction in 2016 because I love the work. I have been teaching essay writing for college applications professionally for over five years (and I’d be pushing a decade now, if I were to count all the years before that when I was assisting my family and friends, just for fun).

By training, I’m a creative writer – I attended Columbia for my Screenwriting MFA, and the University of Chicago for my BA in English and Theatre. By trade, I’m a teacher and editor, determined to help high school students learn how to write compelling and original personal essays that highlight their own voices.

Our former Chromolo students attend Ivy League universities, tech powerhouses, and selective liberal arts programs. This past season, I helped one student earn early admittance to Harvard in just a few weeks of intense work, and helped another gain the full-ride Robertson scholarship at Duke in a more drawn-out process. What do you want? Let’s get you there, all without losing your mind along the way.

Application writing doesn’t have to be an impossible chore. Personal writing can be meaningful—even fun, damn it! You don’t have to believe us yet, but I promise, it’s the truth. It’s the Chromolo way.