For students whose stories don’t fit the conventional admissions mold.
Essay guidance from a globetrotting STEM applicant who's navigated a few unconventional paths, and learned how to turn a crazy story into a compelling case for why you belong.
coming soon
A short introduction film is on the way.
I’ve lived in six wildly different countries, navigated more cultures and schools than I’d like to count, and written college essays about cats, tiramisù, and diplomacy from the middle seat of a car. (among many other things).
I know firsthand what it’s like to stare at a blank Google Doc and wonder how you’re meant to squeeze that unconventional life into 650 words, especially when your résumé seems to say more about what you’ve done than who you are.
But if my own college application process taught me anything, it’s that the things you’re most tempted to leave out are often the things that make an admissions officer stop and think: “Oh. I’ve never heard someone put it that way before.”
I’ll help you find it, and turn a college essay into a fun little exercise in figuring yourself out!
Lila Favilli
I grew up Italian-Vietnamese, moving between six countries and collecting a pretty chaotic mix of cultures, languages, and interests along the way. I’ve always been fascinated by how people think, what makes them care, and how a good story can change their mind.
That curiosity has taken me into plastic waste and gender advocacy, engineering projects, and even writing a storybook on Vietnamese history. Along the way, I learned that having a good idea is only half the job; you also have to make someone else care about it.
And I didn’t stop studying essays after my own application. I became a little too obsessed with them, reading and analyzing dozens of successful essays from Harvard and Stanford admitted students to understand what makes a story memorable and a voice feel real.
To your college essays, I bring a STEM brain, a storyteller’s instinct, and a pretty obsessive eye for the details that make you feel real; and make an admissions officer care about who you are.
Education
Stanford University
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2030
International School of Moscow
Advanced level studies in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and History
College Acceptances
- Harvard University
- Stanford University
- Princeton University
- UC Berkeley M.E.T (Management, Entrepreneurship & Technology)
- Carnegie Mellon
- Georgia Tech
Why work with me?
01. I've been on your side of the application.
I'm not an admissions office or a consultant who has forgotten what it feels like to be the student. I've just been through the process myself; as an international student moving between countries and education systems, applying from a STEM (among many other things) background. I know how strange it can feel to turn a life that doesn't fit neatly into one box into a few hundred words.
02. I didn't stop at my own application
After my own admissions process, I became fascinated by what actually makes an essay work. I reached out to students on Harvard and Stanford accepted-student forums and read dozens of successful essays, looking beyond the obvious: what makes a voice memorable, why ordinary stories can become extraordinary, and what makes you want to keep reading. My perspective comes from studying lots of different people and stories, not just my own.
03. I look for the person behind the résumé.
Especially as a STEM student, it's easy for your application to become a list of things you've built, researched, won, or achieved. No "spike"? That's okay. I much prefer a thread, and I'll help you find yours: the curiosity, strange obsession, or perspective that ties it all together. (I wrote about everything from plastic recycling and feminism to engineering a chubby orange cat!)
04. I'll be blatantly honest about what isn't working.
My students love my honesty. You don't need another person telling you everything is great. I'll tell you when an essay is technically good but doesn't sound like you, when an impressive story isn't the right story, or when the sentence you almost deleted is the one worth keeping. Always kindly, specifically, and with the goal of making your application more yours.
05. You'll work with me, not a large company.
It's just me, from our first conversation to your final draft. Your essays aren't passed between editors or processed through a formula. I want to know the person behind the application, so I can help you communicate you.
I work especially with international students, STEM-minded applicants or students without a clear "spike" because I know how easy it is to feel like your story doesn't fit neatly into the boxes you're given.
You don't have to fit the mold to write a great essay. I'll help you find the parts of your story that are unmistakably yours.
A persuader at heart
I’ve spent years as a competitive debater and advocate, championing climate action and gender equality, constructing arguments, and reaching considerable outcomes. I’ve learnt that the key to persuasion is making someone care, firstly by understanding your audience deeply and then communicating what they want to hear, but on your own terms.
What this means for essay coaching: the drive to find what matters about your story, and the storytelling skills that tells a room full of strangers that you belong at their institution.
Lila's ideas, work
and awards
- Author & Illustrator, Land of the Fairy and the Dragon; draft of a children's story book on Vietnamese history & folklore
- John Locke History Shortlisted Essay titled “Why was Sustained Economic Growth so Rare in the 18th Century, and What Changed?” from 25,000+ entries; $750 scholarship recipient.
I’d love to hear
what you’re
working through.
Let me hear what you’re thinking. I love a messy first draft!