Color illustration depicts a wax seal with a turkey image and surrounding text, and a detailed hand-drawn letter opener with a wooden handle shaped like a turkey, positioned above the seal on a light background.
Color illustration depicts a wax seal with a turkey image and surrounding text, and a detailed hand-drawn letter opener with a wooden handle shaped like a turkey, positioned above the seal on a light background.

About Elevated College Essays

Put your stamp on college admissions

If your student is stumped by how to write the most effective college essay, you’ve come to the right place. It’s hard to know where to begin. It’s difficult to understand what story and what character trait best represent your strengths. And figuring out what admissions officers are looking for in the essays seems terribly confusing.

I get it. But the process is not as opaque as it may seem. The personal statement is basically just what it says: a chance for you to infuse your personality into your application.

I coach—and coax—students to explore core values, focus on their most authentic gifts, craft a compelling message, and write essays that make a distinctive impression with college admissions officers. Students may end up a little surprised by what their essay reveals about them. But like any quest, a few plot twists can lead them on the exact path they need to find their own buried treasure. The results can be literally life-changing.

Smiling woman with short curly hair outdoors
Smiling woman with short curly hair outdoors

Meet Elizabeth Marglin

I’m an author and journalist specializing in guiding students through the college essay process. My approach is personal and highly intuitive. It’s rooted in my passion for how language can shape, clarify and distill. I love helping young adults discover their unique voice and chart the next leg of their adventure.

I graduated from Columbia University magna cum laude and earned my MA in Journalism at CU Boulder. As a journalist, I’ve written for variety of publications, including AARP, Prevention, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Health and Yoga Journal. When it was time for a career pivot, I fell in love with the creativity and precision of the WOW training program and became a certified WOW college essay coach.

I live in Longmont, Colorado with my daughter Jasmine and chug Lula. My son attends Colorado College.

A woman with curly hair smiling while standing by a lake, wearing a gray T-shirt with a colorful sunset design and the word "LOVED" on it, with a paddleboard visible in the background.
A woman with curly hair smiling while standing by a lake, wearing a gray T-shirt with a colorful sunset design and the word "LOVED" on it, with a paddleboard visible in the background.

More About Elizabeth

I grew up in Cambridge, Mass. as part of a highly academic family. My father, stepbrother and sister teach at Harvard and my stepmother taught at Smith for decades. Education was a high value; my siblings and I went to Columbia, Harvard, Brown and Barnard. I forged my own path away from academia as a journalist, author, editor, and creative writing facilitator. But when my son was applying for college (Colorado College ‘29) I realized how invested I was in finding a school that was a perfect fit for him.

My mission is to help your student tell their story in the most elevated way possible. Whatever college they envision for themselves, be it a large public university or a smaller liberal arts school, my goal is to help your student reach their full potential by submitting the strongest application they can.

Learn more
A woman with curly gray hair, wearing an orange T-shirt, sitting on a reddish brown couch in a living room, smiling and holding a piece of paper or a receipt in her hand.
A woman with curly gray hair, wearing an orange T-shirt, sitting on a reddish brown couch in a living room, smiling and holding a piece of paper or a receipt in her hand.

My Work

To help schools get to effectively know your, student, their college essay must be written by them and sound like them. That’s where I come in. My job is to give your student the tools to help them expand their capacity for self-expression.

The WOW method I work with is built on proven tools and decision-making guidelines, with clear instructions that set your student up for success. This highly intentional process transforms applying to college into a rich exploration of selfhood, alongside a discovery of voice and an opportunity to celebrate your student’s unique superpowers.

Regardless of where your student is accepted and ultimately attends, they will have done this: revealed something undeniable about themselves, to themself.