Personal Statement Editing With Lauren
Want a friendly expert to help you deal with those annoying admissions essays? Lauren Hammond edits personal statements and statements of purpose for graduate school, medical school, PA school, nursing school, law school, and other programs. She has a PhD in English from the University of California Riverside and is an Assistant Professor and Lead Faculty in the Writing Program at Azusa Pacific University.
Bring her a draft that needs work, or start from scratch. She works with people online over Zoom and in Google Docs.
Personal statement editing with Lauren is $275 an hour, or $1,250 for 5 hours. Consultations are free. Text or call her at 951-395-4646, or send us an email.
Quick facts: personal statement editing with Lauren Hammond
- Who: Lauren Hammond, PhD, edits personal statements and statements of purpose for Vince Kotchian Test Prep. She has been a writing consultant for more than 10 years.
- Credentials: a PhD in English from UC Riverside, former Graduate Writing Center Specialist and graduate Fulbright Program Advisor at UC Riverside, and now an Assistant Professor and Lead Faculty in the Writing Program at Azusa Pacific University.
- What she edits: personal statements, statements of purpose, diversity statements, and research statements for graduate school, medical school, PA school, nursing school, law school, and other programs.
- Price: $275 an hour, or $1,250 for 5 hours. Most clients use 2 to 4 sessions.
- How it works: live sessions on Zoom, with edits tracked in Google Docs. Bring a draft or start from scratch. Lauren helps you write your statement but never writes it for you.
- Results, from clients' Google reviews: accepted to every MPH program they applied to, accepted to 3 vet schools including their top choice, and accepted to their top-choice school and two others after not getting in the year before.
- Getting started: a free consultation. Text or call Lauren at 951-395-4646.
Lauren's Clients' Results
From their Google reviews:
- Accepted to every MPH program they applied to (Nicolina P.)
- Accepted to 3 vet schools, including their top choice (Victoria R.)
- Accepted to their top-choice school and two others, after not getting in the year before (Montgomery Y.)
- Accepted to their top-choice graduate program (Renee B.)
- Interview invitations from two MFT programs (Lily A.)
- Accepted to their ideal program after GRE prep with Vince and essay help from Lauren (Clifford G.)
Read the reviews on Google: Vince Kotchian Test Prep and Vince Kotchian Test Prep Carmel Valley.
Comparing editing services? See how Lauren compares with EssayEdge, Scribbr, and others.
What Lauren's Editing Covers
- Structure: what to cut, and what order to put things in.
- Content: which experiences belong in your statement, and which don't.
- Voice: keeping the statement sounding like you.
- Clarity: flow, grammar, sentence mechanics, and standard written English.
- Length: getting under your application's character or word limit. Our guide to personal statement length lists the official limit for every major application.
How It Works
- Get in touch. Text or call Lauren at 951-395-4646, or send us an email, and tell her what you're applying to and where your draft stands. The consultation is free.
- Share your draft in Google Docs, where every change is tracked. No draft yet? Lauren will help you pick the experiences that belong in the essay, build an outline, and get a first draft written.
- Work on it together over Zoom. Sessions can go to brainstorming, restructuring, trimming, editing, or all of the above.
- Most clients use 2 to 4 sessions, depending on how developed their draft is and how many programs they're applying to.
After you submit, interview invitations often follow. When they do, see our interview guides by program. For practice interviews with feedback on how you sound and come across, our partner Julie Cunningham, a licensed speech-language pathologist, offers admissions interview coaching.
Statements Lauren Edits
Lauren has helped applicants in healthcare, mental health, law, business, public health, research, and many other fields. She also edits statements of purpose, diversity statements, research statements, and other graduate application materials. Each of these pages covers that program's statement:
- Medical school
- Medical residency
- PA school
- Nursing school
- Law school
- MBA
- Statements of purpose
- Dental school
- PharmD
- CRNA
- Vet school
- Physical therapy (DPT)
- Occupational therapy
- SLP
- PsyD
- MPH
- All other graduate school statements
See every program on our personal statements page.
Meet Lauren Hammond
Lauren earned a BA in Literature and Writing at California State University San Marcos, an MA in English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University, and a PhD in English at the University of California Riverside in 2023. After her PhD she worked as UC Riverside's Graduate Writing Center Specialist and graduate Fulbright Program Advisor. She now teaches at Azusa Pacific University, where she is an Assistant Professor and Lead Faculty in the Writing Program. She has been a writing consultant for more than 10 years.
What People Say About Working with Lauren
Fiona Wang: "I had about 6 sessions with Lauren Hammond to go over my personal statements for PhD/PsyD Clinical Psychology applications. I had different goals for each of my statements (e.g., trim, content development, brainstorm ideas), and she tailored each session to meet my needs. An hour might seem short, but she was very productive and sometimes went over two short statements in one session. I thought my writing skills were already good, but the final product, including her revisions, turned out even better than I expected." - See our Google reviews
Lily Annino: "Lauren helped me out SO much with my MFT graduate school essays. I've already gotten an interview from two schools, and I was incredibly happy with the essay results. 110% would recommend her!" - See our Google reviews
Nicolina Patin: "I had the pleasure of working with Lauren Hammond on my Master of Public Health statement of purpose essays, and I'm thrilled to share that I was accepted into all my MPH programs! Her guidance on restructuring my writing was incredibly valuable and her in-line edits helped refine my language, ensuring clarity and conciseness. I highly recommend working with Lauren!" - See our Google reviews
Mira Park: "Lauren Hammond was so incredibly helpful with my personal statements for grad school. I really needed help with organization, staying focused on a coherent narrative, and content-building — which she was phenomenal with. She's also a really sweet person and a pleasure to work with! Can't recommend her enough." - See our Google reviews
Renee Begin: "Lauren Hammond was amazing. She provided me with thoughtful feedback that structured and strengthened my graduate school application essays. You can tell she genuinely cares about her students and wants to see you succeed. I was accepted into my top school choice and appreciate Lauren for her help in the process." - See our Google reviews
Personal Statement Editing FAQ
How much does personal statement editing cost?
Working with Lauren is $275 an hour, or $1,250 for 5 hours. Most clients use 2 to 4 sessions, depending on how developed their draft is and how many programs they're applying to. Consultations are free.
Will Lauren write my personal statement for me?
No. Lauren helps you write your own statement. If you're starting from nothing, she'll help you choose the experiences that belong in it, build an outline, and get a first draft written, but the story and the words are yours.
Can Lauren edit a statement of purpose, diversity statement, or research statement?
Yes. Lauren edits personal statements, statements of purpose, diversity statements, research statements, and other graduate application materials. If a program asks for several essays, she can help with all of them.
Can Lauren help me cut my statement to fit the character limit?
Yes. Sessions can go to trimming as well as restructuring and editing. Our guide to personal statement length lists the official limit for every major application.
When should I start?
We recommend starting 6 to 8 weeks before your first application deadline. That gives you time to draft, revise, and tailor your statement for different programs without rushing, and it makes it more likely Lauren has availability when you need her.
Does Lauren work with applicants outside the US?
Yes. Lauren works with applicants anywhere in the world over Zoom and Google Docs. She has worked with many applicants for whom English is a second language, and she keeps your voice while improving clarity and standard written English.
Can I use AI to write my personal statement?
AI tools can help you brainstorm or get past writer's block. But they don't know your experiences or your reasons for applying, and they don't write in your voice, so what they produce tends to come out polished and generic. Admissions readers see a lot of that. A specific statement in your own words does more for you. Lauren helps you develop your own voice rather than replace it.
Is there a free way to check my draft first?
Yes. Our free personal statement checker looks at your length, opening line, stock phrases, signs of AI writing, and sentence rhythm. Your draft never leaves your browser.
Does Lauren help with interviews?
Lauren edits written statements. For interviews, see our free interview guides by program, and for practice interviews with feedback, our partner Julie Cunningham, a licensed speech-language pathologist, offers admissions interview coaching.
Text or call Lauren at 951-395-4646, or send us an email.