No workshops. No templates. La Luce Literary helps clients identify their strengths, plan their writing, find their unique voice, and produce exceptional essays on demand. Video interview coaching is also available. Process is guided by inquiry and completely personalized. 20+ years of experience in college essay building.
All sessions held online.
Testimonials
What Clients Are Saying:
“I got into Berkeley and UCLA…the hardest decision was which to choose!” Matthew G.
“Thanks to Lisa’s consulting my daughter was admitted to her dream school.” Sandra Y.
“I couldn’t have done it without La Luce. Lisa helped me find my voice and show the colleges who I truly am. I’m more than just test scores and grades.” Ashton
“Lisa is incredibly thoughtful and attentive in her work. Sessions with her were always comforting and effortless. She understood exactly what I was trying to say and helped me express it in an incredible way. Without her guidance, my essays wouldn’t have been nearly as powerful and concise. Thanks to her support, I got into the school I’ve dreamed of attending since 7th grade.” Courtlyn H.
“Until I worked with La Luce I didn’t know how to start my essays. I was planning on just answering the prompts. Thank you so much for showing me how to make it my own and say what I really wanted to say. I got into my top school, Boston University, because of your guidance. You’re amazing!” Elise Y.
“Lisa helped my daughter so much and because of her assistance my daughter got into her favorite schools. She will be heading to NYU this fall, and I believe it’s because of Lisa’s expert advice in helping young people write stellar college essays. I cannot thank her enough.” Faith M.
“John really didn’t have the grades we wanted him to have, but we thought that his story might help him to get in to a good school. We found Lisa through some friends and it has made all of the difference. He wrote a great set of essays and got into some of his dream schools. I’m still beside myself. Thank you, Lisa.” Thomas Y.
“I don’t think my friends realize how much the essay matters. I was able to get into four UC Schools (UCLA, Berkeley, UCI, and Davis) because of my essays. My GPA isn’t amazing (4.1) but I got in over some of my friends who had better grades! I’m sure it’s because of the help I got from Lisa. Thank you for helping me! I can’t wait to start at UCLA this fall.” Deborah S.
“Thank you so much for making me believe in myself and see that I had a story. I never thought I had anything to say but now I see the value of writing a good essay. Berkeley, here I come.” Matthew C.
“I’m so glad I had my son work with Lisa. She’s exactly what he needed while going through this process. She cares about her client– it’s not just about the money. My son got into some great schools because of his essay, and more importantly, he felt better about himself after working with her. I cannot express my gratitude enough.” Gloria R.
Students accepted to: Barnard, Vassar, Wesleyan, NYU, Boston College, Boston University, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCI, among others (2024-current)
La Luce Salone is a once a month meet up for Creatives of all types. We meet locally and discuss our projects. Email for details.
Indie Publishing
La Luce Literary has published a handful of literary works: Basta (a novel by Lucia Maz), A Tiny Existence (a chapbook by Lucia Maz), and Rooted (a poetry collection). We are in the process of making Rooted available for purchase online.
La Luce Literary is a independent literary and arts magazine. All work is property of the authors listed or Lucia Maz. Find more information at luciamaz.com
Throughout my years of working with young people, there is one pattern I’ve noticed time and time again: they do not want to work on their college essays ahead of time. The thought of being done with the hardest part is enticing, but also overwhelming. To thwart this common mindset, my recommendation is for them to work on the hardest literary piece of their lifetime first. This seems to be the daunting Common App essay. Although there are supplements that go along with the general essay for most of the schools, this main essay is the one they fear the most. Once this one is done, the others will roll out much easier as the process of creation has begun and many of the other essays can be built off of this important piece.
Some recommendations for young people? Take some time to brainstorm all of the parts that make up the whole known as YOU! You are not average, normal, or uninteresting, like you think you are. You have unique attributes that make you different from those around you, if even if you can’t see them initially. It takes some careful consideration to make these parts of yourself show themselves, but if you take the time to sit down with pen and paper or a laptop/phone and take notes on everything you believe, activities you enjoy, life events, music you listen to, cultural norms, etc. you’ll begin to see the shape of yourself. This is the first step in discovery.
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