College Essay Coaching

Through College Essay Coaching, I help students identify what genuinely matters to them and express it with clarity and confidence. We explore experiences, values, and questions that shape essays grounded in authenticity—not performance.

The goal isn’t polish. It’s ownership of voice.

  • One-on-one conversations that surface what matters
    I work with students to identify the experiences, values, and questions that genuinely shape who they are, rather than imposing topics or narratives.

  • Guided development of a primary personal essay and supplements
    Students receive structured support in developing a central essay and, when appropriate, supplemental pieces required by selective colleges.

  • Thoughtful feedback and revision focused on clarity
    Revision is guided toward precision, coherence, and depth—without overwriting or diluting the student’s authentic voice.

  • Coaching that explains the why behind revisions
    Students learn not only what to change, but why those changes strengthen their writing, helping them grow as independent writers.

  • An ethical process that preserves student authorship
    Throughout the process, ownership remains with the student; the work reflects their thinking, voice, and responsibility.

  • Coordination with school-based counseling when helpful
    When appropriate, I collaborate with school counselors to ensure the student’s application materials remain aligned and coherent.

Background & Experience

My background in college advisory work is shaped by long experience within international schools, close collaboration with families, and formal training in education, writing, and business. I have worked with students navigating high-stakes admissions decisions across diverse contexts, helping them articulate their stories with clarity, integrity, and confidence. The experiences below reflect the training and professional settings that most directly inform how I coach students through the college application process.

  • Decades of experience advising students in international school contexts
    Extensive work with students from globally mobile families navigating U.S. college admissions from international and independent school settings.

  • Leadership of college counseling programs
    Oversight and guidance for the college counseling engagement within international schools, working closely with faculty, administrators, and families on advising strategy and outcomes.

  • Professional experience at Harvard Graduate School of Education
    Served on staff at HGSE, deepening familiarity with U.S. higher education culture, academic pathways, and selective admissions environments.

  • Graduate education across humanities, education, and business
    Academic training spanning writing-intensive humanities and theological disciplines, education, and business, informing both narrative coaching and analytical rigor.

  • MBA with top academic honors from Columbia Business School
    Earned an MBA at Columbia with top academic honors, bringing disciplined thinking, clarity of argument, and high standards to student work.

  • Undergraduate education at University of Virginia
    Scholar-athlete and member of an NCAA championship team, combining academic rigor with the discipline, teamwork, and resilience required for high-level competition.

  • A reputation for ethical, student-centered coaching
    Known for preserving student authorship and voice while helping applicants present thoughtful, well-structured essays that reflect genuine self-understanding.

Strategic Advisory Services

Two domains. One standard: clarity

I’m TJ Coburn. My work moves across two domains: helping students discover and articulate their voice as they prepare for college, and guiding school leaders and boards as they navigate change and long-term strategic growth. In both settings, my focus remains the same—clarity of purpose, integrity in process, and the confidence that comes from understanding one’s story well enough to act on it.

My strategic advisory work is grounded in a simple conviction: institutions thrive when structure, governance, and leadership practices are aligned with purpose. I work with international school boards and heads to move beyond episodic planning and toward ongoing strategic discipline—clarifying roles, rethinking inherited structures, and creating the conditions for thoughtful leadership over time.

  • Strategy grounded in structure, not aspiration
    I help schools align form with function—recognizing that strategy fails when inherited structures are left unexamined.

  • Longitudinal strategic work, not one-off plans
    My work emphasizes continuity, follow-through, and institutional memory so that strategy lives beyond a retreat or planning cycle.

  • Clear differentiation of board and head roles
    Effective strategy depends on role clarity. I help boards and school leaders establish boundaries that support leadership rather than undermine it.

  • Integration of educational, organizational, and financial thinking
    Drawing on both school leadership and corporate experience, I work at the intersection of mission, resources, and operational reality.

  • Strategic realism informed by international context
    International schools operate within unique political, cultural, and demographic conditions. I resist importing assumptions that do not fit those realities.

  • Independence from packaged solutions and preferred outcomes
    I do not promote predetermined models, candidates, or consultants. The goal is institutional strength, not dependency

Background & Experience

My background spans international school leadership, governance work, and close, sustained work with students and families. Across these settings, I have been responsible for building institutions, guiding complex decision-making, and helping individuals clarify direction at consequential moments. The experiences below reflect the contexts that have most shaped how I think about leadership, strategy, and voice.Head of School leadership in international PreK–12 settings
Served as head of school in complex international contexts, with responsibility for academic programs, faculty leadership, board relations, enrollment, and community trust.

  • Extensive work with boards of trustees and governance structures
    Worked closely with boards on governance clarity, strategic direction, leadership support, and the practical realities of board–head partnership.

  • Experience navigating institutional change and instability
    Led schools through periods of transition, growth, and uncertainty, including leadership change, organizational redesign, and shifting external conditions.

  • Corporate and financial background informing strategic work
    Brings experience from outside education that strengthens financial literacy, scenario planning, and disciplined decision-making in school contexts.

  • Direct, sustained work with students and families
    Years of one-on-one advising with students and families during high-stakes transitions, including college planning and personal narrative development.

  • Published writing and thought leadership in international education
    Author of widely read essays addressing governance, strategy, leadership tenure, and the structural redesign of international schools.

  • Longstanding engagement across global educational communities
    Professional experience spanning multiple regions and cultures, informing a grounded understanding of how international schools operate in practice, not theory.