How much help with college essays is allowed?

OOutside help with college applications is allowed: the Common App itself lets students invite advisors to view their application and give feedback, and admissions offices, Stanford's included, know that school counselors, teachers, mentors from community programs and private advisors help students every year. Families who work with a firm like ours sometimes wonder whether that help is quietly against the rules. It is not.

What every application also requires is a signature. Before you submit, you affirm that the application and its writing are your own work, and colleges reserve the right to withdraw an offer, even after you have enrolled, if they learn otherwise. Students who cross the line often do so without noticing, which is why it pays to know exactly where it sits.