christopher kilner phd

Biography

Between the ages of two and fourteen, I underwent eight surgeries on my right ear. My hearing in that ear oscillated from 15 to 75 percent of normal, and I missed many sports seasons and social activities in grade school. I read instead, and I learned how stories are built long before I had to tell my own.

My Goldwater application told that story, beginning with one tiny ear tube. My Mitchell statement followed a single idea, migration, from a DNA test to a return to Ireland. I was one of 260 Goldwater Scholars selected from 1,206 nominees and one of 12 Mitchell Scholars selected from 284 applicants.

Those applications taught me that a selection committee remembers a thread more readily than a list. My scientific training taught me the test that thread has to pass. At Duke University, where I earned my PhD in Ecology, and now at an international organization leading in the climate technology space, I read every paper by asking what it claims and what evidence supports it.

For eight years, I have used both habits to advise students on their applications. I help each student find the thread that connects what they have done to where they are going, and then choose the moments that prove it. Students have rated this work 4.9 out of 5 across 75 reviews, and many of their comments mention how specific and thorough the feedback is.

I do not write essays for students, and they decide what to change.

Claim/Evidence

Every full review returns your draft with comments in the margin and a written assessment. My comments address ideas before sentences, because polishing a paragraph that should be cut wastes your time. The assessment states what already works and names the two or three changes that matter most.

Of every draft, I ask what it claims about its author, which moment proves that claim, and whether another applicant could have written each sentence.

Questions/Answers

Do you write or rewrite essays?

No. I comment and suggest, and you decide what to keep. Sundial's terms do not permit advisors to write essays, and I would not do so if they did.

How do I book a review?

Each link on this site goes straight to that service's booking page on Sundial Essay Review, which handles uploads, scheduling, and payment. You can also read all 75 reviews there.

How quickly will you return an essay?

Within 48 hours as standard. Faster return is available for an additional fee: 24 hours for $35, 12 hours for $50, or 6 hours for $95.

Can you tell me whether I will be admitted?

No. Colleges and programs make those decisions. I can tell you how clearly your essay makes its case.