See your essay the way a reader will.
Paste a UC PIQ or your Common App personal statement. You get a careful review against six checks readers use, with notes pinned to your own sentences and one clear thing to do at each spot.
No card needed · No subscription · Essay ready? Paste it nowFor UC Personal Insight Questions and the Common App personal statement. Every word stays yours.
How it works
Three steps, about two minutes a pass. The review reads like a careful reader’s margin notes, not a report card.
Paste your essay
A UC PIQ or your Common App personal statement. Pick the prompt it answers.
Read it with the notes
Each note sits right under the words it's about. Fix the three numbered ones first.
Run it again
Paste your new draft and see what improved, check by check.
What happens to your essay
Trained on millions of essays
EssayRoast runs on AI models fine-tuned on millions of essays, far more than any counselor reads in a career. Our rubric tells it exactly what a UC or Common App admission officer looks for.
Used only to review
Your essay goes in and your notes come out. It is never used to train any AI model, ours or Anthropic's, and we don't read it unless you ask us to look into a problem.
Gone when you're done
Your essay is deleted as soon as it's reviewed, and the review 24 hours later. Save a draft only when you want to come back to it.
The rubric
Built from how UC and Common App readers actually read: they score the applicant, not the prose. Six checks that readers agree on form the floor. Each one quotes the lines that earned it, so you can see the reasoning. No overall grade.
- MetA reader would see it.
- Partly metThere, but thin.
- Not met yetA reader would miss it.
Answers the prompt
Every part of the question gets a real answer.
You're the main character
You drive the action, not someone else.
Specific detail
Claims rest on names, numbers, and what was said or done.
Something new
Adds depth the rest of your application can't show. Writing about a listed activity is fine.
Earned reflection
The insight grows out of this story.
Clear in one pass
A tired reader gets what happened and why. Not a proofread: fix mechanics last.
Never scored: your vocabulary, your topic’s prestige, how hard your life has been, phrasing that shows English isn’t your first language, or whether AI might have been involved.
What it won’t do
Candid about the writing. Careful with the person.
Write your essay
It points at the spot and asks the question. It never writes your sentences and never invents details. Every word stays yours.
Grade you
No overall grade or score. Six checks show what's done and what's left.
Predict your odds
Nobody can, and we won't pretend to.
Questions students and parents ask
No rewrites. No score. Your words stay yours.
EssayRoast is a review tool. It reads your essay and gives you notes. The writing is always yours.
Anything else? Read the privacy policy or write to hello@neuraoptima.com.
Does EssayRoast write or rewrite any of my essay?
No, and it never will. EssayRoast only reviews. It reads your draft the way an admission officer would, quotes the lines a reader notices, says what they see there, and asks the question only you can answer. It never drafts, rewrites, edits or suggests wording, not even a phrase. Every word in your essay is yours, the same as when a teacher or counselor reads a draft.
Is it safe to paste my essay here?
Yes. Your essay is used for one thing: producing your review. Your essay is deleted as soon as it's reviewed, and the review 24 hours later. Nothing you paste is ever used to train AI, ours or anyone else's, and we never sell or share it. If you save a draft, it stays in My reviews until you delete it, and you can delete your whole account in one click.
How can an AI know what admissions readers want?
Our models are fine-tuned on millions of essays, far more than any one person could read, and our rubric keeps them on what UC and Common App admission officers actually look for: a direct answer, you as the main character, specific detail, something the rest of your application can't show, reflection you earned, and clarity in one pass. Every verdict has to quote the lines that earned it, so you can check the reasoning yourself.
Will it judge my vocabulary or guess whether I used AI?
Never. Big words, impressive topics, how hard your life has been, phrasing that shows English isn't your first language, and whether AI might have been involved are all off the table. The review is about whether a reader can see you in the essay.
Does it give a score or predict my chances?
No. Six checks each say Met, Partly met or Not met yet, and the notes tell you what to do next. Nobody can predict admission from one essay, and we won't pretend to. EssayRoast is not affiliated with the University of California or the Common App.
Which essays does it review?
The University of California Personal Insight Questions (all eight prompts) and the Common App personal statement (all seven prompts). Pick the prompt your essay answers and the review judges it against that prompt, clause by clause.
Is it EssayRoast or Essay Roast?
One word, EssayRoast, at essayroast.com. If you heard the name and searched for Essay Roast, you're in the right place. The name is the promise: candid about the writing, careful with the person.
Can I review the same essay more than once?
Yes, and you should. After you revise, run it again and the review shows what improved and what's still open, check by check. Most essays get noticeably clearer by the second or third pass.
What does it cost?
Your first 3 reviews are free, with no card needed. After that you buy reviews in packs from $7.20 a review. There is no subscription and packs never expire.
What if I disagree with a note?
Dismiss it. The review is one careful reader's view, and you know your story better than any reader does. Keep the notes that help you see the essay the way a stranger will, and let the rest go.
Saved only if you choose. Your essay is deleted as soon as it's reviewed, and the review 24 hours later. Nothing is ever used to train AI.
Privacy details