Why Us?
countertext (noun): A text that opposes another, often by presenting similar events from a different perspective.
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Most conventional college admissions consultancies are transactional in nature: more interested in getting students to cross items off a checklist than in helping them develop a unique voice and vision. At Countertext, we know that in this increasingly automatized, ChatGPTed world, a distinctive perspective and voice can mean the difference between an eye-catching application and a forgettable one. Real energy in your thinking and writing (one of few things that AI can never replicate!) are key.
Countertext offers highly individualized coaching and editing support rooted in a critical pedagogy framework. Our students are challengers of the status quo, eager to grapple with and write about some of the most urgent topics of their generation including mental health, the impact of mass and social media, disability justice, climate change, gender and LGBTQIA+ issues, and the legacy of imperialism, white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism, most of which schools in Taiwan fail to cover with sufficient depth and nuance. We support them in cultivating their most authentic and creative selves, no matter what field they aspire to enter.
We know that a genuine concern for the world cannot be falsified, so here, we’ll help you deepen that curiosity, develop a broader textual repertoire, and find ways to convey your story, creativity, passion, and integrity so that you have the best chance of showing the world who you really are.
CORE OFFERINGS
1:1 Essay Coaching and Editing
Collaborative coaching and editing for juniors and seniors actively applying to colleges. Our work will include brainstorming, drafting, several rounds of revisions, and final edits, all conducted over Google Docs and email, with the option for add-on video calls.
Creative Nonfiction Workshop
Generative small-group workshops designed to help students understand what makes a personal essay work, mine their lived experiences for stories, harness their own creative powers, and cultivate a voice uniquely their own. Workshops can range from 3-8 weeks depending on student need. Open to students starting from 8th grade.
Independent Study
Tailor-made workshops on a specific text or topic. These guided independent studies prepare students to write with greater depth and fluency on a vast array of issues ranging from writing in the age of AI to the impact of white beauty standards on the body image of young people around the world. Open to students starting from 8th grade.
About Christine
Christine Huang is a writer and educator who has spent the past ten years helping young writers find their voices. She is currently an instructor in the English Department at San Francisco University High School, where she teaches a range of innovative courses on creative nonfiction, gender studies, critical pedagogy, and media theory, among other topics. Prior to her career in education, she worked in public relations, arts management, and journalism.
Her prose, poetry, and journalism have appeared or are forthcoming in publications including Civil Eats, U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, The Offing, Foglifter Press, and Anomalous Press, and she was a prizewinner in the 2025 Betty L. Yu & Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prizes judged by Charles Yu.
Christine received her B.A. with Honors in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago and her M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
What Students Have Said About Christine:
Thank you so much for the best English class I have ever taken! The class dynamic was amazing, the workload was perfect, and your feedback on our written work was incredibly helpful.
-AG, ’24, Stanford University
My experience in [Christine’s] Creative Nonfiction class has been a transformative one. The way in which Christine facilitates class, whether it be an exploration of major literary themes, or simply her frank, earnest, and witty commentary fostered a class environment that made me excited to enter each day…The class and 1:1 time I got with Christine felt sacred.
-RY ’23, Brown University
I absolutely love this class so far (it’s been my favorite this whole year), and you are just such an amazing and engaging teacher, Christine…Thank you for facilitating such deep and engaging conversations.
-KH, ’21, Princeton University
Under her guidance, I have grown so much as a writer and as a person. I am really passionate about gender studies and her class gave me an opportunity to explore and analyze a perspective that I hadn’t encountered before…In her classes I feel empowered to speak independently and freely. She has given me the self confidence to develop my voice and take academic risks.
-AD, ’24, Columbia University
First and foremost I want to say thank you for the opportunity to take this class…I absolutely loved it. The assignments felt really meaningful to me, from doing freewrites and learning to express myself without listening to an inner critic to reading intriguing essays and books to spending time on the final piece and revision and figuring out how I can improve as a writer. If I could take this class again, I definitely would…This class meant so much to me – I looked forward to coming to class every day because of the class environment, the engaging assignments, the ability to dump my thoughts and ideas onto a page and feel like it was purposeful, and also because it really inspired me. Reading such talented writers (this not only includes the published authors but also people in our class) made me want to become one, not just temporarily, but as part of my identity. You inspire me too, because of the care you showed us and the writing, reading, and teaching talent that showed through in everything you did, and I’m so grateful to you for that. I have never been sadder to leave a class behind!
EK, ’22, Stanford University
Core Offerings
1:1 Essay Coaching and Editing
The Countertext approach to college essay coaching and editing is highly collaborative, supportive, and transformative. We prioritize helping you not only tell the stories that make you stand out, but also tell them in your own imitable voice, so that your application is as memorable as possible and never generic. Along the way, we help you cultivate a deep understanding of and appreciation for yourself, your journey in life thus far, and your values.
Process
For students who would like support with the ideation process, we offer an initial call to reflect on potential topics and discuss possibilities. Once the student has a first draft ready, we begin the in-depth editing process. Most essays go through 3-4 rounds of revisions, which includes line notes and narrative comments, with the option to add a video call for additional discussion. Finally, we help students polish their essays to make sure the writing reflects the originality of their ideas and their voice.
TIMELINE
Ideally, we recommend starting the process about 3 months before your application is due, but we’re happy to work with you to figure out a timeline that works best for your schedule. Rush editing services are also available for an additional fee.
Creative Nonfiction Workshop
For students who are earlier in their application journey (8th grade – spring semester of 11th grade), and for students who want to develop their skills and their voice as writers, we offer 3-8 week craft workshops. Workshops may include reading a range of personal essays (including experimental and lyric essays), creative and generative writing prompts, and opportunities for written and/or verbal feedback from the instructor and from peers.
These workshops invite you to see first-person writing as a process of waking up, one that trains you to pay close, curious attention to yourself, to the world around you, and to language. Through a combination of creative, experimental writing exercises and workshop critiques, we will explore how to excavate the untold stories that live within you, what it means to tell an honest, authentic story about yourself, and how to begin developing a voice that is, in the words of writer Meg Rosoff, “the deepest possible reflection of who you are.” We will practice reading more closely for craft, with our fingers on the pulse of language, writing more bravely, and living more attentively. Along the way, we will reflect on what it means to turn the scholar’s eye––trained to search for meaning and significance––inward, to the unmapped territory of thought, feeling, and experience.
Duration
3-8 weeks
Availability
This course is offered twice in the fall.
Independent Study
Join us for an intensive, deep-dive course designed on a topic that interests you, and that you may want to discuss or showcase in your application, whether your interests lie in gender theory and feminist studies, internet and the media, AI and education, Asian and/or Asian-American identity, current events, or anything else. We’ll design a curriculum specifically for you so when you go to write about the topic, the depth of your understanding shines through. Admissions counselors can tell when students are writing deeply about a topic rather than superficially, so the best way to nail your essay is some focused, targeted reading and learning!
Duration
Reach out to discuss!
Availability
Ongoing availability throughout the year; course can be customized to be synchronous (with live video calls) or asynchronous (which can be completed independently by students).
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