Stuck in a moral dilemma: Using the best essay writing service for my graduate application

I'm applying to grad schools next month, and my personal statement is just not where it needs to be. I'm a first-gen student, and I don't have family members or mentors who can help me craft a compelling narrative. I found an editing service that offers to 'rewrite and enhance' your statement. It's technically a writing service, but they call it 'editing.'

If I use them, and I get into a good program, will I feel like I cheated? Or am I just leveling the playing field against students who had private tutors and expensive consultants? I'm so torn between my ambition and my conscience.

Here's what I wish someone had told me: the admissions committee wants to hear YOUR voice. They want to know YOUR story. If a service rewrites your statement so much that it no longer sounds like you, that's going to backfire. Not because it's "cheating" (though it is), but because you'll show up to interviews and they'll ask you about things in your statement that you didn't actually write. And that's going to be really awkward.

Instead of a rewriting service, find a first-gen mentor. Many universities have programs pairing first-gen students with grad student mentors. Or cold email a grad student in your field and ask if they'd read your draft. We love helping. Seriously. Use free resources first, and if you need to pay someone, pay them to ASK you questions, not to write for you.