From breaking down the steps to a multi-part project to facilitating communication with teachers to offering advice on navigating friendships, we are there for your student. Every kid needs an adult in their court, and mentorship is baked into what we do.

High school course selection starts in eighth grade and is essential. We seek to balance academic rigor with a student’s well-being and mental health, but we also have a long view to start building the story for the application. We guide students away from dated assumptions (“colleges like four years of language”) and point them towards decisions that build a story true to the student (“I dropped Spanish which is not in my wheelhouse in order to take another drawing class which supports my goal of being an architect”).

Students can and should explore myriad interests. As they progress in their high school years, we help them “water the gardens” that mean the most to them. Everything they do outside of the classroom should be authentic to their interests and manageable given their time constraints.

At the end of the day, colleges are going to look first at a student’s courses and grades. We provide the academic support a student needs to review those French verbs, master that geometry proof, and argue that thesis. A little tutoring can do wonders to build confidence.

A resume is more than a collection of facts describing work experiences and educational background. It is a collection of short stories that has the potential to be written in a way that makes a student’s skills, values, and interests stand out. We help craft and hone the resume through concise and targeted language…. all while teaching a skill students will bring forward to job applications.

The sophomore year SAT usually sets a benchmark. If a student’s score is strong, it makes sense to prepare for the junior year SAT which can lead to a National Merit Scholarship. If a student’s score is particularly low, it’s time to see if the ACT is a better fit.

Even though many schools are still test optional, a strong test score is an unequivocal positive. A quick assessment can determine if it makes sense to focus on one test or the other.

Our college counselor speaks individually to students and families to come up with a tailored list. She goes beyond the standard (Urban or rural? Big or small?) questions and researches the schools that match a student’s values, budget, and academic/extracurricular interests, challenging them to think beyond their initial biases.

Colleges favor students they believe will accept an offer of admission. To that end, many track demonstrated interest. We help students identify and craft emails to their regional admissions counselor and encourage them to attend virtual tours & information sessions, visit in person, and follow schools on social media.

Colleges are going to compare your student to others at the same school. We help students choose the teachers whose recommendation is going to complement the story. We also offer suggestions about how to connect with the teacher so they get to know the student.

The counselor always writes a letter and may not know you. Most ask parents and students to respond to some questions. Don't waste this opportunity to shape the narrative.

College admissions has become a strategy game and we’ll help you make a plan.

Early Decision (ED) means that a student applies in the early fall and hears by mid-December if they are accepted, rejected, or deferred to Regular Decision. ED is actually less selective than Regular Decision because the college gets the benefit of your commitment. A student who applies Early Decision will have a better chance of getting accepted, but will be bound to the college.

Rolling Admissions (RA) means the student can apply anytime and the school will let you know about their decision as soon as they’ve reviewed your application.

Early Action (EA) means that a student can apply in the early fall and hear by mid-December (sometimes January or February) if they are accepted, rejected, or deferred to Regular Decision. Since there is no obligation to attend, EA can be more selective than Regular Decision.

Restrictive or Single Choice Early Action means that a school will not allow you to apply anywhere else except a state school. Schools like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Georgetown use Restrictive EA.

Early Decision 2 (ED2) is a second round of Early Decision in the winter. So for example, let’s say a student’s first choice college is Green Mountain College and their second choice is Blue Mountain College. They apply to Green Mountain College ED in November and get deferred. Assuming Green Mountain College has ED2, they will have to decide whether to apply to Green Mountain College RD or ED2. Since ED2 is binding, they have an advantage over the students applying RD, but if they get in they have to withdraw their application from Green Mountain College.

Regular Decision just means applying in the big pool and finding out in the spring. This is tough because some schools reject students who they perceive are overqualified because they assume they are a safety. RD is risky, but it’s also where most people end up.

The best time to start is in June and July. The Common Application takes roughly 5-10 hours, though this estimate can vary widely. The initial interview is the most essential piece of the process, since that is how we get to know what makes the applicant special and unique. As we chat about extracurricular interests and activities, we start filling out the Activities/Honors/Additional Information sections. We also determine whether we can take advantage of the COVID question (this may be removed for the 2023 application season) and whether the student needs to fill out an additional question (for example if they had disciplinary action or switched schools). These take extra time, of course, but also provide an opportunity to tell the admissions officer more details. Students whose activities sections are full and complex require extra time and strategy. Please note: Not all schools take the Common Application but I’ve never met a student who didn’t use it at all. We know how to repurpose writings from the Common App for the Coalition App, UC system, or college specific applications like Georgetown, MIT, and Loyola.

Students who complete the Common/Coalition Application in June and July and are ready to tackle the supplements when they are released August 1. This timeline means they are done with applications by the time school begins. There is no way to estimate time needed for supplements, since every school has its own requirements. We do our best to repurpose what we have already written, expanding or shrinking to match word-count. However, it’s imperative that every supplement be rigorously focused on what that school has to offer that matches the students activities, background, and future interests. More than anything, admissions officers want to know you’ve done your research which includes attending online tours, information sessions, student panels and reaching out to students who attend the college and asking them questions.

If you are lucky enough to get an interview (not all schools offer them anymore), we want to help you make the most of it by staying consistent with your overall narrative and showing your curiosity about and interest in the college.

Before submitting, we proofread every piece of the application (and always find typos).

It’s essential to let a college know that you are still interested and to present a new angle to your application.

Ideally, students will have an abundance of good choices come spring. We can guide you through making that final decision!