College is too important to settle for “duds” commonly referred to as “safety” or “back up” schools.

Your best-fit list should balance out admissions chances and meet financial priorities without compromising on a student’s excitement to enroll at any school on the list. 

As students hone in on their final list, it can all run together or feel overwhelming at times. We help conceptualize the core differences among your options, and discern which schools delivers the most value for your priorities so students can make informed choices for the long term.

It’s important to have control over the nuances that will signal to admissions which financial category to attach to your application: Need Aid, Merit Aid, or Full Pay as this will sway both your net cost and your admission chances.

• Many families are unaware that in order to access merit aid, they are still required to fill out financial aid forms.

• Other families want to signal their willingness to forgo merit and need aid in favor of the advantages afforded by applying “full pay”. However, filling out seemingly unrelated fields in the application can sabotage this. 

• The majority of families we work with who qualify for Need Aid don’t realize it. Even more so after the 2024 FAFSA changes increased aid eligibility to more middle income families.

• Some families would still like to access federal loans without signaling to the school that they are interested in need or merit aid, which is possible but requires well-timed planning.

Many schools use demonstrated interest as a key factor in determining admissions and merit scholarship offers.

Some schools consider it critical for “tie breakers” or offering admission off the waitlist.

We give students targeted recommendations to leverage their authentic interest to their advantage including campus and virtual visits, webinars, social media engagement, and supplemental writing.

There are numerous programs that can make your college experience more valuable and exciting, but too often students and families don’t learn about them in time to apply or compete.

When relevant, we help students anticipate, apply for, or indicate interest in the following:

Competitive Scholarships • Non-Major Arts Portfolio submission • Non-major Music or Theater Auditions for Merit • Honors programs • 1st Semester Study Abroad • 1st Summer Internships • Domestic Study Away • Direct Admit to Medical School •Law School• Dental School • Veterinary School as an incoming 1st year • Affinity Group & Themed Housing • Gender Inclusive Housing • 1st Summer Fellowships • Dual Degree and Accelerated Masters Programs • Precollege summer transition programs

Campus visits are the #1 way to boost your demonstrated interest. Yet, visiting all of your prospective schools is rarely a viable option.

We help you decide which schools to visit and how to make the most of your visit once you’re there, whether you are there for a “vibe check” or to explore specialized majors and programs, athletics, gown-to-town relations, or have been offered to visit on admitted students day.

Unlocking limited access to coveted interview slots and executing with success is part of our core practice of letting no advantage go to waste.

Whether it is an AI-assisted interview, conducted entirely by timed recorded videos without a person on the other end, or an alumni who is only a few years older than the student, it’s vital that students prepare (without coming across as over-rehearsed). We help students strike the right balance of letting their authentic personality shine through while framing and emphasizing key parts of their application angle.

The Activities List is described consistently by admissions officers as the most most overlooked, wasted opportunity of applications.

In our practice, if a component of your application isn’t helping you, it’s hurting you.

It isn’t just which activities you list, but the order in which you list them. It isn’t just titles, but, perhaps, equal or more important is how you describe the activity that gives weight to it in your favor.

Do your activities enhance the other components of your application? When you merely “attend” practice or “participate” in weekly meetings then your activities list is, in fact, hurting you and will be far more memorable after is Felix glow up.

We remove doubt with recommendations for when you should submit and when you should withhold scores for every school on your list with consideration for the following questions:

•  Are there aspects to my profile that make me someone who would actually be advantaged by submitting test scores below a school’s median?

•  What do you do when your math score is way above but your verbal score is way below a particular school’s median?

•  What if you get mixed AP test results – should you send some, all, or none?

•  What if a school claims it is test optional, but favors students who submit test scores 2:1?

•  How does having a weaker GPA or weaker rigor impact the decision to submit scores at or below the median?

•  What if my school doesn’t offer AP coursework or onsite SAT/ACT tests?

•  What about your how your scores compare to your peers in the context of your high school landscape?

•  Have an AP Physics teacher who’s famous for their low showing? Do you address it? Or avoid calling attention to it?

r conditioning, health and wellness prescriptions or services, or safe bathroom access – we are there to help you understand and make the most of the resources available to you on campus.

When asked what admissions officers would now rely on in the place of the SAT or ACT at test-optional or test-blind schools, they nearly unanimously cited giving more weight to recommendation letters.

We help students go beyond “brag sheets”and form letters to help their teachers and counselors really know how to make the most of their recommendation letters. There is an amazing amount of pre-work a student can do to make their rec letters rise above generic platitudes to proactively make a real difference in a student’s fate.

We help students use their one early decision application judiciously. If a school is one of rare exceptions that will give full merit or need aid even if you apply Early Decision, we’ll let you know.

Otherwise, we guide all students to submit by October 29th so they can gain the maximum advantages afforded to you by including increasing your admission chances, demonstrated interest, ability to secure an interview, earlier notification of your acceptance, as well as a more stable, stress free senior year.

Wrong major selection in the wrong order can unnecessarily tank an otherwise competitive application.

When you fill out your application, you’ll likely be asked to rank your top 3 potential majors. Even when a student is advantaged by and well-suited to select “undeclared,” as a first choice, a second and third choice are still likely expected and should be done strategically. The majors you should choose should strengthen your application and indicate a strong self-awareness.

How we guide your choice will vary based on several factors including:

•  Majors available (which can vary widely from 40 – 150)

•  How much your admission chances will vary by major

•  Whether your majors are only available by direct-admission

•  Your qualifications, pre-reqs met for each major

•  Whether the majors are grouped under the same “college” within a college

•  How well each major selection emphasizes your unique admissions angle.