Academic Planning

Perhaps our biggest aspiration for our 9th and 10th graders (and often our 11th graders too!) is to help them to have a feel for the goal of college. Our student and parent meetings revolve around the exploration of academic preferences and rigor as well as bringing personal interests to the fore.

We collaborate to identify summer programs, internships, and potential areas for multi-year study based on those personal interests that come into focus through meetings and conversations. Competitions, clubs, and volunteer work that highlight more deeply-held values will be high on our radar.

Essays & Applications

Personal statements, UC Prompts, and supplemental essays comprise the core component of our work with students. AI use is widespread, and, of course, it is something we do our best to stay in front of in several ways—from AI detection software to starting statements and supplements together to discussing our students’ stories one-on-one. We are continually impressed by our students’ work, their capacities for introspection, and the experiences that make them who they are. As with the leaps in confidence we see in our students working on the SAT and ACT, the long, intense processes of completing their statements and applications ushers in new levels of competence and self-assurance. 

Application Strategy and Overarching Themes

​We look at any overall application as a wider extension of the goals we have for personal statements and UC prompts. A well thought-out and complete application builds on personal statements, UC prompts, and supplements to coordinate a fuller picture for admissions committees. Each component of a school application can bring out a different facet of a student’s personality, life, and personal growth while also staying true to the core themes that underpin their decisions. These core themes characterize the way the student approaches the world and emerge throughout their stories and experiences. We work closely with students to draw out their stories, to build a picture for admissions committees that will round out test scores, GPAs, activities lists, essay statements, and referrals.

Timelines & Collaborations

For so many applications, from colleges and universities to business school, PhDs, Law and Medical school, the test and personal statement work is shaped by the dates highlighted by the schools themselves. Medical school applications require the MCAT as well as primary and secondary applications; art and screenwriting submissions can necessitate work well ahead of the main application; athletes must be in contact with coaches and respond to questionnaires, coordinate camps, and be sure their own coaches are informed; and extracurriculars can require a tremendous lead time. We help our students to track their short-, mid-, and long-range goals, working together to develop timelines, problem solve, and re-prioritize when bumps appear along the route. It is this collaboration with students and our teams that keeps students on track, reaching the big and small goals, and maintaining their energy and sense of self through these fascinating times in their lives.

Art & Screen Portfolios and Sports Recruiting

Many of our students have special interests in art, film, screenwriting, and athletics. When these interests are the main driving force behind college choices, our essay team and specialty tutors have years of experience helping to sort busy sports calendars and complex portfolio requirements. Art and writing portfolio submissions require time and attention so that students can engage with assignments and deliver the kinds of pieces that tell admissions committees who they are as artists, within the larger picture of who they are as potential members of the school. Our expertise goes further than structural, and we dive into uncovering programs, majors, and clubs for an individualized for education and more, while keeping an eye on the balance of the application as a whole.