A Historic Breakthrough Funded by USC

We set out to crack the code for the perfect college essay.
We ended up sequencing entire frameworks for perfect applications.

College applications have word limits, allowing only a finite number of ways to showcase creativity and human potential that admissions officers recognize, value, and reward. Over time, we found there is a proven framework for how to write every piece of the application more compellingly—while preserving the student's natural creativity and voice. The same student can look drastically different depending on which angles in each story are revealed—and where in the application each story is positioned. From strategies that help students with lower academics stand out to advanced methods that increase certainty for high achievers, every section of the college application matters in creating a tapestry of compelling, defining narratives.

Doing the full application right used to require so many 1-on-1 hours that it exhausted some families financially and emotionally. That changed in 2012 when the University of Southern California recognized our approach and funded us to build a program, making elite guidance accessible to public school students. This experience transformed our private practice. Today, we maintain one of the highest top 3-choice success rates in our industry—while delivering outcomes in a fraction of the time it used to take. With quality and thoroughness uncompromised, we can finish a whole application in the time it takes many college consultants to finish just the main essay.

USC also gave us a platform. We became the first and only independent college consultants invited to present at Summer@USC in tandem with USC’s admissions office, and we presented to school counselors at USC’s annual Counselor Conference. A methodology that's not just smarter—faster.