Your Dream College Awaits

Ashley - Student

My time working with College Mastermind was phenomenal. Not only did I discover who I was as a student, but as a person with solid aspirations and values. Prior to working with College Mastermind, I was unsure of all things 'college application' related. I was also afraid that I would not be accepted to many colleges. My older brother did not get into many colleges; in fact, out of about 15 colleges he applied to, he was accepted into just one. My dad wanted me to get better results, so he hired a college counseling service for me. I worked with a different college counseling service at first, and I was disappointed by the lack of support I received. Needless to say, working with College Mastermind was the polar opposite of my past experience. I was seen, I was listened to, and I was acknowledged. I soon found my voice and after just a couple of months working with College Mastermind and their lovely counselors, I created cohesive essays that I was truly proud of. My results were amazing: I was accepted into all three of my dream schools, Northwestern, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and many more. I am so grateful to have worked with amazing counselors, and I am so happy that I was able to articulate myself well enough and get into so many top colleges. Thank you College Mastermind!

Cynthia - Student

College Mastermind made a huge difference in how I think and grow with my mini hook project. I am a really strong student with a ton of extracurriculars, but I was really stuck on what to write for my Common App essay. I didn’t want it to just be a list of accomplishments, hobbies, and interests, and was struggling to pick a topic. My essay coach decided that a mini hook project would be just the thing to take interests and perspectives and connect them to an essay prompt. She also guided me to create a project to show my passion, and she even set up interviews for me to speak with experts and conduct an interesting research project. With College Mastermind’s help, I not only found an essay topic but also gained confidence and improved my social skills. My essay was able to reflect a big change in how I see things, because my perspective really did change. I used to just go along with what others said, whether it was my parents or what I saw on social media. But then I got curious and then my project was able to help me make a shift in my thinking and way of seeing information. My project got me talking to strangers and discussing tough topics, which was completely out of my comfort zone. Before, I found this kind of interaction scary, but now I see it as a necessary experience in order to obtain a personal understanding of important topics. Luckily, my coach helped me talk through the nerves and prepare myself for the discussions. My view of the world used to be black and white, but now it's more like a shade of gray. While my perspective hasn't completely changed, I've learned there's no one right answer to big issues. Seeing different sides is important to bridge divides in our world. My approach to news on social media also changed. Before, I'd just agree with my social media feed. Now, I stop and think about what I really believe, and I read different opinions in the comments. I don't blindly follow anymore. I've opened my eyes to the real world and won't stay in echo chambers. I'm thankful for the chance to grow and discern facts from opinions. It’s definitely a skill I'll need as I move into adulthood. My mentor’s guidance transformed not just my essay but how I see the world. I love the essay I wrote and it has the kind of impact that the most prestigious colleges are looking for. It’s really a win-win!

Phoenix - Parent

After significant online research and watching college prep courses offered by various college coaching businesses, we readily settled upon College Mastermind for the depth and breadth of what they have to offer. The first mentor-and-family meeting was thoroughly impressive and confirmed that we had made the right choice. This wasn’t going to be limited to improving test scores or how to write effective college essays. Instead, the process was going to understand our student in-depth and help address things on many different levels. Our student had decided upon a Biomedical Engineering major and universities within a 4-hour drive from home, which provided some initial guidelines/constraints for us and the College Mastermind process. Despite always being a top student, the first-choice school ended up being a “reach” school. The College Mastermind and the mentor went right to work addressing and improving areas to make the application stronger. The first “a-ha!” a moment in the process came when the mentor pointed out that the SAT and ACT math scores were low for someone so good at math – and yet not unusual because the math material on the tests was learned by top students a year or two earlier, and some things had simply been forgotten. Step One with College Mastermind was some math “tutoring,” which was custom-tailored to be a refresher and not to learn new material. Subsequent SAT and ACT tests successfully demonstrated the results of this targeted effort. In the college essay development and writing process, the mentor went beyond the basics and regularly asked insightful, thought-provoking questions. The two of them had deep philosophical discussions that seemed unrelated to the college application process but which they were able to bring around to apply to the essays. The essays, activity lists, etc., were strategically written and arranged in a way that gaps weren’t evident and which actually made them look like benefits. Our student has some school, after-school, out-of-school activities, and public service/charity work, but altogether nothing that would really stand out in the application review process with the first-choice school. Our mentor had the same observation, and that’s when we learned about College Mastermind’s customized value credibility projects, their value, and how it would all work. In our case, the chosen value credibility project topic was something very personal and difficult for our student to revisit, but ultimately, with the careful and compassionate guidance by the mentor, it was a very successful and even therapeutic experience; the way the project was designed helped present things from a different, eye-opening perspective. Our student went from coping with the past to building confidence, taking control of it, and turning it into a positive outreach initiative. Ultimately, for the monetary investment in College Mastermind and the efforts of all involved, our student applied Early Decision and was rewarded (and overjoyed) to receive the acceptance from the first-choice, reach school. College Mastermind filled – and went far beyond – a vital college admissions role that our student’s high school counselor was so inadequately able to fulfill. It is fair to say we likely would not have had the same admissions success without College Mastermind. We saw this as an investment in our student that now may well turn out to have been a critical decision for our student's college and career aspirations. Our mentor is a world-class professional and a delightful person to work with. We had complete and unequivocal confidence in the mentor; our student trusted the mentor and developed an honest and transparent relationship that helped our student grow and get accepted. The mentor was highly effective in keeping us informed at all times, patiently answering our questions, advising as necessary where to prioritize time and effort to maximize results, and being readily available by email, texts, or calls. The trust and confidence we had in College Mastermind and the mentor relieved so much stress and anxiety both for our student and us as parents. We're naturally skeptical people, prone to analyze and critically think things out, to completely vet out anything that “sounds too good to be true,” routinely asking questions that verge on interrogation. The College Mastermind and the mentor passed our muster throughout the process. We started with College Mastermind early the summer before the senior year, which worked out well, but there was a lot to do within the next 6 months. We’d recommend to other parents to start the process earlier, such as in the middle of the Junior year (for instance, to allow more opportunities for refresher tutoring and test re-taking and to avoid time limitations on any value credibility project).