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OUR APPROACH AND TEAM

OUR APPROACH

In short, we are your relentless advocate.

  • We believe every student can, and should, submit a strong, holistic application. We maximize use of every application’s various sections
  • Guide the student to craft a strong application using her/her unique voice
  • Teach students how to write effective personal statements and college essays; most students are not used to this type of writing
  • Highlight each student’s unique and positive attributes
  • Provide a differentiating edge among similarly qualified applicants
  • Craft a school-specific strategy
  • Bridge the gap between students and parents during this extremely stressful time in their lives
  • Relieve pressure and stress. We lead and manage the application process so you can focus on doing your best work
  • Guide students in dealing with special circumstances
  • Customize our working style to fit the needs of the individual student
  • Build individual confidence
  • Make the process fun!

Based on your needs, interests, and fit, we will assign you a:

  • Chief Strategist

  • Certified Application Coach

  • Behind the scenes, a team of research analysts and editors support the process. 

OUR TEAM

AMANDA

 

Founder and CEO

A graduate and former employee of Michigan Ross and Michigan, Amanda Darish Kramer honed her marketing skills as Director of Marketing at Burger King Corp. Combining her marketing expertise with up-to-date admissions knowledge, she has helped thousands of students “Ace the App” and get admitted to their school(s) of choice. She now leads an incredibly talented team of coaches, analysts, and editors.

MATTHEW

 

Managing Partner Chief Strategist

Matthew Kramer brings over ten years of marketing, coaching, and writing experience. He has consulted for members of Congress and Fortune 100 executives, improving businesses by applying his strategy and marketing expertise. He was elected as a Top Performer and has used his knowledge to help hundreds of students get admitted to their number one choice school.

CLAIRE

 

Coach

Claire has over 25 years of experience in marketing, writing, and college application coaching. Given her expertise, the CEO of Whirlpool personally invited Claire to lead community college application efforts on a Midwest Leadership Council.
Claire is incredibly passionate and has successfully coached students from across the nation.

JESSICA

 

Coach

Jessica has worked at both Harvard and Tufts and has over 10 years of experience coaching students through college applications. She utilizes her in-depth knowledge of the admissions process to help students reach their admissions goals.

KATHY

 

Coach

Kathy is an English expert who has 25 years of experience coaching students through college applications. She applies her admissions knowledge to her 1:1 work with students, helping students get admitted to their number one choice school every year. She has worked with hundreds of students from across the nation.

JILLIAN

 

Coach

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Why Use a Coach?

We’ll ask the question another way: why NOT use a coach?
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You’ve spent 18+ years preparing for this. Why not hire an expert to guide you through your school/college/specialty program applications and help you differentiate from the thousands of other applicants?

The Dean of Admissions at a prestigious school recently said: “We’re not looking for them to be larger than life. We’re looking for them to live who they are, be who they are, and show us a side of them we can be excited about. It’s not about being the best or having the most superlatives. It’s about who they are and whether they’re a good fit.”

Application

College is NOT just a numbers game. The majority of highly selective colleges and universities consider your application materials to be “extremely important.”

Grades are Inflated

Grades are inflated = 55% of college applicants nationwide have an “A” grade point average.

Test Scores

Perfect test scores aren’t enough. Even students with perfect standardized test scores get rejected from top schools = quantitative application elements aren’t enough.

Test-Optional

Some top schools are becoming test-optional = standardized tests are ubiquitous. See here for the most updated list of test-optional schools: http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional

Environment

Students are judged by the academic environment in which they reside; this is why “territory managers” exist = the more resources, the tougher the criticism.

Holistic Review

More schools are moving toward a “holistic review” process = schools thoroughly review all submitted materials.