Hey everyone - A bit about me: I'm a parent who has guided two kids through the college admissions process over the past four years, with a third starting the journey next year. After experiencing how broken and expensive the existing system is - and seeing what actually works - I spent the last year building a tool I wish had existed when my older kids were going through it.
I'm looking for a small cohort of high school sophomores and juniors to put it through its paces before I open it more widely.
What it does
Most college prep tools are either glorified checklists or expensive private counselors. What I've built does something different: It starts with a Socratic conversation designed to surface your genuine "through-line" - the authentic narrative thread that makes an application coherent and memorable - before any writing begins.
From there it builds a personalized school list anchored to your story and what you actually value in a college, not US News rankings. A student whose through-line is about building community in underserved neighborhoods gets a different list than one whose through-line is about pushing the limits of materials science. The list reflects who you are, not just your GPA and test scores.
From there it coaches essays, supplements, additional info, early decision-making, and eventually the final enrollment decision (as well as managing waitlists and LOCIs) - all the way through summer after senior year.
The whole thing is AI-powered, available 24/7, and designed to give students the kind of guidance that currently costs $10,000–$50,000 from a private counselor.
Who I'm looking for
- Current sophomores or juniors
- US citizens, whether living in the US or abroad
- Students across the full range of college aspirations: T10 targets, T50, state flagships, all welcome
- First-generation college students especially encouraged to apply - this tool was built with you in mind
- Willing to actually use it and tell me honestly what works and what doesn't
What beta users get
- Full free access through the entire college application and admissions process (normally a freemium product)
- A genuine head start on the work that most students don't begin until senior year (speaking from firsthand experience... 😄)
What I'm asking in return
- Complete the first two phases by end of May. I know APs and finals are happening, so I'm not asking for anything until the dust settles
- Share honest written feedback after each phase
- Be willing to answer occasional follow-up questions as I improve the tool and add functionality
Timing
I'll select the cohort by May 11. No pressure to start using it until late May or early June - after APs, after finals, after prom. The goal is that you have something meaningful to work on when summer actually starts.
To apply
Send me a DM with: Your state (or country if living abroad), your year in school (sophomore/junior), whether your high school is public or private and approximate size of your graduating class, a rough sense of your target college range, whether you're first-generation, and one sentence on why you're thinking about college now rather than waiting until senior year.
Thanks for reading this far. Look forward to working with some of you!