College Admissions

The best applications make admissions officers read them as they would a story: illuminating your student’s most crucial experiences and contributions, establishing her character development, and highlighting the theme that ties those elements together. We scrutinize each stage of her application, analyzing how the individual components—including quantitative measures like grades and test scores, as well as qualitative differentiators like extracurriculars, essays, and recommendation letters—combine into a coherent whole.

The litmus test for the strongest application is whether it stands out in the most mundane circumstances: a stuffy office at 4pm on a Wednesday. Having skimmed 900 applications already that day, a group of sleep-deprived admissions officers slouches around a table on their last batch. When it comes time to discuss the application, instead of yawning “one more…” the officers remember clearly: her. We assist each of our students in building a narrative which is exceptional among the mundane; rather than telling her story, we help her tell her own.

Our students most dramatically transform their applications via their essays—the element that most strongly bears their mark. The essay is your student’s only opportunity to speak directly to the admissions office; more than strong pieces of writing, the best ones combine a few images to tell a larger story. We use an iterative approach to essay creation, initiating the process with a series of conversations that spark moments of personal inspiration and reflection. What follows is our detailed outlining process and the beginning of the first draft of many.

Our alumni report that the benefits of our college admissions package extend beyond decision day: fundamentally, we mentor our applicants to manage long-term deadlines, think critically about their writing, find and investigate potential opportunities, and build a professional network—all necessary in college and beyond.

What We Offer

The Learning Company admissions suite covers all aspects of the application journey.

Discovery session

When a student is genuinely invested in the results, they transition from being merely an observer to a proactive participant in their college admissions efforts. This change in perspective empowers them to become deeply engaged in developing their abilities, encouraging a shift from passive acceptance to active investigation and understanding.

Every applicant has unique objectives: some aim to perfect a particular aspect of their application, others to enhance their overall profile, or to secure admission to their dream college. Our discovery sessions help students uncover their personal motivations—the driving forces that make their college admissions journey meaningful. We leverage these motivations to tailor the application process, making it a significant chapter in their broader narrative of achievement.

List curation and program research

In conversation with you and your student, we gain a deep understanding of their needs, subsequently forming a list of 15-18 schools to explore further. From that collection, we work with them to mold a balanced shortlist of 10-12 undergraduate programs.

SAT & ACT preparation

Our students’ results on the SAT and ACT consistently create opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them. We help your student select and conquer the test that showcases their full academic potential.

Requesting recommendations

Earning the best recommendations is not only a matter of soliciting them promptly; their quality is also a function of your student’s relationship with their teachers and mentors. We coach our applicants to start building their networks as early as possible, enhancing their profiles and sowing investments that pay dividends in the long term.

Essay writing

Our approach to personal statements and supplements centers around the student, not the school. We provide multiple literary structures around which your student may tell their story, guaranteeing that their essay responds exceptionally to any of the available prompts.

While writing their supplemental essays, your student will be asked to address various versions of the generic question: “why us?” Each supplement is, in reality, an opportunity for them to expound on that school’s place within their own academic journey.

Project management

We provide a calendar personalized to your student’s time constraints, keeping you apprised of their progress and ensuring that they stay ahead of deadlines. Wherever they are in the application process, we are ready to engage.