College Advising Support for Freshmen and Sophomores
The college admissions process has changed quite a bit in the last 10 years. Selective schools aren't impressed by a long list of activities anymore, they're looking for students who spend time going deep into a few things they actually care about.
But how do you know what those interests are going to be? How do you avoid having your student do things that look good on paper, when they're not actually interested, and in the end it won't even help them get into college? And how are they supposed to find time to do more, when they're already stretched thin?
We specialize in helping families answer these questions. We don't expect a 14-year-old to have their life plan worked out, and we're not in the business of dictating a checklist of everything "you must do" to get into a highly selective college. Rather, we meet students where they are, help them uncover what genuinely interests them and then execute a plan to explore it.
While our entry point is college advising, what we’re actually building in students is confidence and curiosity. A strong application tends to follow from that, almost as a side effect, and that's the point.
What the Early Explorer Program Cover
Your student works one on one with our coach across four sessions, then joins a culminating family session to bring it all together.
Interest and major exploration.We help students think past "I don't know yet" and start noticing patterns in what they actually enjoy and where they do their best work.
Course selection guidance.Which classes set a student up well for the years ahead, and where the real tradeoffs are, long before those decisions get made by default.
Extracurricular direction. Instead of joining five clubs to look busy, we help students find the two or three that connect to something they actually care about.
A foundation for what's next. By the end of the Early Explorer Program, your student has a clearer sense of direction and a head start college and career planning.
Ready to get started?
Common Questions
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Yes, and it's actually what we recommend. A student's interests and self-awareness shift quickly at this age, so we typically suggest one round in 9th grade and a second in the spring of 10th, to keep summer plans and course selection on track heading into junior year.
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Many students come out with a specific direction worth developing, a competition, a program, an independent project, and we can support that work directly in the time between sophomore and junior year. When junior year starts, students move into our 11th & 12th grade college advising program with the same team.
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No, this program is about exploration and direction, not test prep itself. What you'll get is a clear sense of when testing should start for your student. When that time comes, our SAT/ACT tutors work one on one with your student toward their goal score. Read more about our test prep here.