Let’s look at what it looked like to Emma, a high school senior in Ohio, trying to figure out her college applications and needing advice tailored to her specific situation.
“Talking to Someone Who’d Been Through It Changed Everything”
By Emma S., Student from Columbus, Ohio
I was the oldest in my family, so we didn’t really know what applying to college should look like. My school counselor was helpful but overloaded—hundreds of students per advisor. I needed more than general advice. I needed someone who had actually gotten into the types of schools I was aiming for—and who had come from a similar background.
That’s when I tried Pathways.
No commitments, no expensive packages—just one consultation at a time. You pay per consult, talk to someone who’s already done what you’re trying to do, and get direct answers.
Step 1: Input What You Need—and Who You Want to Talk To
The first step was straightforward. I picked the area where I wanted help—narrowing my college list and figuring out how to talk about my community service work in essays.
Then I told Pathways what kind of advisor I wanted:
- Schools they got into: ideally ones like Northwestern, Emory, or UVA
- Where they’re currently enrolled
- Cultural background (I was looking for someone who also grew up in a Midwestern suburb and had no family legacy advantage)
- SAT score range (within 1350–1450, like me)
- Career path: public health or psychology
- Bonus: if they were first-gen or came from a public school background
Step 2: Get Matched With Up to 10 Advisors
Based on that, Pathways showed me 10 potential advisors who fit my criteria. Each profile came with:
- Their current college and major
- Where else they got in
- Scores, APs, clubs, and outside-of-school stuff
- Languages spoken (English was fine for me)
- Hourly consult rate
I ended up choosing Jalen, a sophomore at Emory who had also been accepted to UNC-Chapel Hill and Boston College. He went to a public high school and was super involved in community health work—just like me.
Step 3: Select, Pay, and Schedule the Consult
I booked a 30-minute session with Jalen. I bought credits (no subscription, just the session I needed), and within a day, Pathways confirmed a time that worked for both of us.
Step 4: The Actual Consult
We met over video and it was exactly what I needed.
I asked him:
- Why did you rank Emory above UNC?
- How did you frame your community impact work?
- What would you have done differently in your essays?
- What “don’t miss” tips would you give for someone with a 3.8 GPA and a 1380 SAT?
He didn’t give generic answers. He shared screenshots of his own essay outlines and explained how he structured his school-specific supplements. It was a conversation—not a lecture.
Step 5: Rate, Favorite, and Keep Going
After the call, I rated the session and gave feedback. Jalen’s insights were gold, so I marked him as a favorite.
From there, I had options:
- Buy a package of 3 more consults with Jalen (at a discount)
- Use another single consult with him—maybe for essay reviews
- Or try a different advisor for another area like financial aid or college interviews
What It Meant for Me
What started as one call became my go-to strategy. I talked to two more advisors after Jalen—one helped me refine my essay for Northeastern, another helped me prep for a WashU alumni interview.
Pathways didn’t try to sell me a plan. It gave me agency. I picked who I wanted, asked exactly what I needed, and paid only for what I used.
And when I got my first acceptance email, I sent Jalen a message: “You were right about how to close that essay.”