Devon Blog

Tag: college advice

  • Why We Built Pathways Consulting: College Admissions Has a Broken Advice System

    1. Why We Built Pathways Consulting: College Admissions Has a Broken Advice System
    2. Peer Guidance Isn’t a Shortcut to College decisions — It’s the Missing Piece
    3. You May or May Not Need a $10,000 Counselor—You Do Need the Right Insight at the Right Time
    4. What Peer Advisors Can Do That Counselors Can’t
    5. The Five Moments When a Peer Consult Can Change Your Application
    6. Is Peer Advising for Everyone? (Yes, And Here’s Why)
    7. Why the Pathways Model Is Redefining Student Advising
    8. Rethinking College Counseling: Why Families Deserve Affordable, Flexible, and Personalized Guidance

    Why We Built Pathways: College Admissions Has a Broken Advice System

    When we set out to build Pathways, we weren’t trying to disrupt college counseling just for the sake of it. We were trying to solve a very real, very personal problem: the college advice system is fundamentally broken—for the vast majority of students.

    If you’re a high schooler applying to college today, here’s the reality: you’re expected to make the most important decision of your academic life with limited, outdated, or contradictory information. You’re supposed to figure out what schools to apply to, how to stand out, how to write, how to plan your time, how to showcase your personality, and what ‘strategy’ even means—largely on your own.

    The guidance gap isn’t just frustrating. It’s unfair.

    The Flawed System We Found

    In building Pathways, we talked to hundreds of students—some in the U.S., some abroad. What we heard, over and over, was this:

    “I had a counselor, but they barely had time to know me.”

    “Reddit is a mess. Everyone sounds confident, but I have no idea what applies to me.”

    “My parents wanted to help, but they didn’t know how.”

    “I paid thousands for a counselor, but they didn’t get my background—or what I wanted.”

    None of these stories are outliers. They’re the norm.

    Let’s look at some numbers. According to NACAC, the average student-to-counselor ratio in U.S. public high schools is 424:1. That’s not a typo. In California, it’s 572:1. That means the average student gets fewer than 40 minutes per year of one-on-one guidance.

    Now add in international students, first-generation students, children of immigrants, low-income families, students in rural or under-resourced schools—people for whom context matters. The traditional model doesn’t just underserve them. It often ignores them entirely.

    So We Built a New Model—Pathways

    Pathways is not a replacement for school counselors or essay editors. It’s a correction to the gap that exists between what students need and what they get.

    We asked a simple question:
    What if every student could talk to someone who’s actually been through this process—and won?

    Pathways is a system where students can browse profiles of peer advisors—real college students who’ve recently been through the admissions process—and book 1:1 conversations. It’s flexible, modular, and highly contextual.

    • You tell us what kind of advisor you’re looking for—schools they applied to, schools they attend, cultural background, languages they speak, scores, career path.
    • We show you matches. You pick. You pay per consult. No bloated packages, no annual retainers.
    • You have a real conversation—ask your questions, understand the game.
    • Like them? Book another. Want to switch? Browse new profiles.
    • It’s a living, breathing network—not a one-size-fits-all spreadsheet.

    We designed it to be accessible. Consults can be as low as $30–$40. Students don’t need to commit to a multi-thousand-dollar contract to talk to someone who gets it.

    Peer Advisors Are the Missing Link

    Why peers? Because the most useful advice doesn’t come from a distant expert—it comes from someone who just beat the boss level you’re trying to beat. Someone who applied test-optional, who chose between Brown and UChicago, who got off the Stanford waitlist, who built a spike in esports, who overcame a weak GPA with incredible essays.

    They don’t just tell you what worked. They show you how it worked for them.

    And because these are paid engagements, students show up prepared. Advisors show up committed. It’s mutual respect, at scale.

    This Isn’t a Shortcut. It’s the System That Should Exist.

    Pathways doesn’t promise miracles. It doesn’t guarantee Ivy League admits. What it guarantees is access to relevant insight, strategic direction, and real clarity—delivered in a way that scales, adapts, and respects each student’s context.

    We built Pathways because we believe:

    • Great advice shouldn’t be a luxury good.
    • Cultural and academic context matter.
    • Every student deserves to be more than a number on a waitlist.

    And if we can help just one student feel a little less lost, a little more focused, and a lot more empowered—we’re on the right path.

  • Peer vs. Professional: Why You Actually Need Both for College Advice By Your Side

    When I started applying to colleges, I had two people on my side. One was a traditional college counselor with years of experience in admissions. The other? A senior from my school who had just been accepted to a top-tier university with a full ride. One had credentials and polish. The other had experience that still had dust on its shoes.

    And honestly, I needed both.

    The Professional: Clarity and Structure

    My counselor was incredible at laying out the fundamentals. She helped me build my college list, knew the ins and outs of Early Decision deadlines, and made sure my FAFSA didn’t get submitted late. I’ll never forget the color-coded spreadsheet she gave me with deadlines, essay requirements, and financial aid notes.

    She knew what admissions officers typically looked for and had worked with hundreds of students. When I didn’t know where to start, she gave me a clear path.

    But there were limits.

    She hadn’t applied to college in decades. She didn’t know what it felt like to write 12 supplemental essays while juggling AP Calculus and robotics team competitions. When I asked her what made the Why Columbia? essay so tricky, she gave me a few tips—but they didn’t feel personal.

    That’s when I turned to someone else.

    The Peer: Recency and Relevance

    I connected with a student named Priya through Pathways, a peer-led advising platform. She had just finished her first year at Columbia and had navigated the exact same essay just a year earlier. Talking to her was like getting a backstage pass to the admissions world.

    She didn’t just talk about “what admissions officers want to see.” She shared how she actually wrote her essay—and the mistakes she made before she got it right. She told me how she structured her Common App activities section to stand out, how she approached interviews, and how she made last-minute pivots in her application strategy that paid off.

    What shocked me was how specific and actionable her advice was. She remembered what it felt like to be in my shoes. There was no theory—just lived experience.

    Together, They Created the Edge I Needed

    Here’s what I realized: professional counselors give you the big picture. They help you understand the system. But peers? They give you the texture—the “what it’s actually like” insights you can’t get from a PowerPoint.

    When I combined both, my application got sharper. My essays were better targeted. I had fewer blind spots. And more importantly, I felt less alone.

    That matters more than you think. College admissions are stressful. You’re constantly wondering if you’re doing it right. Having someone just a few years ahead of me saying “Yeah, I remember feeling like that too” made the process feel human.

    This Isn’t Either/Or. It’s Yes/And.

    A lot of students think they need to choose between a college counselor and a peer advisor. That’s a false choice.

    Your counselor might know how to navigate application portals and timelines, but they might not know the latest scholarship opportunities or how others have done it, or what the interview process actually felt like last year at Princeton.

    Your peer advisor might not be able to help you craft a financial aid appeal letter—but they can tell you what they wish they’d done differently when applying for aid. They might even show you the exact essay they used to win a merit scholarship.

    That blend of real-world wisdom and professional structure is what gives you an advantage.

    Why I Now Recommend Both

    I got into my top choice school. And I give credit to both my counselor and my peer advisor.

    Today, I serve as a peer advisor on Pathways. I talk to students every week who are in the same shoes I was in just two years ago. I tell them the same thing I wish I’d heard earlier: you don’t need to pick one guide—you need a team.

    Because when you’re chasing your future, it helps to have someone who’s done it before and someone who’s studied the system. Together, they’re unbeatable.