Devon Blog

Tag: essays

  • The Missing Link in Our College Prep Plan: A Peer Perspective

    By Marcus H. (not his real name), Parent of a High School Senior

    I thought we had everything covered.

    My daughter, Laila (not her real name), had been preparing for college since middle school. We had the grades, the SAT prep books, the volunteer hours, and a spreadsheet mapping deadlines for everything from FAFSA to supplemental essays. As a father, especially one who didn’t go through this system myself—my own education was pieced together in night classes while I worked—I wanted to make sure she had more than I did. I thought if we planned hard enough, we’d be ready.

    But about two months into senior year, I saw something I hadn’t planned for: Laila was stuck. Not just on logistics, but emotionally—creatively. She didn’t know how to tell her story. She didn’t feel like she had one worth telling.

    She’d write three lines and erase them. “Everything sounds fake,” she told me one night, defeated. “Like I’m just writing what they want to hear.”

    I didn’t know how to help. And that’s when we discovered something we hadn’t factored into our plan: the peer perspective.

    Why Peer Coaching Changed Everything

    Laila was paired with a college sophomore named Diego (not his real name), a first-gen student from El Paso who had once been exactly where she was. Diego wasn’t a counselor. He wasn’t some adult giving lofty advice about finding your “authentic voice.” He was just a guy who had recently written essays, filled out forms, and lived through the stress of decision letters and second-guessing.

    From their first conversation, something shifted. Diego asked questions that didn’t sound like school:
    “What made you choose the environmental club over all the others?”
    “When you talk about your brother, what’s something you’ve never put in writing before?”
    “Is there something you stopped doing that you miss?”

    He didn’t critique her. He listened. And she responded. For the first time, Laila didn’t feel like she was being interviewed. She felt seen.

    More Than Just Essay Help

    Diego helped Laila unpack her story—how growing up in a mixed-heritage home (Black and Filipina), how translating at parent-teacher conferences for her mom, how her curiosity about climate change started with picking up plastic bottles in the neighborhood park as a kid—wasn’t just background noise. It was the story.

    I listened outside the room during one of their sessions and heard something I hadn’t heard in weeks: laughter. Real laughter. They were talking about her part-time job at the aquarium and how her manager always made her feed the stingrays because no one else wanted to do it. That moment became the opening line of her Common App essay.

    “Before I ever spoke at a climate rally, I was hand-feeding stingrays in a tank behind a mall.”

    Who knew?

    What We Had Been Missing

    Looking back, we had counselors and teachers and a family support system. But what we didn’t have was someone close enough to the experience to make it feel possible. That’s what Diego brought.

    He didn’t just help her write. He gave her permission to be proud of who she was without translating it into bullet points. He reminded her that rejection happens even to the most qualified students—and it’s not a reflection of worth. He made her feel less alone.

    For a student like Laila—ambitious, unsure, deeply self-aware—the difference between generic advice and peer insight was like night and day.

    A Lesson for Other Parents

    Now that we’re on the other side of it—essays submitted, interviews done, acceptances arriving—I can say with confidence that the missing link in our college prep plan wasn’t more test prep or another club. It was empathy, relatability, and insight from someone who’d just walked that path.

    I wish we’d found peer coaching sooner. Not because it would’ve changed the outcome (though maybe it would have), but because it changed how my daughter saw herself in the process. She felt understood. She felt like her story mattered.

    In a process that too often feels transactional, peer mentorship brought the humanity back.

    If you’re a parent going through this journey with your teen, ask yourself: who’s helping your child not just prepare for college—but prepare to be heard?

    That’s the piece we almost missed. And now I can’t imagine this process without it.

  • Peer Coaching Made My Teen Feel Understood—and Inspired

    By Laura Kim (Not her real name), Parent of a High School Junior

    As a parent, one of my biggest challenges has always been understanding how best to support my teenager through the college application process. My daughter, Siti (not her real name), is a brilliant, driven high school junior with big dreams. But like many teens, she often found herself struggling with the pressure of grades, extracurriculars, and the looming question of “What’s next?”

    We are a Korean-American family, and while we emphasize hard work and academic achievement, it was always clear to me that Siti’s path wasn’t going to look the same as mine. Her interests were different, and she needed someone who truly understood her unique struggles and aspirations—someone who could guide her in a way that felt personal and meaningful. That’s when we found peer coaching, and it completely changed the way Siti saw herself and her potential.

    The Search for Guidance

    In the midst of all the application prep, I noticed Siti was becoming overwhelmed. She often felt isolated, as if no one truly understood the pressure she was facing. She would tell me, “Mom, you don’t get it. You were just focused on school and getting into college. But it’s different now. I don’t know where I fit in.”

    At first, I struggled with how to help her articulate her feelings. As much as I wanted to be there for her, I wasn’t sure how to guide her in this new world of college applications, where everything seemed to depend on an essay or a test score. That’s when I came across a peer coaching program, which paired students with mentors—other high schoolers who had recently gone through the application process themselves. The idea of having a peer who had walked in her shoes immediately appealed to me, and I encouraged Siti to give it a try.

    The Impact of Peer Coaching

    Siti was hesitant at first. Like many teenagers, she didn’t want to feel like she was asking for help. But when she connected with Leila (not her real name), a senior who had successfully navigated the college application process, things started to click. Leila, who is of Moroccan and French descent, had a story that resonated with Siti in ways I couldn’t have predicted. Both girls came from immigrant families and faced the added challenge of balancing cultural expectations with their own ambitions. Leila had been a first-generation college applicant herself, and her experiences gave her insights that my daughter could deeply relate to.

    Their coaching sessions became a safe space for Siti to open up. Leila not only helped Siti brainstorm ideas for her college essays but also talked her through the emotional rollercoaster of managing expectations, feeling unsure of her choices, and worrying about future rejection. The beauty of peer coaching is that it’s not just about practical advice; it’s about emotional support. Siti no longer felt alone in the process. Leila shared her own struggles and triumphs, and that gave Siti a sense of hope that she could do it, too.

    One of the most powerful moments came when Leila helped Siti see that her passion for community service wasn’t just a filler activity—it was the heart of her application. Leila helped Siti realize that her volunteer work at a local refugee center could be framed not only as an extracurricular but as a defining experience that reflected her character and future aspirations. This was a turning point for Siti, as she began to feel more confident in what she had to offer, beyond her grades and test scores.

    More Than Just College Prep

    As a parent, it was incredible to watch Siti grow not just in her college prep journey, but in her self-awareness. Peer coaching gave her the opportunity to talk openly with someone who understood the emotional and mental toll of the process. Leila didn’t just offer advice—she listened and provided validation, which is something my daughter couldn’t always find at home or in school. Siti began to develop her own voice, and her confidence soared as she realized that her story was unique, valuable, and worth telling.

    At the same time, I could see the positive impact peer coaching had on Leila, too. By helping Siti, Leila was able to reflect on her own experiences and solidify her own understanding of what college meant to her. Peer coaching wasn’t just a one-way mentorship; it was an exchange of ideas and experiences that enriched both sides.

    Why Peer Coaching Works

    What stood out to me about peer coaching is that it taps into something that’s often missing in traditional academic guidance: relatability. Coaches who have just gone through the same challenges are able to provide practical advice while also offering emotional support. They are closer to the age and mindset of the students they’re helping, making it easier for them to connect on a personal level.

    Peer coaches also help students gain a broader perspective. Siti came to understand that while her journey was unique, she wasn’t the only one struggling with uncertainty, imposter syndrome, or fear of failure. Leila reminded her that many of these feelings are normal, and that it’s okay not to have everything figured out. For Siti, this was invaluable.

    A Newfound Confidence

    By the time Siti completed her college applications, she felt more than ready. She had written her essays with a newfound sense of purpose, guided by Leila’s insights and support. Siti wasn’t just submitting a set of applications; she was presenting her authentic self. More importantly, she was no longer afraid to dream big.

    When we received the news that Siti had been accepted to her top-choice school, I couldn’t help but think back to those coaching sessions. Peer coaching hadn’t just helped Siti navigate the application process; it had given her the tools to believe in her own potential and own her story.

    If you have a teenager in the college application process, I can’t recommend peer coaching enough. It’s a process that’s about much more than essays and deadlines. It’s about understanding, support, and inspiration from someone who truly gets it. For Siti, it was the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling empowered.

  • STEM, Startups, and Summer Programs: Crafting a Story That Stands Out

    By Michael Tran, Future Engineering Major

    Applying to college as a high school student is never easy, but for those of us passionate about STEM, there’s an extra layer of complexity. You’re not just trying to stand out academically — you’re trying to show your future school that you’re capable of contributing to cutting-edge technology, solving real-world problems, and driving innovation. And when it comes to crafting an application that stands out, nothing can be more impactful than real-world experience. For me, that meant diving into summer programs and internships with startups.

    Here’s how my summer experiences shaped my application and helped me tell a story that made me stand out to admissions committees.

    The Power of Hands-On Experience

    It’s one thing to take advanced math or science courses in school, but it’s another to apply those concepts in the real world. Early on in my high school career, I knew I wanted to study something like engineering or computer science, but I wasn’t sure how to show that interest in a way that would catch the eye of admissions officers.

    That’s when I stumbled upon a summer program at a local tech startup. It wasn’t a prestigious program, and it didn’t offer college credit or certifications. But what it did offer was invaluable — real experience. I spent six weeks helping a small team of engineers design a new app interface. I was learning firsthand about the intersection of technology and user experience, and that experience helped me develop a much deeper understanding of the field.

    Working in a startup also exposed me to the daily challenges that entrepreneurs face. I was able to see how quickly things could change, how flexibility and problem-solving were crucial in an environment where there was no room for complacency.

    Making My Summer Program Work for My Application

    When it came time to write my college essays, I realized I could turn that summer internship experience into a compelling story. But it wasn’t just about listing the technical skills I had learned — it was about showcasing how that summer program had shaped me as an individual.

    I wrote about how I entered the program as a student interested in tech but unsure of what that looked like in a professional context. By the end of the summer, I had developed new skills, learned how to work in a fast-paced team, and found new ways to solve problems under pressure. But most importantly, I was able to highlight how the program confirmed my desire to pursue a STEM field.

    When crafting the narrative for my personal statement, I didn’t focus solely on the technical aspects. Instead, I framed the story around growth — how I went from being a student in a classroom, learning theory, to someone who could apply that theory to create something real. That transition from theory to practice became the backbone of my essay.

    The Importance of Storytelling

    What I learned is that the key to a strong application is not just listing accomplishments but telling a story that connects those accomplishments to your larger goals. For example, I didn’t just talk about how I helped design an app interface. I explained how that experience sparked my passion for engineering and cemented my desire to work at the intersection of technology and user experience. I also described how I wanted to bring that hands-on, problem-solving mindset to my college studies and beyond.

    I also worked to connect my summer program experience to my future aspirations. I didn’t want to just be another applicant with a “cool summer internship” — I wanted my admissions officers to see that this was a stepping stone on my path to becoming an engineer who could create tech that improves lives. That meant emphasizing how the startup experience pushed me to think creatively, to collaborate effectively, and to approach challenges with an entrepreneurial mindset.

    Why STEM Students Need Startup Experience

    In my experience, startup internships and summer programs aren’t just great for building technical skills; they also give you an opportunity to learn how to fail and how to learn from those failures. Startups are all about rapid iteration and testing new ideas. It’s common to try something that doesn’t work, learn from it, and pivot. That’s a valuable lesson for anyone entering a STEM field, where failure is often the first step toward success.

    Plus, working in a startup allowed me to see the true scope of innovation. A single idea could transform into a product that would eventually reach hundreds, if not thousands, of people. This scale of impact was eye-opening and gave me a deeper sense of purpose in pursuing STEM.

    Don’t Forget the Soft Skills

    While it’s important to showcase your technical abilities, I also realized that startup environments test and develop your soft skills — collaboration, communication, leadership, and problem-solving. I made sure to highlight these in my application, as they are often overlooked by students focused on technical accomplishments alone.

    In my application, I discussed how working in a small team required clear communication and how I learned to take initiative, sometimes stepping up to lead a task or brainstorm a solution. These experiences helped me grow both as a student and as a person, and I made sure that came across in my personal statement.

    The Outcome: From Passion to Purpose

    When I finally received my college acceptance letter, it felt like the culmination of everything I had worked for. But what truly made me proud was that my summer program experiences had played a major role in shaping who I was as an applicant. I had demonstrated not only my passion for STEM but also my ability to apply what I learned, my commitment to personal growth, and my willingness to challenge myself.

    As I prepare to start my college journey, I know that the experiences I had in those summer programs and internships will continue to shape my future career. The most important lesson I learned throughout the process is that no experience, no matter how small, is insignificant when it comes to telling your story. By taking part in those programs, I didn’t just gain knowledge — I gained a story that is uniquely mine.

  • From a Small Town to a Big Name School: The Peer Advice That Got Me There

    By Isabella Hernandez, College Freshman

    I’ve always been proud of my small-town roots. Growing up in a community where everyone knew everyone else’s business, I learned early on the importance of relationships, hard work, and staying grounded. But when it came to applying to college, I felt out of my depth. I had big dreams — dreams of attending a top university where I could pursue a career in law — but I wasn’t sure how to get there. How do you go from a town where the most exciting thing is the annual fair to a school with a global reputation?

    The answer came from an unexpected place: a peer advisor.

    The Struggle of Not Knowing Where to Start

    When I first started thinking about college applications, I was completely overwhelmed. I had good grades, a solid academic record, and I was involved in extracurricular activities like the debate team and volunteering at the local shelter. But I didn’t have the right connections, and I certainly didn’t know how to navigate the complex world of college admissions.

    I would scroll through university websites, unsure of which school would be the best fit. The whole process felt like a foreign language. Essays, SAT scores, recommendations… where did I even start?

    I needed guidance, but I didn’t have the resources I needed. My high school counselor was helpful but had many students to manage, and honestly, I felt like just another face in the crowd. I knew I needed someone who could help me think strategically, someone who understood the ins and outs of college admissions — someone who had been there before.

    The Peer Advisor Who Changed Everything

    Then, I met Sarah, a senior at my school who had been through the admissions process the year before. She was known for her success in getting into one of the top universities in the country, and I was lucky enough to be paired with her as part of a peer advising program at our school.

    Sarah’s advice was a game-changer. The first thing she told me was, “Don’t just apply to schools because they look good on paper. Apply to places where you’ll thrive, where you’ll fit in with both the academic and social environment.” This might sound simple, but at the time, it completely shifted how I thought about college applications. Instead of just aiming for a big name school, I started thinking about what kind of environment I wanted to be in.

    She taught me that the essay isn’t just a chance to tell your story — it’s a chance to showcase who you are beyond the grades and activities. We worked together to refine my personal statement, highlighting not just my achievements but also the personal experiences that shaped me: how growing up in a small town taught me resilience and community, and how my passion for law was inspired by the injustices I’d seen in my own town.

    The Importance of Authenticity in Your Application

    One of the best pieces of advice Sarah gave me was to remain authentic in my application. “Colleges want to see who you are as a person,” she said. “They don’t just want a robot who’s perfect on paper. They want someone who has depth, someone who can bring a unique perspective to their campus.”

    That stuck with me. So many applicants focus on presenting a “perfect” image, but I realized that my authenticity — my small-town background, my love for my community, and my ambition to make a difference — could be my strength. I stopped trying to fit into a mold I thought colleges wanted and started being myself.

    Learning to Prioritize Time and Stress Management

    The other thing Sarah helped me with was time management. The college application process can be incredibly stressful, and I was quickly falling behind on deadlines. She told me about how she managed the stress of applications and helped me create a calendar to break down each part of the process into manageable steps.

    She also introduced me to meditation and mindfulness techniques that helped calm my nerves and stay focused during crunch time. These small tips had a huge impact, and I didn’t feel as overwhelmed as I might have otherwise.

    Building Confidence Through Peer Advice

    Another piece of advice that Sarah gave me was about confidence. “You have to believe in yourself, especially when the process feels tough,” she said. “You’ve already done the hard work — now trust that you belong.” This advice stuck with me through every essay draft, every interview, and every late-night study session. I began to realize that I wasn’t just a small-town girl with big dreams — I was someone with real potential, and I had earned the right to apply to top-tier schools.

    Her encouragement helped me to see my own worth. When it came time to submit my applications, I didn’t just send in a set of forms and essays. I sent in a piece of myself — my story, my journey, and my future aspirations.

    The Result: From a Small Town to a Big Name School

    When I finally got the acceptance letter from the university I had dreamed of attending, it was an emotional moment. I felt like I had crossed a huge milestone, not just in my academic journey, but in my personal growth. Sarah had helped me not only refine my application but also see the strength I had in my own story.

    Reflecting on my experience, I realize that the peer advising process was the key to unlocking my potential. The advice I received from Sarah went beyond what was in my application. She taught me how to look at challenges with a mindset of growth, how to prioritize my well-being, and how to bring my true self into every part of the process.

    Now, as I prepare to start this new chapter at my dream school, I carry with me the lessons I learned from Sarah — and I’m excited to pay it forward as a peer mentor myself, helping the next generation of students find their own way.

  • How My Immigrant Background Became My Admissions Superpower

    By Linh Tran (not his real name), First-Generation Vietnamese-American Student

    When I started my college applications, I was convinced I needed to erase parts of myself.

    I didn’t grow up speaking English at home. My parents fled Vietnam after the war and never finished high school. We lived in a two-bedroom apartment in the back of my uncle’s bakery, where the smell of bánh mì and fresh dough became part of my childhood. I worked the counter after school, folded egg rolls on weekends, and translated letters from the bank for my parents at age 13.

    None of that felt like something colleges wanted to hear.

    So at first, I tried to sound like a “typical” American student. I focused on my AP classes, my science fair award, my internship at a local lab. I wrote drafts of my personal statement about wanting to become a doctor — not because I didn’t mean it, but because it felt like what I was supposed to say.

    But it all felt flat. Generic. Like I was writing someone else’s story.

    Everything changed the day I connected with a peer coach — someone who’d been through the same journey and was now thriving at a competitive university. Her name was Naomi, a Cambodian-American student who grew up in a neighborhood not so different from mine. She asked me one question that turned everything upside down: “What are you proud of that has nothing to do with school?”

    I told her about helping my mom sew reusable masks during the pandemic, and how I set up an online ordering form using Google Sheets so the neighbors could safely get groceries from our bakery. I told her about how I started a YouTube channel to teach Vietnamese kids how to pronounce tricky English sounds, because I knew the embarrassment of being laughed at when you mispronounce “pizza” as “pita.”

    Naomi smiled and said, “That’s leadership. That’s initiative. That’s resilience. Why wouldn’t you lead with that?”

    For the first time, I saw my background not as a burden to hide, but as evidence of character.

    She helped me revise my essays — not just for grammar or style, but for authenticity. I wrote about the pressure of being the oldest daughter in an immigrant family, the unspoken expectations to succeed, and how that fueled my drive — not just to achieve, but to represent. I wrote about the balancing act of two cultures, of growing up watching Vietnamese dramas and Grey’s Anatomy in the same night, and how it shaped the way I think, adapt, and connect.

    More importantly, she helped me rethink how I presented myself. I didn’t have to apologize for not having fancy summer programs or a polished resume. I had something else: lived experience. And that mattered.

    When the acceptance emails started arriving — from schools I didn’t even dare to dream of six months earlier — I realized something powerful: being a first-generation immigrant didn’t hold me back. It propelled me forward.

    Now, as a first-year college student, I’ve started volunteering as a peer advisor myself. I work with students from Burmese, Laotian, Hmong, and Filipino families — each with their own versions of my story. I remind them what I had to learn the hard way: your background isn’t a liability. It’s a lens. It gives you insight, empathy, and drive that no test score can measure.

    So if you’re like me — if you’re navigating college apps with one foot in your family’s culture and one foot in a system that was never designed with you in mind — here’s what I want you to know:

    Your story is enough. Your experience is valid. And your voice deserves to be heard.

    Because what I once saw as obstacles were actually the qualities that got me here — and they might just be your superpower too.

  • What I Wish I Knew Before Starting My College Apps

    By Aanya S., Student and First-Gen US College Applicant

    If I could go back and have one honest conversation with my junior-year self, it would start with this: You’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

    When I began the college application process, I thought it was just about writing essays and submitting scores. I didn’t know that the hardest part wasn’t the paperwork — it was the planning, the second-guessing, and the self-doubt that crept in when I was supposed to be making the biggest decision of my life.

    No one in my family had gone to college in the U.S., and though my parents wanted the best for me, they couldn’t help me figure out FAFSA or the difference between Early Action and Regular Decision. At school, the guidance counselor was juggling over 400 students. It wasn’t her fault, but I felt invisible.

    That changed the day I met Joanna, a peer advisor a year ahead of me. She’d been through it all — late nights with the Common App, FAFSA errors, agonizing over which extracurriculars to highlight — and more importantly, she got me. She spoke my language, literally and figuratively. She wasn’t trying to dazzle me with stats or throw acronyms at me. She asked me simple questions like, “What makes you feel most alive?” and “If a college said yes to you, what kind of place would it be?”

    I didn’t know it then, but what she was doing was coaching — not advising in a formal sense, but helping me uncover what mattered to me, what made me unique. Together, we mapped out a timeline. We talked about how to approach my essays — not with a strategy to impress, but as a way to tell my story. She helped me understand what colleges were actually looking for: authenticity, clarity, and a sense of purpose.

    Looking back, here are five things I wish someone had told me before I started:

    1. Your application is not just a form — it’s your story.
      I treated it like a job application at first, checking boxes and trying to sound impressive. But admissions officers aren’t hiring you — they’re inviting you into a community. They want to know who you are when nobody’s watching.
    2. Deadlines are only the tip of the iceberg.
      There are internal deadlines too: when to ask for rec letters, when to draft your essays, when to take a step back and reevaluate your list. Having a calendar with built-in breathing room saved me.
    3. You will second-guess yourself — that’s normal.
      I rewrote my personal statement three times. I wondered if I should’ve joined one more club or taken one more AP. But I learned that clarity beats quantity. It’s better to go deep than wide.
    4. Help is out there, but you have to reach for it.
      Whether it’s a peer coach, a teacher, or someone who went through the process recently, talking to someone who’s walked the path before can change everything. They know the hidden stressors, the unspoken fears, and the little hacks that make a big difference.
    5. Celebrate the small wins.
      Every finished essay, every submitted app, every time I pressed “save” on a draft — those were victories. Don’t wait until an acceptance letter to feel proud.

    Now that I’m in college, I volunteer as a peer advisor myself. When students come to me panicked about their applications, I tell them what Joanna told me: Start with your voice. That’s what they want to hear.

    The college process isn’t just a rite of passage — it’s an awakening. And while it’s messy and overwhelming, it can also be transformative when you’re not doing it alone.

    If you’re about to begin, remember this: You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be honest — and open to support. You’re building your future, and you deserve all the help you can get.

  • The Value of Recent Experience in Navigating Today’s Admissions Landscape

    If you had asked me two years ago whether I’d be helping other students apply to college, I probably would’ve laughed. At the time, I was neck-deep in personal statements, debating whether to go test-optional, and losing sleep over what extracurriculars truly “stood out.” Fast forward to today—I’ve gotten into one of the most competitive universities in the country, and now I guide students just like I was not long ago. I’m what Pathways calls a peer advisor, and here’s the thing: when it comes to navigating today’s college admissions landscape, recency matters more than most people realize.

    The College Admissions Game Has Changed—Fast

    Let’s be honest. The rules of college admissions have shifted dramatically even in just the last 2–3 years. Test-optional policies, new FAFSA rollouts, evolving essay prompts, changing holistic review practices—it’s a moving target. And traditional college counselors, even the really good ones, often don’t have a front-row seat to the latest nuances.

    I lived through applying during COVID-era disruptions, the rise of test-blind schools, and trying to decipher how colleges were recalibrating GPA evaluations. I had to make decisions without precedent—do I still take the SAT even though my dream school doesn’t require it? Should I submit an optional video portfolio? How do I make up for a year of canceled volunteering?

    Because I faced these exact dilemmas, I can give real, practical advice that’s grounded in firsthand experience.

    Real Stories > Hypotheticals

    A lot of students I work with tell me their school counselor gave them a checklist or a spreadsheet of deadlines. Helpful? Sure. But when you’re deciding whether to write your Common App personal statement about a deeply personal experience or a quirky passion, you don’t want theoretical frameworks. You want to hear from someone who actually wrote essays that worked—someone who’s been on both sides of the accept/reject line.

    When I share my story about how I structured my “overcoming adversity” essay, or why I cut out two AP classes from my senior year to focus on research, students listen. Because it’s not just advice—it’s lived truth, tested in a real-world admissions gauntlet.

    The Edge of Peer Advising

    Working with a peer advisor means tapping into fresh, tactical insights that most traditional advising models don’t offer. For example:

    • I can show screenshots of my actual Common App and walk a student through what I picked and why.
    • I know which colleges changed their supplemental prompts last cycle and how students interpreted them.
    • I can explain how I balanced mental health with ambition—something that’s part of the student experience but often ignored by formal advisors.

    This isn’t to knock professional counselors—they absolutely bring depth, structure, and years of perspective. But in today’s hyper-competitive, algorithm-driven, test-flexible landscape, you need someone who speaks both the strategy and the reality.

    Keywords I Keep Hearing from Students

    The students I coach keep bringing up terms like:

    • “How to get into competitive colleges”
    • “What makes a good college essay”
    • “Do I need SAT scores in 2025”
    • “College admissions advice from Ivy League students”
    • “What to write in the activities section”

    I know the answers because I asked the same questions myself, not in theory, but in practice—and I figured them out.

    Recent Experience Builds Trust

    One of the most important parts of the college application journey is emotional support. When I tell a student, “Hey, I got deferred too, and here’s how I handled it,” their whole body language shifts. They know I get it. That empathy? It doesn’t come from textbooks or webinars. It comes from walking the path myself.

    Final Thought

    In a world where college admissions change faster than most people can keep up, having a peer advisor with recent experience isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a strategic advantage. I’m proud to be one of those voices for students—someone who’s walked through the fire and came out the other side, ready to guide the next group through it.

  • 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.

  • What Does a Pathways Peer Advisor Consult Look Like?

    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.”