Devon Blog

Tag: peer advisor

  • 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.”