Will: a College Search Success Story

How It All Started

Will was an excellent student. With a high GPA, great extracurriculars, and solid standardized test scores, he was confident that he was going to study finance at an elite college. So, when the time came for their son to pick his schools, Will’s parents proudly encouraged their son to get involved. They wanted him to take initiative and find his own way—something they felt had been a critical part of their college experiences. One night at dinner, Will presented his parents with a list of five top-tier schools. All seemed like it was going according to plan.

Three weeks later, Will’s mother came across an article about college admissions. The piece showcased interviews of distraught students, all of whom had perfect GPAs, test scores, and private school pedigrees that trumped those on Will’s transcript. She suddenly realized that these students had been denied admission into the same schools her son had his sights set on. A few calls to some of her friends, many of whom had children who had already gone through the college admissions process, further confirmed her fears: the game had completely changed since her high school days.

Worried about her son’s future, she spoke with her husband. They both agreed that it was time to get a professional opinion. That’s when they came to Vested Academics.

How the Vested Academics Team Helped Will and His Parents

Thoughtful, Honest Communication—By facilitating a conversation about the school’s Will had selected on his own, his Vested Academics consultant helped the family better understand the odds of acceptance and program requirements for each school.

Professional College Search—After a series of one-on-one and family discussions, Will’s admissions consultant conducted hours of thorough research, allowing her to cultivate a balanced list of reach, match, and safety schools.

Application Support—Guiding Will through the application process step by step, his admissions consultant pointed out several errors he had unknowingly made and steered him away from using common cliches on his main essay, supplements, and personal statements.

The Result

With an experienced admissions expert at the helm, Will and his parents felt supported immediately. Now they understood the bigger picture and had no reservations about applying to the balanced list of colleges that matched Will’s qualifications. Open to his consultant’s guidance, he reworked his applications and essays, getting them up to the high standards expected of competitive students.

Later that winter, Will learned that he had been accepted to all of his match schools and two of his reach schools. His parents were thrilled and grateful to have caught their mistake, and they were all excited about Will’s future.