College List-Building
Essay Writing
Self-Confidence
The summer before her Senior Year, Natalie had not even finalized a list of colleges, much less thought of a strategic approach to each individual application! She entered into the process with uncertainty - and a little fear - about how to make everything cohesive, what to emphasize, what to leave out, and where to even begin.
With these challenges in mind, Natalie’s primary goals with us included receiving guidance throughout the entire college admissions process and help with the direction and critiquing of all her application essays.
Chase provided a comprehensive overview of the Common App’s many pieces in order for her to put together the puzzle. Then, he began the college selection process with Natalie, breaking down all the quantitative and qualitative factors to consider when making a balanced list. A few of his choices surprised her, including Stanford University, which she was too timid to consider a possibility. However, Chase analyzed her situation and urged her to apply to the prestigious institution for Restrictive Early Action.
Once her list was finalized, Natalie worked closely with Chase to fine-tune all of her essays. Many students do not realize just how different types of essay questions they need to answer, including formal essays, creative narratives, lists, and others, and Chase guided Natalie to break down each prompt in manageable ways to brainstorm, outline, and draft compelling responses.
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My overall experience with Dewey Smart was great! All of the team members were very friendly, responsive, and helpful, as well as extremely knowledgeable and well-qualified. I had a great experience with my counselor Chase as well, and I truly couldn’t have done it without him.
He offered me more help than I could have ever imagined. Not only did he give me the encouragement and confidence to submit my Stanford application for Restrictive Early Action (best decision ever!) but also truly personalized recommendations throughout my essay writing. He helped demystify the whole application process. Thank you, Dewey Smart!
We did a lot of Internet research and realized a lot of parents begin planning their children’s college admissions in Grade 9. We thought we were too late, and we didn’t want Natalie to lose an edge!
When we found Dewey Smart, we saw all the wonderful reviews, and we thought the rates were very fair. After speaking with their Admissions Director Emerson, we thought he was so experienced and able to provide us with support and leadership. Also, all of the Dewey Smart College Counselors are from top-notch schools, which aligned with Natalie’s goals.
At first, we were worried about not meeting face-to-face. We weren’t sure Natalie would benefit from virtual sessions with Chase. However, he was able to provide exactly what she wanted, even though she was short on time! He helped revise her essays again and again, so she could refine all of the supplementals to better fit each individual school. He even gave her advice on her major, which Natalie didn’t even think about.
Stanford was a reach, and it wasn’t our idea, but Chase pushed us, and it worked! He encouraged her to shoot for her dream school, and we really enjoyed the journey.
