There has been a great deal of research conducted over the past ten years or so on the college admission process. Things appear to be changing for the better. Although, the public school systems, primarily due to budget cuts, are ill-prepared to help the average, middle to lower economic demographics. In California, on average, the ratio of on-campus college admission counselors is 527:1 more than double the recommended ratio of 250:1. The efforts that students and parents go through to receive the acceptance letter from their dream university are exhausting and favor those of more substantial financial means with the ability to hire tutors, independent counselors, SAT/ACT prep classes, and many other forms of paid guidance. We do not criticize those families who can afford to provide the most significant opportunity to their children. It is admirable!
But how can one counselor help 527 students? It's just way too much work and without the required amount of attention for each student. The colleges and universities are also a reason why we started this program. In our opinion, they are a part of the problem and often more concerned with their institution's ranking, which drives more students and allows them to charge more for tuition.
It's not all bleak! There has been more effort put into DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) within the walls of the admission office. Some big-name universities are no longer requiring SAT/ACT scores to be submitted. But this does not solve the bigger underlying problem. In general, the public school systems are not preparing students with the skills and education to succeed in college. This is most apparent in marginalized communities. This is well written about in an article from the publication The Oregonian.
Our goal with this project was to provide alternatives to help these marginalized communities to have a resource that would provide value at an affordable price. The cost of having a private independent college admission counselor ranges from $2000-6000/month. We have three levels of service including a private option but at half the cost. Yet the best option is our middle tier, The Mastermind, where you will learn much more than how to fill out forms but also to prepare for the work ahead of you when you start your college career and help you perform at your best and well prepared to enter the workforce or graduate school when you graduate.