Insights from Peer advisors &
the clients they have helped
Peer Coaching Helped My Parents Understand, Too
By Amina K not her real name Undergraduate Student from Pakistan When I decided to apply to universities in the United States I was excited excited to explore new opportunities to challenge myself academically and to step into a world...
Read More..Applying to College From 8,000 Miles Away? Here’s What Helped Me
By Amir A not his real name Undergraduate Student from Egypt The first time I decided to apply to a college in the United States the idea felt both exciting and completely out of reach Coming from Egypt a country...
Read More..What I Thought U.S. Colleges Wanted—And What They Actually Did
By Anjuna S not her real name Undergraduate at a Midwestern University I still remember the first time I sat down to start my college application for a U S school It was overwhelming I d heard stories of students...
Read More..Why I Chose a Peer Advisor Who'd Been Through It Abroad
By Aisha K not her real name Undergraduate Student from Nigeria The decision to apply to schools in the U S wasn t mine alone My uncle who had attended graduate school in Chicago always encouraged me to think beyond...
Read More..Peer Mentorship Made My American Dream Make Sense
By Rafael G not his real name Student from Brazil Growing up in S o Paulo the idea of studying in the U S was more fantasy than plan I knew a few people who had gone abroad but I...
Read More..I had Never Set Foot in America—But My Peer Coach Helped Me Feel at Home
By Lian T not her real name First-Year Student from Vietnam I still remember how surreal it felt when I first considered applying to a university in the United States I had never visited I didn t have family there...
Read More..Finding My Edge When No One at Home Spoke English
By Sofia R not her real name First-Gen Student When I tell people I m the first in my family to go to college they nod politely like they ve heard that story before But it s different when your...
Read More..Helping Students From Underrepresented Backgrounds Means Listening First
By Carla J not her real name College Coach I ve worked with students from all walks of life but the ones who stay with me the longest are the ones who didn t think they belonged in the college...
Read More..How We Used Peer Advising to Reduce the Stress of College Apps
By Ricardo M not his real name Parent of a High School Senior If you had told me two years ago that a college student would be the person to bring calm into our home during application season I would...
Read More..Why I Trusted Another Student With My Son’s College Questions
By Aisha L not her real name Parent of a High School Junior I never thought I'd let someone just a few years older than my son guide him through something as important as college admissions But here I am...
Read More..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...
Read More..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...
Read More..Turning My Passion for Activism Into a Compelling Application
By Maya Torres Not her real name Future Political Science Major When I started preparing my college applications I had no idea how to turn my passion for activism into something that would set me apart from the countless other...
Read More..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...
Read More..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...
Read More..Applying as a Student-Athlete: Advice From Someone Who Lived It
By Jordan Matthews Student-Athlete and College Freshman I remember the day I decided I wanted to play basketball at the collegiate level It wasn t a sudden revelation For years I d spent countless hours perfecting my game dreaming about...
Read More..How I Went from Student to Peer Advisor: The Journey That Changed Everything
By Amanda Lee Peer Advisor When I first started college I had no idea what to expect The sheer volume of information coming at me from deadlines to professors to course material was overwhelming I struggled with self-doubt and I...
Read More..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...
Read More..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...
Read More..How Peer Advising Helped Me Choose the Right Early Decision School
I remember staring at a spreadsheet with ten colleges on it each with different programs deadlines and vibes and thinking How am I supposed to know which one to choose for Early Decision My school counselor was helpful with logistics...
Read More..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...
Read More..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...
Read More..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...
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