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Command Education
The College Application Checklist
Crafting applications that catch admissions officers’ eyes and get students admitted to top colleges and universities requires strategy and effort—and many students underestimate the time required to take their applications from good to great. If you’re seeking to plan ahead and strategize for success, check out the list below for everything you need to accomplish before you press ‘submit’!
Download the full checklist!
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TOP 3 CHOICE
Over the past 5 years, 94% of our students were accepted to one of their top three school choices.
Including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, UPenn, Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Stanford, MIT, and more.
Complete standout college applications with our College Application Intensive
Admissions officers only have a few minutes to evaluate each application, so students need to capture their attention from the outset.
In the College Application Intensive, an expert Senior Mentor will guide you to:
Senior Mentors review all final essays with our senior leadership team before students submit applications.
Work one-on-one with an Expert Senior Mentor this fall!
Cole
University of Pennsylvania
“Before I started working with Ian I didn’t really know where I wanted to apply or what to write about myself. I didn’t even realize that I had a story to tell until Ian helped me see how meaningful my experiences were. I’m so excited for next year.”
– Cole
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Public High School
Cole attended a public high school.
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Sports Medicine
Cole had a passion of Sports Medicine
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Passion Project: Biology Research & Sports Camps
Cole had a passion project in Biology Research & Sports Camps
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SAT: 1560
Cole achieved a 1560 on his SAT.
Cole’s Story
Cole was a senior with a 3.9 GPA and a 1560 SAT score when he started working with Command Education. He had participated in the Biology Research and the Varsity Soccer Teams since the start of high school and created a successful weekend sports camp for middle school students.
Despite his accomplishments, Cole came to Command Education only one month before the early application deadline without a clear idea of how to create a balanced college list or knowledge of the specific demands of the application process. He had considered applying to schools in the Northeast or the mid-Atlantic, studying physiology or sports medicine, and writing his personal statement about his grandfather’s influence on his love of soccer. Cole’s Senior Mentor Ian emphasized the importance of creating a cohesive and compelling narrative relaying his accomplishments and interests on his applications.
Over the course of the intensive, Ian helped Cole to set guidelines for his college list (a small to medium size school located in the Northeast, preferably with a research focus and in a city) and craft a balanced list of reach, match, and safety schools.
Through their work together, Cole developed his hook in sports medicine. Ian created a detailed calendar and checklist to ensure that Cole would stay on track each week. Ian helped Cole craft a personal essay about how his childhood love of camping corresponded to his later interest in physiology and the human body and helped him to refine and articulate his hook through his Activities List and demonstrate his unique candidacy for top schools in his supplemental essays.
Cole ultimately decided to apply Early Decision to the University of Pennsylvania, and Ian helped him to prepare for his interview extensively, equipping him to tailor his discussion to the school’s mission and values.
Cole is now majoring in biology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Disclaimer. The representations made are compilations of real-life stories and experiences. Names, identifying information, stories, and experiences have been changed to protect privacy. We cannot guarantee a specific outcome, and your results may vary.
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Command Education in the News
Is Every Ambitious Teen-ager a “Founder and C.E.O.”?
The New Yorker
High-school students used to spiff up their college applications with extracurriculars like Model U.N. and student council. Today’s overachievers want to grace their résumés with the words “founder and..
I charge over $500,000 to help kids get into Ivy League schools. For some students, my support starts in middle school.
Insider
We do everything from homework tracking to helping them arrange an internship at a niche company.
Parents Are Hiring Pricey Consultants to Help Kids Get Into College
Today
While it can be a stressful time for families, it’s fueling a $3 billion industry of independent educational consultants with some parents spending $120,000 on services.
Parents Are Paying Consultants $750,000 to Get Kids Into Ivy League Schools
Bloomberg
Acceptance rates at the nation’s top universities are plunging, and parents are doing whatever it takes to get their kids in.
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Why Command Education
Command Education provides comprehensive, personalized mentorship to help students achieve their collegiate goals. The Command Education approach goes beyond the college admissions process to incubate student’s passions and take their interests to the next level, preparing them to not only get into their dream school, but thrive in college and beyond.
Our students aren’t just class presidents — they are award-winning nonprofit founders, community organizers, political activists, and entrepreneurs.
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