College Application Help for DFW Rising Seniors
COLLEGE APP HELP
A selective add-on for our test prep families
College applications have gotten complicated. Between Common App, ApplyTexas, supplements, essays, recommendations, and deadlines, figuring it out as you go is a recipe for missed details and avoidable stress.
We offer hands-on application help to a small number of seniors each cycle, mostly families we’ve already worked with on test prep. Both Michael and Donovan take a few students apiece in any given year — by design, not by capacity. We’d rather do this work well for a handful of seniors than thinly for many.
HOW WE WORK
The five things we actually do
Plan
We build a balanced college list (reach, match, safety) tuned to your student’s academic profile, fit, and finances.
Inventory
Every school’s deadlines, supplements, portfolios, and test policies tracked so nothing is a two-week-out surprise.
Recommendations
Who to ask, how to ask, what to give them, and how to follow up professionally. Asking early matters more than most students realize.
Essays
Common App essay plus every supplemental. We help students find their angle and write something that sounds like a real person.
Submission
Common App filled correctly, everything checked, applications out the door on time. No last-minute scrambles.
FIT
Who this is right for
This is right for rising seniors who want real, hands-on help through the application process. It tends to be especially useful for first-generation applicants, students whose parents went through a very different application process years ago, and students applying to multiple selective schools with different requirements.
It isn’t for everyone. Families looking for multi-year admissions consulting, or who want someone to take over the work entirely, will be better served elsewhere. We do this alongside the student, not for them.
TIMING
When to start the conversation
The work usually starts in June, once junior year wraps. That gives us the summer to make real progress on recommendation requests, essays, and the college list before senior-year coursework, sports, and college visits eat the calendar.
If your student is currently a junior, this is the right time to start the conversation. If you’re a current test prep family, mention it on a session and we’ll talk it through.
FAMILIES SAY
What families say
★★★★★
Michael's expertise teaching kids how to take the ACT and SAT is truly unique. After a diagnostic, he assesses exactly how many sessions you'll need. My son raised his ACT by 7 points — and is now headed to Yale, Columbia, Harvard, and Brown for college visits.
Lisa S.Yelp · +7 points · Ivy League track
★★★★★
When we met with Michael for the free consultation, he spoke with my daughter about her learning preferences to determine which tutor would be a good match. Rachana was indeed a good match — and my daughter improved her ACT score by 9 points across 6 sessions.
Melissa HaydekFacebook · +9 points across 6 sessions
★★★★★
The pre in-home assessment Michael did yielded invaluable information. Peter was very engaging, adapting to our son's learning style. He improved his ACT by 5 points — elevating him to the second tier of merit scholarships at his college of choice.
Jennifer Thrower GunterFacebook · +5 points · merit scholarship tier-up