THE PROCESS
1
HIGHER-LEVEL STRATEGY
Families may reach out any time between their student's freshman and senior year of high school. After a brief meet-and-greet, and squaring away logistics, we’ll lay the groundwork for our counseling relationship with a higher-level college admissions strategy meeting, during which we will discuss the six fundamental factors impacting admissions decisions, and how the student can maximize their applications in each area.
Early High School Support: After laying the foundation, current 9th and 10th graders will meet with their counselor on an as-needed basis (we recommend once or twice per semester) to keep their goals on track. We’ll determine game plans for everything—from application strategy and course selection, to standardized testing and extracurricular activities.
2
GO TIME
In 11th and 12th grades, as students approach their formal application year, they will meet with their admissions counselor more frequently to tackle timely action items, such as college search and selection, garnering the strongest recommendation letters, resume development, and college interview preparation.
3
MINING THE GOLD
By the end of junior year, students can (and should!) get started working on their college essays. As a pivotal element of college admissions decisions, Golden Ticket will lead the student through a step-by-step essay-writing process to make sure every application gets the full Golden Ticket treatment—brainstorming, drafting, revising, more revising(!), and giving each essay the final polish.
4
LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP
Once students have submitted their applications (typically in the fall-winter of their senior year), their counselor will continue on as their on-call admissions guru for all kinds of follow-up support, from preparing for college interviews, communicating updates to admissions committees, and strategizing on waitlist and deferral decisions.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
HOW WE CAN HELP
College
Admissions Prep
At Golden Ticket Admissions, we treat the college admissions journey as a marathon, not a sprint. Building stellar college applications relies on much more than just checking off senior year to-do lists; to create a truly compelling application, and (spoiler alert!) develop oneself as an awesome, meaning-driven, human along the way, students should fully engage with the blend of factors that will impact their admissions decisions long before they hit ‘submit.’ With a focus on helping students optimize personal and intellectual growth in every aspect of their high school experience, Golden Ticket students will benefit from the support of a counselor that meets them exactly where they are in their personal journey—whether just starting high school or actively applying.
College Admissions
Essay Writing
While successful personal statements will have a well-chosen topic and grammatically correct prose, college essays—at their core—are about showing admissions committees who you are by telling personally meaningful stories. Whether students are writing their main Common Application essay (the backbone of most applications) or tackling tricky supplemental pieces, using personal experiences to help an admissions committee understand who you are, what you stand for, and how you think, is paramount to convincing them that you unequivocally belong at their school.