Is anyone familiar with the site Admissions Hero(recently changed their name to College Vine)? I’m interested in their essay program, but it’s very expensive($1000+). Nevertheless, their website claims that 74% of their clients get into an ivy and 96% get into one of their top 3 choice colleges. Obviously, I’m enthralled by this huge percentage but I just wanted to get anyone’s opinion who is familiar with the site.
Thanks in advance!
Hmmm, I would be very suspicious because it seems to me that if you have to pay the kind of money, you are paying for someone to write your essay. At any rate, this site appears to offer private services to students who probably have the right stats in the first place. If your stats are already great and you have the spare cash, go for it. FWIW, I know plenty of students who were accepted to many of the colleges listed and they didn’t use this company, or any company for that matter. I personally think you are better off spending that money on a few sessions with a private advisor who can give you feedback on an essay as well as other useful admissions advice.
@Lindagaf Thank you for your advice. Their essay package includes “common app formatting, general admissions questions, interview coaching” and of course the essay editing, so I guess it’s similar to having a private advisor since they say I’ll be working 1 on 1 with an Ivy League essay specialist. Maybe it’s worth it then.
Try to find some reviews first. And remember, your apps are going to cost money, as is sending scores. There might be more fees if you submit supplemental arts materials, or submit CSS profiles. Expect that to all cost around $500 as a rough estimate, depending on how many colleges you apply to.
If they make a guarantee that you will get into one of your top three choices, think about this: they will not agree to take you as a client unless you are already a strong candidate, in which case, do you really NEED such a service? Or, if they promise they can get you into a Top college, read the small print. Is that a money back guarantee? Or is there a disclaimer saying the opposite? There are plenty of unscrupulous people who will take money from someone who has zero chance of getting into a top college.
I used a private advisor for my daughter becasue she applied to some very selective colleges and we felt her ECs were a little lacking, plus we wanted interview help, as she is shy. I deliberately did not want an agency such as the one above for the reasons I just mentioned. I felt that a private advisor had nothing to gain by making empty promises, and would be more honest. The advisor helped her emphasize the right things on her app and showed her how to word things, gave her essay feedback, practiced interview skills, and many other aspects of the process. She got to know my daughter well, and in fact encouraged her to apply to a couple of great colleges, both of which she was accepted to, and will be attending one of them.
Be honest with yourself and think about your motive for wanting to use this company. If you are already a strong student, do you actually need the help of a company like this? You are probably just going to need some critiquing of your essay if that is the case. OTOH, if you feel the process is confusing, that extra guidance will be helpful, essay feedback is necessary, and so on, then use this company by all means. Just consider the cost/benefit ratio before committing.
Probably not.
If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
They seem authentic, I don’t see why or how they would fabricate those results. They must be selective about who they are willing to work with. Having said that, that must mean if you do work with them, your odds of getting into an ivy are very high!
Nope.
@marvin100
What do you mean by “nope”? Do you actually think that they are fabricating those numbers?
Nobody’s odds of getting into an ivy are “very high.” Unless they ALREADY have the necessary hook.
I don’t have experience with their admissions aspect but I can tell you the SAT tutoring is for real and I felt it was worth it. I would guess the admissions part is as well then since that’s the primary focus of their business
Why? The fact that you are “enthralled” by their claims is why. How? HTML.
That is how advertising works.
Numbers like that are nearly always fabricated. There is no financial or legal downside for the company making the false claim. The worse that could happen is that they’d be told to change their claim and in reality the odds of that happening are very small.
Yes.
Places that really get results like that do not need to advertise.
@marvin100 What places would you say don’t need to advertise? IvyWise?
The services are absolutely worth it and College Vine gets its results through its “near-peer” platform. You are being tutored by students who are attending the very schools to which you’re applying and recently went through the college application process. Getting an individual essay edited can be expensive - especially if you need it rushed. However, choosing one of the packages allows you to meet an unlimited number of times with your student mentor while working on all the essays for a given school. They don’t guarantee ivy admission, but most of their clients get into one of their top 3 choices. The results aren’t fabricated. It’s just the power of the near-peer system. College apps are different now… parents can only help so much.
Not at all worth it. Tried it, paid $4K. Cost came to $200 per meeting. Experienced counselors charge that much. They have no experience. Just essay checking/commenting by student who just got into an ivy league who has no experience in counseling and just has some basic essay writing/commenting skills. Imagine your own son/daughter who need help right now, doing that next year for another student? Would you put other kids future in your own child’s hands and hold them responsible within an year? If they themselves got into ivy leagues, it is not because of essays but their academics/ECs. They are not giving tuitions or injecting hobbies/ECs magically into your kid. Nobody other than your own kid can do that. However, their biz thrives on this false hope. Every parent sees their own kid in the ivy league student and ignores that fact that 7/100 do that and rest don’t. But they don’t want to take the chance and pays for the magical transformation.
If they do not select the right colleges to start with, what use is essay writing? Whatever your son/daughter will say, they would add that college in the list. My child got into none of the privates as they did not drive the school selection. Don’t get me wrong, my child is very bright. Got into all UCs. It is not because of any essay but own academics and ECs.
Bright students do not need this help. Other will not benefit from it.
Over the last few weeks I was admitted to Harvard, UChicago, Cornell, and a slew of other great schools and I fully attribute my success to CollegeVine.
CollegeVine definitely isn’t for everyone; they didn’t write my essays for me or give me the secret backroom phone number to Princeton admissions. I started with all of the raw materials necessary to apply to these schools and my CollegeVine counselor helped me connect the dots and polish what I had. By our first meeting I realized that they had paired me with the perfect counselor; based on an initial survey I filled out about my academic, extracurricular, and personal background they matched me with someone that could relate to the specific obstacles I had to navigate in my application process. Over the next few months we met multiple times per week to brainstorm, workshop, and compose. I was on the unlimited package so I didn’t have to worry that we often met for 3+ hours at a time – in December alone we met 12 times! With the in-depth one-on-one attention I received and the abundance of hours I scheduled with my consultant the program was an incredibly good deal. After we finished all of the first drafts, I gained access to CollegeVine’s editing system. They have managers comb through every essay with a fine-tooth comb, in addition to the edits your personal counselor makes. I was able to submit all of my applications without every worrying about spelling or grammar issues. Even after completing all of my applications, my consultant continued to provide invaluable advice and training on how to ace my interviews. Throughout the whole process I felt supported by the CollegeVine team – they really were committed to giving me the best shot at the school of my dreams.
In summary, I couldn’t be happier about my experience with CollegeVine. They don’t guarantee to get every kid into Stanford (I didn’t) so it’s understandable that a couple people might be unsatisfied, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone that needs help with their application at one of the cheapest prices I’ve seen anywhere. If any of you guys have any questions about my experience with CollegeVine feel free to shoot me a message!
Depends. If you have $hitty stats, no amount of counseling will get you into an Ivy…
If you have good stats it might help, but plenty of people get in without a coach or whatever
This is the exact review seen on Yelp. Legit?
I’m a high school senior who used CollegeVine and who was admitted to great schools like Duke, Cornell, Berkeley, and many more, and CollegeVine definitely helped me gain those admissions.
I really enjoyed working with my counselor and I think that because we were closer in age, I felt really comfortable talking with her and asking her for help whenever needed. There was no limit to how many times we met and how many revisions my essays would go through, and she was able to give me so many helpful suggestions while still allowing me to maintain my own voice and personality.
I think that during the college application process I was really looking for someone who could answer any questions that I had. Sometimes, trying to find answers through CC and Google just doesn’t work. CollegeVine had a great team of people, in addition to my individual counselor, who knew a lot about the admissions process and were able to provide insight into concerns and questions that I had.
As mentioned before, CollegeVine won’t write your essays for you and they don’t guarantee that you’ll get into an Ivy League/top school. However, CollegeVine helped me be more confident in how I presented myself to colleges and write clear, polished essays. If you’re able to I would definitely recommend it!
One thing to consider is that the consultants are college students and this isn’t their full time job. That means that sometimes, your essays won’t get revised immediately and it can take a few days for your counselor to look through them. Before deadlines my consultant really worked to make sure she was available and edited my essays within the same day, but other times it could take two to three days. If you are the type of person to write your essays last minute, you might not get as many revisions as you would than if you started earlier.
I hope this helps! Good luck applying everyone!