Hear from Three Parents That Used CollegeVine for Application Consulting

As of 2021, CollegeVine has re-opened its college counseling program. Select your own advisor from a highly-qualified and diverse pool, and get the guidance you need to succeed in the admissions process.

This November, we were so glad to welcome CBS’s Paula Ebben, who joined three CollegeVine parents at our company headquarters to ask why they chose CollegeVine.

This feature is part of CBS’s broader series, Eye on Education, which features all kinds of innovative teaching techniques throughout the country. Check out the video by visiting the CBS webpage.

CBS Sits Down with CollegeVine Parents

We are so grateful that three CollegeVine parents all agreed to sit for this interview, and to CBS for taking time to listen to their stories.

Jack Tsai, Chris Arnold, and Lisa D’Angelo have seen their children walk through CollegeVine’s near-peer advising programs.

Jack Tsai shared that, as a recent immigrant to the U.S., he wanted his son to have someone with more exposure to the American college system helping his son. He shared that, “There’s a lot of anxiety from me and from him, and we just felt like, wow, we need some help.”

For Chris Arnold, the main draw of CollegeVine was that the near-peer advisors walk students through every step of the college application process. “It’s not for a parent,” he said, “The parent-child is not an effective interaction, especially during this period of time.”

Lisa D’Angelo agreed with Arnold, adding, “My teenage daughter doesn’t always want to hear things from me, so hearing it from her mentor takes on a whole different tone.” This is something we hear from parents a lot. They like their kids and want to spend time bonding rather than constantly clashing about college applications. Our software and advising reduces stress and moves those conversations away from the dinner table.

The Science of College Applications: School Lists and Negotiating Aid

CollegeVine CEO and high school parent, Jon Carson, pointed out that CollegeVine’s greatest strength is bringing objectivity to the mystery of college applications. Carson said to Ebben from CBS, “There is a large population of advisers, and they are generally oriented toward the art of college advising. And we are actually coming at it a little bit differently, which is more of the science.”

He points to horror stories of strong candidates who get waitlisted at all the schools where they apply. CollegeVine is built to prevent just that kind of thing. Our school lists bring together thousands of data points, from GPA to favorite climate, creating a list of schools the student that also has a good distribution of safety, target, and reach schools.

Co-founder Johan Zhang added that our customized Finances workspace helps families plan ahead in terms of what their actual cost to attend will be at each school. Once college financing becomes more transparent, the door opens to weighing options objectively and even negotiating for more aid in some circumstances.

Starting Early–How CollegeVine Can Help

The only regret that one of the parents mentioned was that his son didn’t start the process sooner. When asked how soon, Jack Tsai said, “Probably it’s Junior year.” That leaves time to create a positive grade trend and secure key leadership roles for a student’s extracurricular profile.

We even start with some families in 9th Grade through our Mentorship program. These offerings are designed to help students set and meet goals for all areas of their lives–academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and even personal wellbeing.

High schoolers of all ages can also benefit from our customized SAT tutoring plans that focus on concepts where each specific student has the most room to grow.

College Apps programs do start as early as Junior Spring, allowing families to begin research and finalize their profile before the chaos of Senior Fall sets in.

Does your teen want access to expert college guidance — for free? When they create their free CollegeVine account, they will find out their real admissions chances, build a best-fit school list, learn how to improve their profile, and get their questions answered by experts and peers—all for free. Encourage them to sign up for their CollegeVine account today to get a boost on their college journey.

If you are a parent looking for ways to support your high schooler in preparation for college, check out these related posts:

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6 Tips for Parents Going Through the College Application Process for the First Time