Ella’s College Planning Journey: the Right Counselor at the Right Time

Ella was such a bright and vivacious young girl, with interests as diverse as martial arts and business, computer science, and debate. 

Even in middle school, she already seemed poised to grow into an admit at one of the nation’s finest universities someday. She was clever, outgoing, and ambitious.

But something wasn’t right. Over time, Ella developed a health condition that affected her ability to concentrate in school, and no accommodations were being made.

Sophomore year, her grades slipped from As to mostly Bs… Then the report card came in. A 2.7 GPA. With a trend like that, Ella’s parents knew they needed to find solutions, and fast. But they didn’t know where to start.

Then they saw an ad for a boutique college admissions advising company called Pathivy, which offered them a free consultation to help them determine what course of action would help Ella the most.

The placement team listened carefully to their concerns and hand-picked a college admissions advisor who was known for developing creative strategies. 

Together, they forged a plan that completely reframed her application in a way that transformed a troubling situation into a narrative of strength and resilience. 

Following the guidance from their Pathivy advisor, her family transferred her to a different regional high school and enrolled her in a strategic variety of extracurriculars. They coordinated with the administration at the outset to confirm that Ella would be provided the necessary support as well. 

Then, in her applications materials, Ella highlighted this journey from the framework of growth and belonging, showing how this journey had culminated in lifelong skills of self-advocacy and determination which would be applicable in college and beyond. 

That’s what we do here at Pathivy: we help young people navigate their educational journey and college apps based on deep institutional knowledge and expertise of what admissions offices actually care about. 

Ella’s journey was already amazing—she just needed the right mentors and strategists to help her capitalize on its heights and communicate these accomplishments to the colleges of her choice. She’s since been accepted to many reputable programs and will be attending the University of Washington for informatics this Fall. 

Regardless of where they are in their academic journey, our experts work with students to help them convert their passion and priorities into a winning college applications strategy that gets them where they want to go.

Do you need help to turn the story of your high school experience around?

We’re here for you. Schedule a free consultation to see how we can help.