Maya’s Comeback: A PathIvy Student’s Journey to Stanford

Maya was always a brilliant kid: a fierce debater, a conscientious inquirer, and a generous collaborator both in and out of the classroom. 

But a few blemishes to her transcript in her high school career and a lack of focus in her extracurricular activity list had her parents worried, wondering: 

“Maya’s potential is boundless, but in the daunting world of college admissions today—will top colleges be able to see that?”

Incredibly passionate, gifted, and dedicated; nevertheless, the odds were stacked against her. All the more troubling was the way in which a lifelong disability meant contending with teachers who each offered varying levels of consideration—sometimes, the unique challenges her condition presented were altogether ignored. 

Under such circumstances, many parents would feel obliged to help Maya settle for a more-accessible post-secondary alternative to the prestige of Stanford (Maya’s dream school). Fortunately, Maya’s parents had other plans.

To bridge the canyon of inaccessibility for elite college admissions, they hired Pathivy to coach their daughter through the process and to devise a plan that would leverage her unique talents and experiences to their maximum potential.

• Maya’s counselor guided her in developing an extracurricular list that told a story of resilience, intellectual rigor, passion, and depth of character that would help admissions officers look past the page and see Maya’s incredible potential to its fullest.
• The activities list was also tailored to accommodate her disability while refusing to compromise on impact. She interned with a senator, engaged in high quality research, and participated in highly-targeted interdisciplinary extended learning programs that helped differentiate her niche from other students. 
• We combed through her course list to ensure that her courses were rigorous enough to reflect her talent while avoiding unnecessary risks.
• When it came time to apply to colleges, her counselor also created a strategic vision for her applications that tailored majors for specific colleges to maximize chances and to mirror each school’s values and priorities while still creating the conditions for her to be able to pursue her chosen career path. 

Ultimately, Maya was in the driver’s seat for this entire process. 

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. For a student who spent years having to wrestle with the school administration to be heard, college applications advising was one way that Maya’s voice was amplified instead of being disregarded or marginalized. 

As a result, she was accepted to Stanford, pursuing her dream to leverage technology for the improvement of equity and accessibility for all. 

Want help evening the playing field? Pathivy has your back.

With the latest insights in the college admissions space, qualified experts in applications strategy, and compassionate mentors ready to assist your child at every stage in their academic journey: PathIvy is helping to ensure that your child’s unique gifts are given their due in the college admissions process.