The college application process is a big undertaking, especially for first generation students. Studies show that college advising has a direct impact on high school graduation rates, college admission rates, and even college graduation rates. At Academy College Prep, we believe that college advising can make a critical difference in students' lives as education is the ultimate economic equalizer. We aim to make our service available to as many students as possible.
Education experts have talked about leveling the playing field and making college admissions “fair” for years now. Many colleges have gone test optional which has directly benefited students who can’t afford SAT/ACT testing or test prep, but comprehensive and free college counseling can also make a big difference in student outcomes. With college guidance, students learn who they are and discover a variety of schools that are a good fit for them. Ongoing counseling can take an overwhelming, even impossible task and make it understandable and manageable.
The ASCA (American School Counselor Association) recommends that schools maintain a ratio of no more than 250 students per counselor, however the national average in the 2015-2016 school year was 470 students per counselor. While many high schools have poor student to counselor ratios, one in five students does not have access to a counselor at all. This has left around 8 million students without a proper support system.
Academy College Prep is a one year program that guides high school juniors and seniors through the college admissions process. In addition to group meetings and workshops, students receive action items backed with detailed instruction and resources to support each activity. Our program helps students define what they want in a college, build a college list and application timeline, complete well written essays, and submit on-time applications. We provide a comprehensive, 12 month program that takes students from start to finish in their college application process at no cost to the student.
Our market includes high school juniors and seniors nationwide who do not have access to the college advising support they need. We work with highly motivated students at under-resourced public high schools in the U.S.
Our focus is currently on serving as many students as possible rather than growing revenue. Today, we are a self-funded non-profit. Our plan is to build a scalable, full service platform to support our program. Over time and once we have finished development of our platform, we plan on exploring ways to monetize our offerings to create a self-sustaining model. We anticipate our product attracting a large student base and the opportunity to offer future students freemium services such as essay review and private advising.