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Understanding Financial Aid

Paying for college is a major concern for most college-bound teens and families. Learn about your 3 main sources of financial aid: federal, university & private. In this guide, we'll cover loans, work-study, grants, scholarships, etc, along with the applications you'll need to fill out. Interested?

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Popular Articles

There are many different components to not only the college applications process, but also the high school experience. Explore topics such as college essays & supplementals, study skills, AP exams & other academic opportunities, college tours, interviews, and so much more!

13 Nov, 2023

AP Exams

This guideline was originally published in March 2012. Since then, hundreds of students.....

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Uncovering the College Campus: The Post-Tour Tour 

Usually after a college tour ends, most families hang around for a few minutes, then...

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College Essay: The 8 Common Mistakes Students Make

Writing your college essay can be frustrating. Of the dozens of essays that you’ve written...

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The College Interview: What Can You Expect?

So far, you’ve poured your heart and soul into your essays, meticulously calculated your GPA,...

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As teens find their footing in their college applications process, it's important that those supporting them have the resources they need. So, check out what we have for parents and guidance counselors & don't worry, there's more to come!

Testimonials

I first learned of Priyanka at my local library where I noticed her working with students. So when I realized my niece needed help with her college search and applications, I hired Priyanka to guide her in the process. My niece lives many states away but through Google Meet and Google Drive they were able to get through the process of applying to 10 colleges. I was able to follow the process through the Google Drive, and just this morning was able to reference my niece’s resume & other documents on the drive to help me write a letter of reference for her. Priyanka has kept my brother & me well informed of their progress and has kept us on track with the financial aid application process. Priyanka was willing to help on all fronts, and both my niece and I have enjoyed working with her. For me, it was nice to entrust this job to someone else, so that I didn’t have to be the taskmaster, and for my niece it was helpful because Priyanka also helped her manage the stress that comes with this weighty process. I feel Priyanka’s services were a good value and certainly worth my investment!

Angie K.

Aunt

I can’t say enough good things about Priyanka’s approach. It was so worth having our two oldest work with her. She totally took the stress out of the applications process. I don’t know how she’s able to keep them so focused while equipping them both to come through the college applications process with a sense of authenticity – a total relief for us!

Jenny F.

Parent

I worked with Priyanka for about 6 months as she taught me SAT-specific test-taking strategies, how to decipher supplementals so that we could figure out what each college was asking, and helped me brainstorm & edit my college essay. Throughout all of this, we had a very casual vibe and working with her was always fun!

Ananya N.

Student

Priyanka has been a lifesaver for our family. As first-generation immigrants, navigating the college search was overwhelming. She’s incredibly approachable & reachable, even late at night as deadlines approached. Of course, we were stunned when Priyanka scraped my daughter, Aarushi’s college essay less than 2 weeks before the deadline! They spent hours brainstorming a new essay that better reflected Aarushi’s interest in robotics & engineering along with her writing style. Let’s say the stress-levels were temporarily high; it was a bold move on Priyanka’s end, but Aarushi loved the way her new essay felt more “like her”. In her ~5 months with us, she covered college searches, and essays. She also made sure all applications & financial aid forms were submitted before the deadlines. We’re immensely grateful for her positive and practical guidance.

Garima A.

Parent

My sessions with Priyanka have made the college applications process much less stressful! Before our sessions, I was completely unsure how to write a compelling college essay. I was nervous to share my work with someone I’d never talked to, but she was kind and easy to communicate with. Our meetings were always chill and laid back, and she offered insightful feedback that has help me create applications that stand out.

Meredith S.

Student