Tell The Story of Your Life

Most families go through the college admissions process a few times in their lives.

We go through it hundreds of times every year.

We’ll help you with every aspect of the admission process - from high-level strategic decisions like where to apply early or how you target merit aid, to the specific details of choosing personal essay topics and how to optimize recommendation letters.

No matter how much time remains before application deadlines, Cappex Admissions Advising can add expertise and insight to help you shape an application designed to make your story shine.

seniors. It’s your time to shine

It’s happening fast. We’re here to help slow things down and make sure your application is complete, cohesive and compelling.

Most of your work is done. Our work is helping you pull it all together and package your accomplishments in a way that brings out your personality and character. No matter how much time you have left before applications are due, we can help you bring all the pieces together and make your story shine.

Here’s all the ways we help:

narrative assessment

An overarching point of view

Every student has a story to tell, a picture of academic desires, extracurricular achievements, life events and their impacts. One of our most important roles is to help students shape those raw experiences into a cohesive narrative, one that clearly and powerfully communicates what matters to them.

Throughout the process, we’ll ensure that the narrative informs every decision, from the college list to the positioning of extracurriculars. That’s the way we package an application and help you send a clear, compelling message to each college you target.

Learn more about our narrative strategy approach here >

college list

Better input, better outcomes

If you want to wind up with quality options at the end of your college application process, you have to start by choosing quality options at the beginning.

Choosing colleges that are likely going to be receptive to your narrative is part science, part art. A college list should reflect a student’s academic aspirations, but also their sense of place - and the family’s financial aid strategy. What schools have the best programs in your area of study? Which schools are the most generous with merit aid? What is your Plan B if Plan A doesn’t happen?

It helps to identify the right questions before you start looking for answers. We help build lists that encompass all of the answers, so you’ve got great choices when acceptances roll in.

recommendations

Quality endorsements

Who you get to provide your teacher recommendations is almost as important as what they write about you. How can you prompt your teachers so that their recommendations reinforce the characteristics you’re highlighting in your narrative?

We’ll help you lock down the best choices early and help you pivot if their contribution doesn’t further the story you’re trying to tell.

Strong recommendations that underscore favorable personality traits go a long way toward winning admissions officers’ attention. We’ll make sure you get this part of the puzzle right.

personal statement

650 words about you

Right now, the most significant piece of the college application process remaining in your control is your personal statement.

If your entire application is a narrative, your personal statement is your opportunity to articulate that story as clearly as possible. You can’t write an essay in a first draft. It might take a dozen tries. We’ll work with you to make sure that version you finally land on presents you to colleges in the brightest light possible.

We’ll help you brainstorm topics until we find the one that highlights what is unique and impressive about you. Then we’ll contribute strategies and ideas to polish the truly endearing elements of your character. We’ll steer you clear of the cliched topics, puffery and mundane recitations of your extracurriculars and other miscues that glaze over the eyes of admissions officers.

Make no mistake, the work will be all yours - we simply ensure the drafting and revision process leads to an exemplary essay and not writing for mediocrity.

extracurriculars

Arranging the highlights

Packing extracurricular accomplishments into the limited space of the Common App is a delicate balancing act, one students sometimes fail to optimize. You have to give yourself many ways to shine and contribute to your overall narrative.

How you position your extracurriculars is similar to the way you assemble an executive resume, listing pertinent experiences to be the most impactful, given the story you’re trying to tell.

The way you position your extracurriculars reveals to college the character traits they want to see - in the order you want them to be seen.

standardized tests

Knowing the score

Until recently, students were required to submit SAT or ACT scores to every school they applied to. But COVID-19 has changed the application process. We can advise you when it’s best to submit scores, and when it might be best not to.

For students that still have an opportunity to sit for standardized tests, we offer free SAT and ACT diagnostic tests that can put you on the road to improved test-taking skills.

application review

Professional eyes on every detail

As a team, we’re always keeping an eye on the big picture of your narrative - but we’ll also dive into the details with you. Your advisor reviews each of your applications line by line before it’s sent anywhere.

We’re looking to ensure that all the details support the overall picture you’re painting. We’re also helping you with the tedious job of double checking to eliminate any typos, omissions or other simple errors that colleges never want to see.

early decision

Strategizing Early Apps

The complexity around Early Decision vs. Early Action vs. Restricted Early Action vs. Early Decision II can be baffling. But there are strategic ways to balance academic goals against financial aid goals and make the most of advantages that come from applying early.

We’ve helped kids apply to thousands of schools. We know where Early Decision applications carry more weight. We can help you put a strategy in place to gain an edge at your dream schools - but also lock in admissions at other schools that aren’t restricted by your Early Decision choice.

interview preparation

Practiced answers

Today, many highly selective colleges suggest applicants participate in one on one interviews with admissions officers or alumni. These may occur before or after the application is submitted. We help students prepare with mock interviews, posing questions we know colleges are likely to ask.

We also coach students on ways to come across as likable, engaged and authentic to adults - characteristics they may not have been prioritizing during their teen years. Our expert coaching can make a significant difference in the way a student is perceived in person.

post-acceptance

You’re in - but you’re not done

When acceptance offers start rolling in during early spring, we help students to understand their options, weigh the unique factors in their decision and make choices.

Financial aid may play a role, as can other situations that arise - like mid-year start dates, or invitations to join an honors college.

financial aid

Checks and balances

Deciphering financial aid awards is more difficult than it should be, as colleges rarely present offers in an apples-to-apples way.

We help you understand the details and true cost of each offer, as well as how to maximize their financial benefit. Where appropriate, we help prepare families to negotiate with colleges for even better financial aid offers, or appeal an offer based on new information.

waitlists

The waiting game

If a wait list decision comes into play, we help you best position yourself for consideration in getting off that list. When needed, we’ll work with you to develop if/then plans with specific milestones for making a decision.

tell the story of your life

Our team helps present the best you.