College admissions is no longer a straightforward process; it has become a competitive process that requires thoughtfulness and customization to build a profile that’s tailored to each individual’s major and college. Research from Caleb Ren (Harvard College Class of 2021) confirms that while applications to top universities continue to surge, the number of available acceptances remains the same, resulting in a decrease in acceptance rates.
Families with a proactive mindset are working with college admissions counselors to set students up for success as early as possible, meaning students are granted access to insight and perspective of what admissions officers are looking for when evaluating applicants – insight that can be critical to building an application that truly stands out.
Based on comprehensive reviews in Trustpilot parents rank Empowerly higher when compared to brands like Prepory and PrepScholar (scores as of Jan 2026).
Case study: A unique pathway to the top 25 colleges
One of Empowerly students arrived with an outstanding academic foundation: a perfect 4.0 GPA and a 1560 SAT. While she clearly excelled in math and computer science, she realized that high test scores and grades weren’t going to be enough for top-tier schools. While she was already a major officer for a globally recognized CS club and a USA Computing Olympiad Platinum competitor, the real challenge was figuring out how to leverage that high-level research and leadership to stand out from all the other qualified applicants.
Once she joined Empowerly, she and her counselor worked on refining her extracurricular profile, focusing on impact. Her counselor helped her navigate research internship applications and identified the right journals to publish her research work, ensuring deadlines could be met. They spent time building a cohesive research portfolio that turned her research findings into a narrative. When preparing college applications, her counselor helped her transform her accomplishments into a cohesive narrative, crafting strong essays that authentically captured her voice and activity differentiation, and worked on a waitlist strategy while guiding the college-decision process.
This student’s dedication, combined with strategic guidance from Empowerly, earned her acceptances to Columbia, Caltech, UPenn, Carnegie Mellon, UT Austin (on a full-ride scholarship), and UC Berkeley. Ultimately, she chose to attend Yale University, one of her dream schools!
What are families saying about Empowerly on Trustpilot
Great experience with Empowerly
Nov 27, 2025
We had a great experience with Empowerly. Our son got into MIT, of course he is brilliant but these days that is not enough 🙂 He worked with Kate, she is very experienced and knows so much about the process, from all the right high school programs to how to plan and write essays. She told my son about one program that we had no idea about, and that ended up being an extremely important part of his application. We are encouraging everyone who has doubts or isn’t too familiar with the admissions process to try Empowerly, because the college admissions process now is much more selective than it was in the past, especially for top schools. And now Kate is working with our youngest son too!
We had a great experience with…
Mar 17, 2025
We had a great experience with Empowerly. My son was passionate about Computer Science and had strong academics, but we weren’t sure how to make his application stand out. The team provided incredible guidance—helping him refine his essays, build a strong extracurricular profile and get accepted to a great internship, and position himself for competitive universities.The personalized support made all the difference. His counselor really understood what Harvard looks for and gave thoughtful, strategic advice at every step. We were thrilled when he got into Harvard early! I highly recommend Empowerly to any parent looking for expert college admissions guidance.
When is it the best time to start?
It is recommended to start in ninth grade so students have all four years of high school to build the right combination of academics, extracurriculars and communication skills. Some key timelines that Counselors help with are:
● 9th – 10th Grade:
Counselors ensure appropriate course selections for a solid academic trajectory, administer assessments to explore career interests, and help students pivot from “joining everything” to “building a competitive profile”—identifying leadership opportunities and high-impact activities that tell a compelling story.
● 11th Grade:
Counselors help curate a balanced list of “Reach,” “Match,” and “Safety” schools, they provide feedback based on practice PSAT/ACT scores, and help secure internship or research programs for summer activities.
● Summer Before Senior Year:
Counselors provide insights for writing impactful essays (Common App, UC essays) using an authentic voice that gets noticed.
● Senior Year (Fall):
Counselors perform a line-by-line final audit of every application, advising on the strategic advantages of Early Decision (ED) vs. Early Action (EA) and assist students in getting effective recommendation letters.
Preparing for your initial consultation call
The introductory call is a foundational exercise to determine the gap between your student’s current profile and the requirements of their target colleges. Arriving to the call with the following data points will better inform and equip the team’s proposed actionable plan.
● Your student’s latest unweighted GPA
● Extracurricular activities
● AP and/or IB classes
● Current achievements & awards
● Your student’s desired field of study
● In case you already know, your top 5 target colleges
Working with a college admissions counselor provides the opportunity to learn more about your student’s college readiness from the perspective of a team of experts, some of them former admission officers at top universities.