The college process has changed rapidly over the last few decades. Now more than ever, it is important to have the right guidance.
In order to gain acceptance into a highly competitive school, excellent grades and scores are just the beginning.
To stand out, you need a strong academic record, impactful extracurricular activities, and compelling essays that will set you apart in a competitive applicant pool. I help students combine these elements of their application to tell an award-winning story about themselves. Admission officers will see through any attempts to fake who you are. The best application is one that authentically represents YOU.
As someone with direct experience navigating the college process, I know exactly what your student needs to do to stand out and avoid the common pitfalls that prevent many students from getting accepted into their top schools. I understand what is required to be successful on an Ivy League campus today and what top schools are looking for in the next generation of students.
And most importantly, I know how stressful this experience can be for you and your student. Having a mentor your student can connect with and rely on throughout the ups and downs of the college process is essential for their personal and academic success.
It is one thing to attend an Ivy League school yourself, it is another thing to help students from a variety of different backgrounds do the same every year.
As an Ivy League coach, I help students get accepted into their dream schools and thrive at the top schools they want to attend through 4 core phases in my 1:1 coaching program.
As an alumni of Stanford University, I have navigated the process of highly selective admissions to get accepted into one of the most competitive schools in the country. Now, I have dedicated my career to help students around the world get accepted into their dream schools.
In 2022 alone, my 1:1 coaching clients were accepted into
In Phase 1, your student will receive coaching on the mindset necessary to manage academic stress throughout the college process. They will develop academic confidence for their rigorous classes, SAT/ACT exams, and AP/IB exams. To build academic confidence, we not only focus on achieving their goal SAT/ACT scores but also focus on developing a strong academic mindset that will be necessary for competitive academic environments.
From coaching on self-belief, peer to peer comparison, overworking, academic burnout, time management, anxiety, overwhelm, and other challenges your student is experiencing, they will have the academic confidence to navigate the college application process with ease and thrive at their dream school in the future.
Phase 1
Building Academic Confidence
Phase 2
Extracurricular Impact
Selective schools are searching for students who are making an impact in their communities and beyond. In Phase 2, your student will develop extracurricular activities that showcase their leadership, passion, and commitment to their interests. Outside of school, together, your student will develop an impact project in their community that enables them to explore their interests deeper, create a tangible impact in their community, and develop a spike for their application in one specific area of expertise.
Conducting research with NPO in preparation for Supreme Court case on American Indian Child Welfare Act (Area of Interest: Pre Law)
Illustrating a children’s book series on disability advocacy (Area of Interest: Art History)
Building a Tik Tok tutoring channel to assist students around the world during the pandemic (Area of Interest: Pre Med)
Presenting research to state officials on how to diversify education curriculum (Area of Interest: Public Policy)
Conducting neurodegenerative research with Mayoclinic (Area of Interest: Pre Med)
Developing an online course on cupcake baking and in-person fundraiser for other teenage entrepreneurs (Area of Interest: Entrepreneurship)
In Phase 3, we will begin to structure your student’s college application to report activities, collect recommendations, finalize their school list, and create an essay-writing timeline for the summer and fall. Additionally, your student will develop 3-5 application themes to synthesize their different strengths, activities, and stories into one compelling application narrative. This personal narrative will enable your student to powerfully communicate their vision, demonstrate expertise in their area of interest, and create an application that authentically represents them.
Phase 3
College Application Development & Application Themes
Phenomenal essays require time, planning, and strategy. In Phase 4, your student will receive coaching on the ideation, writing, and editing of every essay they’ll need to write for their college applications. We will transform their personal stories into powerful essays and continue editing through multiple revisions for the Common Application essay, UC Essays, and other application systems. Additionally, your student will learn how to write the 6 different types of supplemental essays for selective schools such as Why Us essays, Why Major essays, The Challenge Essay, and The Intellectual Curiosity Essay. From start to finish, your student will transform as a writer while writing fun and fulfilling essays that will get them accepted into their top school.
Phase 4
Essay Writing
& Results
Concepts
Your student will learn how to prepare for Ivy League interviews through mock interviews, questions, and training to ensure they feel comfortable and confident for their alumni interview.
Ivy League Interview Process
I will teach your student how to reflect, write, and revise an essay in 60 minutes or less so that they complete their application essays easily, even with a busy schedule.
The RWR Method
Your student will learn the mindset, strategy, and practice they need to surpass a 1500 on the SAT or 34 on the ACT with 1:1 coaching.
1500+/34+ Strategy
I will teach your student how to develop 3-5 core stories from their life experiences into a compelling application story. With this concept, they will know how to repurpose their essays for different prompts to avoid writing 20-30 different essays.
The Application Story
Your student will learn a 3-step strategy to help them overcome the procrastination and perfectionism holding them back from writing their best essays.
Procrastination Strategy
Preventing Procrastination & Perfectionism
Your student will learn a weekly writing and editing routine to remain on-track with essay deadlines and complete their applications early.
Weekly Writing Routine
Your student will create a stand-out extracurricular profile using the 6-step process taught through Impact Method, so they can transform their vision for service into tangible change.
The Impact Method
Whether your student wants to attend a summer program, conduct research, or find an internship, they will have support in finding and selecting the right opportunity for them.
Summer Activity Planning
Program Features
You and your student will be able to message Janae at any time to get answers directly and guidance on next steps.
Daily Messaging Support
1:1 Zoom coaching sessions guiding you and your student through the college application process from start to finish through the 4 phases above.
1:1 Coaching
Exclusive online member portal with video resources, SAT/ACT practice exams and problems, worksheets, example Ivy League student essays, and tutorials for every essay you'll need to write.
Exclusive Online Member Portal
To manage essay writing timelines, tasks, assignments, and deadlines for parents and students.
ClickUp Project Management System
Session by session parent updates to answer questions, discuss strategy, and plan for important deadlines
Parent Updates
- Create beautifully written college essays that stand out, convey your story, and fill you with joy when you read them
- Learn how to expertly discuss your activities and prepare for interviews
- Receive answers to all the questions currently leaving you stuck
- Beat procrastination and finish your college applications early
- Complete tasks on time with a streamlined process so that you can stop feeling frazzled or behind
- Get accepted into highly selective schools with 5-figure and 6-figure merit scholarship offers.
Working together, you will:
At the start of my first session with Janae, I was immediately blown away by her dedication to the quality of my application persona and my essays. At the time, many of my friends were telling me about their experiences with their outside counselors—how their counselors didn’t fully listen to their needs and treated the experience as more of a job/transaction than a willingness and eagerness to produce a stellar application. Janae was nothing like this. She listened to my ideas, worked to understand what I liked in a college when creating my list, and strategically considered the themes in my application persona when brainstorming how to answer essay prompts. What I have loved about my experience with Janae is that this isn’t just a business to her; it’s the opportunity to share her knowledge and insight with students who were once just like her not too long ago. She sees herself in us—students that are bright, passionate, and willing to put the work in—and is eager to help create an application that we are proud of. Janae has texted me at 1am about essays and met with me at 7am for sessions. She has been there to see my growth as a writer through my essays, and as a person throughout this application process.
I genuinely don’t think I could have done it without her: I had a foundation of ideas and the diligence to create thoughtful, creative essays, but Janae shaped them into something truly remarkable. She makes the college process—an inherently stressful time—enjoyable through setting deadlines and being accessible through text or email when you have any questions. She pushed me when she knew essays weren’t as strong; she challenged me to think outside of the box, and without her voice encouraging me, seeing my potential, I wouldn’t have the application I do today. So, I encourage anyone thinking about getting an outside college counselor to sign up with Janae because she is someone who, like the student, wants to and is proud to see results."
I got accepted into Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Dartmouth. I couldn't have done it without Janae.
CLASS OF 2022
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Maggie C.
"I recently just worked with Janae on my college essays and to say that I’m satisfied would be a HUGE understatement. Her editing has really just made me feel confident in my writing and feel confident that I’m putting my best foot forward in the college application process, especially to highly selective schools. Janae does several rounds of revisions, so every single time she looks at it with a fresh perspective and my voice really shines through. In the end, everything adds up and you get an idea of who I am and that’s the whole point of these essays - to convey yourself the best that you can. Coming from someone who isn’t the best writer, working with Janae has really made my essays shine. I would like to thank Janae and her entire team so much for helping me with these essays! Making this small investment into my future was definitely worth it as she invests so much care and effort to help me achieve my goals."
I got into Princeton and Yale! To say that I'm satisfied would be a HUGE understatement.
Class of 2021 Princeton University
Meera
Working with Janae, I was able to refine and polish my essays catered for more competitive and prestigious schools. Her feedback and constructive editing has allowed my voice and passions to be emphasized and has boosted confidence in my work. Additionally, Janae's assistance with SAT prep during the initial stages of the program helped me increase my score from the 1200s to the 1400s on the SAT. Regardless of what I was working on in the moment, she helped me produce my best work and encouraged me along the way!
Akash WON a FULL RIDE SCHOLARSHIP TO UT AUSTIN
Class of 2023
Akash
"I began working with Janae in my sophomore year of high school and I'm so glad to have had her support throughout the past three years, especially during junior and senior year when school & the application process became more rigorous. In my sophomore & junior year, Janae's team helped me prep for standardized testing and the skills I learned from SAT/ACT tutoring translated over to help me perform well on AP exams as well. During my meetings with Janae, I expressed that Stanford was one of my top schools and she helped me prepare for the college application process. Beyond understanding what the process entailed (supplemental essays, rec letters, additional info section, etc), Janae and her team also shared insights about helping my voice shine throughout my application as a whole. Even as a sophomore, I learned about what a college application "theme" was, and becoming familiar with the application process earlier on helped alleviate stress from senior year because I felt more prepared. A huge thank you to Young College Prep and I'm excited to join Janae on the farm next year!"
I was accepted EARLY into Stanford! BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH THE APPLICATION PROCESS EARLIER ON HELPED ALLEVIATE STRESS FROM SENIOR YEAR BECAUSE I FELT MORE PREPARED.
CLASS OF 2026
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Rebecca
Parent of Maggie (Harvard Class of 2026) and Grace (Boston University Class of 2026)
"The level of help Janae provided was outstanding and now when I think of her name and what she did for my twins I say to myself, "That was the best money I have ever spent for tutoring"
Laura Chiappetta
I have twin daughters and both were applying to top-notch colleges. Both have 4.5 or higher grade point average and my first thought was "they can do this on their own". What I witnessed was that with the experienced help from Janae they had the extra boost of confidence that they needed to get through this process. First one of the twins started tutoring with Janae for the SAT test and her assistance and knowledge about the test and teaching of the material was totally superb. Then because we had such a great experience with tutoring for the SAT, we continued on for college preparation and essays. Janae is kind and caring and very passionate about her work. She spends time with your child and is open to phone calls and texts at any time for any questions.
The level of help Janae provided was outstanding and now when I think of her name and what she did for my twins I say to myself, "That was the best money I have ever spent for tutoring". Janae helped my twins perfect their essays for all of the colleges they were applying to. My daughter got into her ED school, Boston University. I do not think any of this process would have gone as smoothly without Janae. The college application process is scary for a teen and I can say that I feel with Janae Young's help both of my kids got through it and feel confident about their applications and their essays. This is a big step for any parent and child and I think that Janae Young is the best choice to help with college preparation. This is money well spent for your child's future!!
Class of 2022, Boston University
"Janae didn’t just tell me what to fix, she taught me, and this made me become a better writer. I ended up getting into my top school and I couldn’t have done it without Janae."
Grace C.
I started out the college process very unsure of where to start, how to even write my supplements, and with a personal statement that was far from polished. However, from even the first session with Janae, my worries faded because she made all of this work seem attainable.
What really eased my mind was having a plan about the major themes of my application: I knew from the start that my whole application needed to be cohesive and I never would have been able to plan this out with Janae. Along with this, she helped me plan and strategize when I could write these supplements and how each one would look on the application. Some of my friends’ college counselors told me that the writing didn’t feel like theirs, but I never felt this way when working with Janae. In the sessions, we always worked together and I always felt that my voice was heard and never diminished. I appreciated that even outside of sessions, I could just text Janae and she would find the time to look over my writing to provide feedback. Janae is mature and professional. On top of this, she was able to be even more empathetic to this process since she recently went through it. Janae didn’t just tell me what to fix, she taught me, and this made me become a better writer by the end. Now, I am far more confident in my writing skills. I would recommend Janae to anyone that is considering working with her. I ended up getting into my early decision to Boston University and I couldn’t have done it without Janae.
“Over the past few months, I have worked with Janae on my college essays and on creating a schedule that helped me stay organized during the entire application process. Going into my senior year, I was worried about crafting the perfect application and finding the best school for me. Through all my worries, Janae was there to support me every step of the way, always answering my questions with impeccable detail and insight. She is incredibly genuine, making me feel comfortable reaching out to her whenever I needed help. Janae ensured that I felt confident in all the materials I submitted and that each aspect of my application was truly a representation of me. With Janae’s help, I was able to get into my top choice school through early decision. Thank you Janae for believing in me and for helping me make my dreams a reality!”
Janae was there to support me every step of the way, always answering my questions with impeccable detail and insight. I was accepted into my top-choice school.
Class of 2022
Oberlin College
Phoebe
Coming to America with immigrant parents, the college process seemed incredibly daunting. I didn't know where to start or how to navigate the college world so when Janae told me she had a spot left in her college coaching program, it was an absolute blessing. I knew right from the moment we had the first consulting call that she was the coach for me because I felt like she connected with me on a level I never felt with other teachers. Janae really understands how to connect with her students and make them feel seen. I was always worried that my story could never be good enough for college admissions, but she made me realize that my story is one of a kind and that I am a unique student. Throughout the coaching process, I started to believe in myself in ways I never did before. I never thought that scholarships were something I would ever dream of because of my immigration status and visa restrictions, but I was able to get a 50k scholarship and I would have never been able to do it without Janae's guidance. She helped me turn my ideas into stories that felt authentic to me, which I have always struggled with in my essay writing. But beyond the technical skills and guidance she was able to provide, she also became someone I admired and looked up to. Her mindset coaching transformed the way I now tackle problems in school, whether a math problem or procrastination. My work ethic, in and out of school has changed for the better and I am so grateful I will be taking the skills and mindset Janae taught me to college and beyond.
I was able to get a 50k scholarship and I would have never been able to do it without Janae's guidance.
Class of 2023
Kundana
My college application process was definitely a hectic time, with lots of confusion, pressure, and obstacles to work through. However, Janae's mentorship, guidance, and expertise really took me far, and helped me gain the confidence, results, and understanding of how to navigate this process with success. I am blessed to say that I got into 11/12 of the schools I applied to including top business programs, several honors programs, generous merit/ full tuition scholarship programs, and Cornell University! Since day one, she was helpful and passionate about empowering me to reach my goals and was intentional about the support she gave. With late nights, leaving me feedback on my essays, to Saturday brainstorming sessions when I couldn't figure out what to write, Janae stood as remarkable counselor through it all! I am very blessed and grateful to God to have the generous outcome I did, and I am thankful that I had Janae with me through every step of the way!
Janae's mentorship, guidance, and expertise really took me far, and helped me gain the confidence, results, and understanding of how to navigate this process with success.
Class of 2022
University of Michigan
Deborah
Working with Janae was an amazing experience before, during, and after my college application season. She provided the perfect level of guidance I needed as an international student navigating college applications (and life) in the US.
Within our first month together, I raised my SAT score by over 100 points. This gave me the confidence I needed to follow through with other aspects of my application. Janae helped me recognize my strengths, weaknesses, and unique characteristics that shaped my college application.
I am eternally grateful for meeting Janae and participating in her program. The words of wisdom she shared with me still provide clarity in times of need now that I am in college. Janae gave me an opportunity to confront my self-doubt and allowed me to recognize my strong suits as a college candidate.
If you are looking for a coach who is intelligent, grounded, and experienced with college applications, I highly suggest you consider working with Janae!
Within our first month together, I raised my SAT score by over 100 points.
Class of 2022
Georgia Tech
Okiki
“I have been working with Janae for just over a month and have accomplished so much because of Janae. I love how Janae knows exactly what I am going through and provides me with advice that not only helps me with college applications but in other aspects of my life as well. She really guides you through the college application process from choosing the “best fitting” schools, to brainstorming topics that truly represent who you are and to helping you describe the activities that you have done throughout your high school career. Before I started her program, I was stressed out and struggling with balancing school, my extracurricular activities and applying for college. However, I am not that person anymore. Through this program, I have become someone that leads my life with confidence and believes in myself. I value the feedback that I receive from her and love how Janae strengthens my writing skills by having me reflect on how I can improve.
When I first started her program, I was struggling with my Common App essay. I did not know how to successfully convey the message I wanted to relay about myself and felt the essay was not structured well enough. I shared my essay with Janae and after revising and her valuable guidance, I have created an essay that I am proud of.
My life in general has been much better because of Janae. I now have more time to spend with family and friends and even have enough time to rediscover things that I have given up before!"
After working with Janae for just 30 days, here's what Kyla had to say...
Class of 2022
Kyla
