Mentorship Program

Our mentorship program pairs underclassmen with a mentor who provides the tools and skills needed for success in higher education. Through weekly, one-on-one meetings, students explore and develop their interests, so they’ll have a better idea of what they want to study before they submit their college applications. We also build study and organizational skills and improve executive functioning abilities to prepare students for the rigors of college.

Identifying Interests

Our mentors help students grow as individuals and leaders. We provide a structure for mentees to explore and develop their interests, so they’ll have an idea of what field to pursue. Your child will be encouraged to reach out to current college students and professionals in a field of their choosing, so they can gain first-hand knowledge and decide if their expectations match with the reality.

Conquering Academics and Extracurriculars

Our mentors serve as academic advisors, recommending which classes to take, which standardized tests best matches their abilities, and which extracurriculars will be most enjoyable while helping to round out their college application. All the while, students create a consistent story of leadership, creativity, or whichever theme best suits them.

In addition, our executive functioning program identifies any issues in your child’s academic performance and provides data-supported solutions. Your student may be strong in initiating tasks, for example, but weak with planning and organization, and so he would likely benefit from organizational frameworks. We take an overwhelmingly positive approach in showing the student that simple behavior changes can lead to large life improvements. Our students learn to monitor their actions and implement strategies for lasting success.

Developing a Robust Resume

Through detailed planning sessions, our students design and carry out projects that are sure to impress colleges while also allowing students to explore areas of interest. Past projects have included creating an online jewelry business and marketing the products through social media, while others have gathered athletes and other community members to improve the town’s running trails. Students will also design a dream resume, and then work backwards to identify what they’ll need to achieve this goal.

If you’d like us to help your child plan for a successful future in higher education, please contact us today!

Application Preparation

When you register with Madison Tutoring, we pair you with a college admissions professional who is a certified counselor with years of experience breaking down the college process. Your student will have 24/7 email, phone and text support for any and all questions in order to alleviate stress and ensure a successful application experience.

Selecting Schools

Through conversations and questionnaires, we help students compile a comprehensive list of schools based on transcripts, personality, and future aspirations. Our admissions officers use the latest college data to offer insights into an otherwise abstract process. We factor in colleges’ returns on investment and general costs to create a personalized list of schools for your child to choose from. From here, we begin scheduling campus visits and determine whether your student should apply early or regular decision.

Creating a Cohesive Narrative

We help students determine a unique story to present to colleges through essays, letters of recommendation, and interviews. Many college admissions firms use a “cut and paste your strengths” approach to filling out applications, but having an established narrative helps colleges see students as well-rounded individuals with unique skill sets and aspirations. Our essay writing process and theme-based approach is described here, and you’re welcome to contact us to learn more.

Managing the Process

The Common App can be complicated, and some schools on your list will likely have their own separate application. We’ll keep the process organized and on task through shared spreadsheets and calendars. By having a dedicated college professional who helps clarify and streamline the process, our students often remark that our sessions are “therapeutic.”

College Essay Writing

The college essay offers students a chance to reveal their personality, and yet it is often the most intimidating part of the college application process. We work with students through all parts of the writing process, from brainstorming and drafting to revising and submitting. We’ll work through as many drafts and edits as necessary to make sure our students come across as individuals with unique stories and passions—students who will not only be successful in college, but who have the potential to broaden campus perspectives.

Developing a Theme

We begin our writing process by identifying a theme that students will introduce and develop throughout their personal narrative. We steer students away from common themes such as a sports-based realization that hard work pays off. Instead we encourage students to think about what makes them unique, how their passions have shaped their outlook on life, and how they will seek to change some aspect of the world. Some themes relate to potential majors, such as the excitement that a student feels as she uses chemistry to help pull back the curtain on life’s apparent magic. Others may explore an event that shaped them, such as the feeling of independence that comes from land ownership.

Revealing Personality

We help students weave their personality throughout the narrative so colleges can see a well-rounded student with a voice and personality that leap off the page. College essay topics serve as frameworks that provide students with an opportunity to present a fuller picture of themselves, and we help students communicate this perspective in written form. We can help reveal students’ intellectual curiosity, commitment to scientific understanding, or fascination with, for example, what makes YouTube videos go viral.

Editing with Professional Writers

Our cofounder Luke Albertson oversees the writing process and has experience as a professional writer, high school English teacher, and six-year college prep professional for Madison Tutoring. He has edited hundreds of college essays and helped students enter some of the most prestigious colleges. In a past career, Luke worked as a proposal writer, securing grants of up to $120,000,000 by making his clients’ personalities and professionality shine through. Our writers similarly know how to showcase a student’s best traits while providing a narrative that both captivates the reader and leaves a lasting impression of a unique and desirable college candidate.

We’re happy to help with any and all college essays, supplementals, and scholarship applications. Contact us today to learn more!

Resume Writing

Highlight your accomplishments with a comprehensive resume that details your relevant coursework, clubs and activities, volunteer experience, and work history.

Impressing Admissions Officers

Not every college requires a resume, but providing one offers many ways to stand out in the application process:

• For recommendation letter writers, it ensures a concrete, specific, and personal letter
• For interviewers, resumes can impress the committee before they ask the first question
• For admissions officers, an attached resume shows that you’re not only a student, but a budding professional

It often takes a third party to help categorize your accomplishments and suggest which ones to showcase and which to leave out. We help with this sorting process so that your best qualities leap off the page.

Organizing Your Accomplishments

Our admissions experts help identify, organize, and prioritize the many events and achievements of a student’s high school career. A generation ago, the well-rounded applicant was desired, one who played a varsity sport, involved herself in school and community clubs, and succeeded in AP courses. Then colleges switched to valuing the student with depth, one who completely invested himself in one or two areas rather than spread himself thin among a variety of activities. Today, admissions officers prefer a variety of applicants, so long as they  show educational and extracurricular talent, passion, and impact. Through conversations, suggestions, and detailed feedback and revisions, we help students present their best selves to their selected colleges.

Improving Your Story

A resume offers students the opportunity to tell their story over the past four years. We help move resumes from a basic list of accomplishments to a thorough explanation of what a student has explored, accomplished, and learned. Helping stock the shelves of a clothing store is something to include, but a more impressive resume discusses what the student learned about the variable mark-up costs in the retail industry, or how he or she gained an understanding of seasonal fluctuations. We talk students through their work and educational experiences until we have a well-crafted resume that best highlights their specific accomplishments while still remaining truthful.

Not sure what to put down on a resume, or which sections to include? Give us a call, and we’ll walk you through the process of writing a winning resume.

Interview Prep

College interviews are typically reserved for the most selective schools, and they offer a chance to show your personality and professionalism. We’ll show you how to start with a firm handshake and end with a pertinent question.

Reducing Stress

Colleges may encourage students to interview with an admissions officer or alumnus. Many students have not interviewed before, and for those who have, the experience can be stressful. We take the anxiety and unknown out of the college interview by providing sample questions, composing responses, and providing practice interviews and detailed feedback until students become familiar and comfortable with the process.

Practicing for Perfection

Our mock interviews offer students a chance to practice their responses in a realistic setting. We help build their confidence by working out any kinks in their performance and provide evaluative feedback on both content and presentation. Students can then revise and re-answer questions before they meet for the formal interview. This way, students are less likely to experience surprises and more likely to be comfortable and confident with this intensely personal dialogue.

Learning Etiquette

From discussing dress code to deciding when to follow up, we work through all the particulars of the interview process. We practice anything that may be unfamiliar to the student, such as greeting the committee or asking an insightful question, and help your teen become a prizefighting interviewee.

Scholarship Identification and Writing

Secure college funds by working with our writers to develop award-winning scholarship essays. We work closely with students to identify relevant scholarships and craft standout essays and applications to help pay for school.

Identifying Scholarships

Those $1,000 scholarships can add up to substantial sums, but applying for them takes time. National scholarships typically offer larger packages, while local scholarships may be smaller but have better odds. We help students prioritize their applications and appropriately divide their time and effort to secure the greatest amount of financial aid. We conduct an intensive search, finding scholarships that best fit the student’s pursued major, interests, experiences, race/ethnicity, selected colleges, and location, while factoring in the student’s chances for success and the scholarship’s amount of aid. We compile all of this data in a shared spreadsheet and then get to work filling out the applications, requesting letters of recommendation, and drafting essays.

Outlining Essays and Applications

Scholarship essays come in many different styles, from the personal narrative to the persuasive essay. Our writers identify the most effective response format and help outline an essay that addresses the prompt while showcasing how the student uniquely meets, for example, the scholarship’s desire for community mindedness, intellectual and athletic abilities, or potential to be a political game-changer. We help students tell an engaging story that positions them for some of the nation’s top aid packages.

Writing Winning Essays

The most authentic essays often come when we help students outline a response and then send them off to independently compose a first draft. We then offer detailed feedback, providing line-by-line edits and suggestions for improvements on any developing areas. We work with students until they have an essay and application that offers them the best chance to secure scholarship funds.

Looking for help on the college essay? Read more here. Have a question? Please give us a call.