Leadership Mentoring

Pursue your passion. Make an impact. Leave a legacy. This course speaks to the heart of our vision: to improve students' lives today so they can improve the world tomorrow. In this 12-session, one-on-one mentorship, your student will develop the skills and confidence to design and deliver their own unique passion project.

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Leadership is a Skill, Not a Title


Most high school students believe that leadership means holding an elected position. But as admissions professionals have articulated, real leadership is about making change happen.


It’s eagerly taking responsibility and saying, “It’s on me.” It’s earning the followership of others who want to help make the same change.


The soccer player who runs a fundraiser for new uniforms. The budding entrepreneur who starts a car wash that employs two friends. The concerned citizen who organizes a park clean-up. All are real leaders, with or without a title. And none of them were born with that trait. Leadership is a skill anyone can learn, and this academy is designed to help them learn it.

The Yale Perspective on Activities

According to Yale University Admissions, applicants should demonstrate leadership and meaningful involvement:

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You take leadership positions when they are available, and you invest your energies into the activities you choose. You do not need to be president of a national organization to impress the admissions committee. But, the committee would like to see that you have spent time pursuing meaningful opportunities and that you have had a positive impact on people around you.”
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What Does Leadership Look Like?

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Institutional

• Prefect/House
• Captain
• Organization Ambassador
• Conference Chair
• Club leader
• Student Council member  
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Innovative

• Startup founder
• Organization founder
• Leading a campaign 
• Creating an app
• Starting a competition 
 
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Independent

• Starting a successful blog
• Research
• Internships
• Writing a novel
• Fundraiser
  

Our Leadership Academy Structure

Our Leadership Academy is a 12-hour, one-on-one program led by a dedicated expert mentor. Through personalized sessions, your student will gain the foundational skills needed to successfully execute their passion project and thrive in high school, college, and beyond.

The curriculum covers:

  • We start by exploring what truly drives your student. Together, we'll help them identify their core passions and set achievable, actionable goals for their project.
  • We move beyond traditional definitions to help students identify and understand innovative and non-traditional forms of leadership they can practice in their own lives.
  • Students will develop the crucial, transferable skills of managing their time effectively and conducting thoughtful research to support their project goals.
  • We dive deep into the fundamentals of project management, teaching students how to effectively manage their project from the first idea to the final outcome.
  • Students will learn how to craft professional emails, build a resume that reflects their new experience, and present their work with confidence.
  • We help students expand their written and verbal communication skills, preparing them to articulate the story and impact of their project in an academic or professional setting.
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Who Is This Academy For?

The Collegewise Leadership Academy is ideal for young learners in middle school or students in grades 9 and 10 who are looking to:

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Explore a budding passion but need a framework to get started.

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Develop stronger foundational skills in time management and organization.

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Build the confidence to take initiative and lead in their own unique way.

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Create a meaningful, personal project that will set them up for future success.

Our Unique Approach

 

We Learn From Every Student, Every Year.

We guided more than 1,000 seniors in the Class of 2025 alone. At the end of every admissions cycle, our Learning and Development team compiles all our results and looks for trends. Which schools got more competitive this year? Did test scores matter more or less? What patterns emerged in early decision versus regular decision?

Then we turn around and train our counselors on everything we learned. This is a virtuous cycle that only works because of our history and our volume. You can't do this effectively as a one-person shop.

 

The Right College for Your Student

We believe all students have an equal chance to be proud of their effort and their results.

Our expertise isn't limited to a narrow list of elite schools or a specific GPA. Our commitment is to meet every student where they are, help them put their best foot forward, and celebrate the good admissions news with them when it arrives, no matter their college goals.

 

We Take Pressure Off, Not Add More.

Some college advising services make parents work harder. More meetings. More follow-up. More stress. We do the opposite.

We take the project management off your plate. We track everything. We manage the deadlines. We guide your student directly.

What's confusing and overwhelming for most families is another day at work for us. And we create that same sense of comfort for the families who join our program.

 

You're Not Getting One Counselor. You're Getting 150+ of Them.

Your student works with one dedicated counselor who knows them personally. But that counselor has access to our 'Hive Mind'—a network of 85+ admissions experts sharing real-time insights. We combine the wisdom of former admissions officers, veteran high school counselors, and expert educators to ensure your student gets the best advice, every time.

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Why Families Choose Us

 
98%
of Students a Admitted 
to One of Top 5 Choices
 
35,000+
Families Guided
 
 
26+
Years of Experience
 
 
$73,500
Average Scholarship & Grant Aid

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Highest & Most Reviewed Consulting Company in Trustpilot

We’ve built our business almost entirely on the generous referrals of families who join us; for us, that's the ultimate benchmark of our success. That personal trust is confirmed by objective public data. On Trustpilot, Collegewise holds a 4.9-star rating from over 500+ reviews, the most in our industry.

  • Lindsey Conger was my counselor and she was the ABSOLUTE BEST OF THE BEST. She was especially helpful with the essay writing process... and also super helpful at keeping me organized and on track... Because of Lindsey, I got into my #1 college that I also dreamed of getting into, and I would not have been able to do it without her. She's the best!
    Jacob Lieberman
    Dec 11, 2025
  • Working with Collegewise and our counselor, Ida Lonnqvist, was an absolute game-changer for our college application process. Ida not only helped us to focus and organize our timeline - but she also made the process enjoyable and FUN for our family! We highly recommend working with her and Collegewise!
    Rebecca Krattiger
    Jan 12, 2026
  • Sarah Turner was my counselor and she was the best!! She was extremely helpful, especially throughout the essay brainstorming process, and supportive of my ideas. She also ensured that I stayed on track and started the application process early. With her help, I got into my top school!
    S.A.
    Jan 12, 2026
  • I am so grateful to have worked with Lynne O'Shaughnessy throughout my college process. She consistently helped me stay calm and confident during such a stressful time. At the same time, she made sure that I stayed organized and on top of every deadline. Her guidance and feedback truly strengthened my applications.
    Victoria
    Jan 10, 2026
  • Working with Liz Albertelly as a college Counselor was a dream come true! She was so positive all the time, extremely helpful, and a joy to meet with. (And I got into my top school!) I would 100% recommend to anybody interested!
    Nora Beach
    Dec 19, 2025
  • We truly could not be happier with our experience at Collegewise. Lynne O'Shaughnessy was our daughter's counselor, and she was exceptional... She brought professionalism, clarity, and structure to a complex and stressful process, while always remaining deeply human and supportive. The outcome was the one we were hoping for.
    Marcela Melero
    Jan 8, 2026
  • Our daughter worked with Sarah and we are extremely pleased with how the process worked... Sarah is extremely knowledgeable, professional, respectful, and patient! She was quick to respond to questions... and the fact that Sarah is very easy to talk to, made the college application process smooth for our daughter and with limited stress.
    SG
    Jan 6, 2026
  • Collegewise really helped me see beyond the haze of college application anxiety... I was able to center my application on my authenticity and communicate to colleges exactly who I am. Super duper big shout out to my #1 cheerleader in this process, Lori Jones! (...) Her research and attention to detail were also impeccable...
    Jana Orief
    Jan 1, 2026
  • Navigating college admissions can be stressful... partnering with Collegewise was the best decision we've made. Having an external counselor allowed us to focus on our role as parents - listening, encouraging and supporting - instead of pilling on the stress... Most importantly, it allowed my daughter to take ownership of the whole process.
    Patricia Amaral
    Dec 27, 2025
  • Our experience with this company has been excellent, mainly because of our phenomenal college counselor, Christopher Logan. Christopher ensured that both our daughters were on track with their applications and catered their approach to the girls’ different personalities, interests and skill sets. (...) We could not be happier with the results...
    Shahbano Bilgrami
    Dec 31, 2025
  • Hanifa Abdul Sabur was incredible! She was thoughtful, and brought an undeniably experienced view of the college admissions landscape to my son's application! I received this service for free through my workplace benefits and would highly recommend others to take advantage of great counselors like her!
    Priya Rajan
    Dec 22, 2025
  • I enrolled my daughter with Collegewise when she was a junior in high school. We have had a fantastic experience working with Collegewise team, especially Melissa Royal... Melissa guided her not only as a counselor, but also as a mentor and friend throughout the college application process. I am extremely grateful and thankful...
    Akash Sahni
    Dec 19, 2025
  • We began working with Collegewise a few months ago. While there was a small hiccup at the start, we were quickly connected with Shannon Frankel, the Customer Success Manager. She put us at ease. Though we were anxious, she was calm, organized, and took the time to truly listen to our concerns. Her support made a big difference...
    Brianna Sabacinski
    Dec 19, 2025
  • From the very first interaction with the staff, it was total professionalism; they really cared about what we were trying to do... Our coach, Sarah Turner, was absolutely the best. We came in knowing nothing about the college process, and Sarah... walked both my son and me through every step. He was accepted to his first-choice school...
    Roxanne Spencer
    Nov 10, 2025
  • I worked with Sarah Turner over the last year for the college admissions process and I can't say enough good things about my experience. She consistently held me accountable for submitting my supplemental essays... and gave me great starting points for finding the perfect institutions for me... With all the stressors of senior year, I can confidently say I was almost never stressed about college.
    Al Pirani
    Dec 17, 2025
  • Liz Albertelly, our college counselor at Collegewise, was excellent. Her kindness, positivity, resourcefulness, availability, and attention to detail really stood out and helped our son thrive during the entire college application process. We are so grateful we had her to guide us.
    Suzanne Moffitt
    Dec 16, 2025
  • While we are pleased with the college outcomes for our kids, we are even more grateful for the time that we were able to share with Sarah Turner and the steady and supportive guidance that she provided them. (...) The end results were always out of our collective control but the process was not. We are forever thankful to Sarah for making sure it was overseen with compassion and kindness.
    Kevin Pirani
    Dec 16, 2025
  • My Collegewise counselor, Ida, was extremely helpful and accommodating to any questions or revisions I went to her for. Thanks to her constructive feedback and comments, by the time my UC application needed to be submitted I truly felt confident in my PIQ essays, activities list, and additional information section!! Thank you Ida!
    ayden aryeh
    Dec 16, 2025
  • Collegewise, and especially our counselor Mary Finn, made the college application process so much more manageable for our family. Mary helped my son shape a powerful personal statement, refine his additional information section, and gave clear, practical pointers on how to write about his activities. Her guidance helped him present his strengths authentically and confidently...
    Lamont &
    Ruthie Cannon
    Dec 1, 2025
  • Collegewise was very helpful in providing feedback and encouragement for my UC application. There is plenty of interaction with counselors, like my counselor Ida Lonnqvist, who provide lots of meaningful comments and suggestions for the application, particularly the PIQs.
    Veronika Shidlovskaia
    Nov 26, 2025
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Real Students. Real Outcomes.

We guide students to successful outcomes across the entire spectrum of higher education, from the nation's most selective private universities to top-tier public flagships to excellent liberal arts colleges.

Our goal is always the same: help your student gain admission to a college where they will thrive.

Universities and colleges our students have been accepted include:

Let's Talk About Your Path to College.


The admissions process is stressful. You have questions, and you deserve clear answers from an expert. This is your opportunity to get them. Book your free 30-minute consultation to get a true sense of direction and discover how a partnership with Collegewise can bring calm and confidence to your family.