How to prepare for college by identifying passions and developing skills

College Planning (8th-11th Grade)

My teen wants to get into the best school possible. What should they do in high school to prepare?

Gaining admission to a dream school goes way beyond academic achievements. Your teen must demonstrate that they are engaged and active in the world in a unique way.

Blue Stars gives your teen the guidance and inspiration necessary to grab the attention of their dream schools through demonstrating initiative and drive. We want to show schools your teen makes things happen. A great way to do this is through independent projects. Blue Stars guides your teen in identifying projects they can develop and complete. We will encourage them to take the initiative, take chances, and learn from the experience.

It is important that your teen try new things. All the best leaders have failed, often several times in their lives. Trying new things can open doors to areas of life beyond what your teen has imagined.

Is your teen interested in technology? They could code a game or intern with a startup.

Do they want to give back to the community? They could organize a volunteer initiative.

Do they want to try something new but don’t know what? We have some great exercises to help your teen figure all that out. The possibilities are endless.

Together we can discover your teen’s passion, let the ideas soar, and map out a plan of action. We’ll help your teen each step of the way.

Why should my teen work with a college counselor? How will they benefit?

Not sure how your teen can juggle their high school class load while navigating the intricate process of preparing for college? Working with a college counselor helps your teen stay organized and on time in the face of competing high school demands and a busy extracurricular schedule.

Blue Stars works with your teen to outline a clear plan and make important decisions along the way. We’ll help them learn about colleges of interest. And we’ll inspire them to be curious about the world, define their interests and pursue their goals. That’s the fun part.

When is the best time to start?

Now. While most of our students start in 9^th grade, we have worked with students as young as 8^th grade and as advanced as 12^th.

Are pre-college summer programs important for admissions?

They can be. Pre-college summer programs can boost your teen’s admissions chances. They can help your teen gain experience and more specialized knowledge in the intended subject. And they give your teen an opportunity to explore passions and potential fields of study.

Preparing for college is a complex and rewarding process

We can help.

Through our long-term coaching, students have:

Become more focused, more mature and more organized
Developed well-rounded profiles that demonstrate their character and academic strengths and
Realized their dreams of attending a top school such as Stanford, Brown, and Carnegie Mellon

Our programs span from 8^th through 12^th grades. We help families in a systematic, multidimensional way. The students who work with us long-term get much better results than those who start with us in 12^th grade. Our long-term students, who have worked with us all four years of high school, report they feel ready to go to college.

College Planning Foundations Program (8th-10th Grade)

We recommend this service for young teens who want to start planning for college early. Through six or seven one-hour sessions, Blue Stars Certified™ counselors guide students through the College Planning Foundations Workbook, helping them lay the groundwork for a successful admissions journey. At the end of the program, counselors meet with the family to report on the student’s progress and discuss next steps.

Workbook topics include:

Identifying the key traits important to top colleges
Writing a compelling personal narrative
Exploring skills and interests
Goal-setting
Creating a college-planning timeline

Full-Service Annual College Planning Package (8th-11th Grade)

This service is for families seeking in-depth, sustained guidance. Students meet with a Blue Stars counselor once a month for strategic planning and for 1-2 holistic check-ins between strategic meetings. They work in close contact with their counselor throughout the year, and parents talk with Dr. M monthly. As Founder and CEO, Dr. M holds regular bi-monthly meetings with her staff and discusses each student in depth.

Monthly one-on-one meetings with your Blue Stars Certified counselor
Check-ins with Blue Stars Certified℠ counselor between meetings, as needed
Quarterly parent-only check-ins
Life coaching on time management, stress management, social media, and decision-making
Customized month-by-month timeline for each academic year
Guidance in setting SMART goals each semester
Volunteering and internship readiness training
Career exploration resources to help you find your passion
Major exploration resources for your academic development
Critical thinking resources for profile building and definition
School research so you can begin to explore colleges
Comprehensive records of all student achievement data
Detailed progress reports sent to parents after every meeting
Tailor-made list of summer programs and assistance with summer program applications
Independent Project Coaching

Summer Planning Package

Competitive colleges expect much more than excellent grades and test scores. That means it’s essential for teens to develop their unique interests through summer and extracurricular activities, starting in the summer after ninth grade. To help students and their parents choose among the many options, we provide the following services:

Assistance with applying to summer programs, including editing essays and reviewing applications
Internship-readiness program for developing a resumé and LinkedIn profile
Interview preparation and training
Expert coaching for developing a unique summer project

“I still remember her telling me that a student with a 3.5 GPA can also go to a good school.”
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– Niki S., Blue Stars parent

“We cannot thank Amy and Laura enough for making an incredibly difficult year more manageable and sane.”
…read more

– Blue Stars parent

“I still remember her telling me that a student with a 3.5 GPA can also go to a good school.”
…read more

– Niki S., Blue Stars parent

“We cannot thank Amy and Laura enough for making an incredibly difficult year more manageable and sane.”
…read more

– Blue Stars parent

Latest News

The Five Most Important Features of a Successful Stanford Application
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The Five Most Important Features of a Successful Stanford Application

In our steady work helping students get admitted to Stanford (working with many of them starting in ninth grade), the Blue Stars counseling team has identified these five qualities as the most important features of a successful Stanford applicant and application.