STRATEGY FOR 12TH GRADERS
Senior year is here.
Every decision your student makes in the next few months matters.
The essays, the list, the strategy — this isn't a process you want to figure out as you go. Matt has helped students earn admission to Yale, Caltech, Columbia, and dozens of other competitive schools. Here's how he works.
Most students approach the college application as a writing assignment. It isn't.
It's the culmination of four years of work, distilled into a set of documents that have to answer one question in the mind of an admissions officer: why this student, over everyone else?
Getting that answer right requires more than polished prose. It requires a strategy — a clear narrative thread that connects your student's academics, activities, and ambitions into something coherent and compelling.
That's the work. And it's what every senior I work with gets from day one.
What we do in 12th grade
01
College List Strategy
The schools on your list determine the outcome as much as the application itself. We curate a list that's honest about selectivity, aligned with your student's profile, and structured to maximize their options — reaches, targets, and likelies that actually make sense.
02
Essay Consulting
Every essay — personal statement, activity descriptions, supplementals — goes through a rigorous strategic and editorial process. We help your student find the story only they can tell, then coach them through every draft until it's something they're proud to submit. Most students tell me the brainstorming sessions were their favorite part. That's not a coincidence — it's how the best essays get written.
Your student's voice stays intact. Always.
03
Application Management
Deadlines, requirements, school-specific strategies — Matt tracks every moving piece so nothing falls through the cracks during the most high-stakes few months of your student's academic life.
04
Interview Preparation
Drawing from years of professional experience at leading global companies, Matt coaches students on how to present themselves with confidence and authenticity — making a lasting impression when it counts most.
What students say
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"My brainstorming sessions with Matt were the most enjoyable of all. I shared my most genuine thoughts and stories that I have never told anybody before."
Recent CollegeBound student
Admitted NYU, Class of 2028 -
"You sometimes made me feel like you know me better than I know myself — because you came up with really good ideas and things to mention in my essays."
Chloe N.
UC Berkeley, Class of 2029 -
"I really appreciate the guidance that reflects my own experience and guides me to write things in a more compelling way — while keeping my authentic voice intact. It made a huge difference."
Hanchen M.
USC, Class of 2029
Results
A selection of schools where CollegeBound students have earned admission — many of them punching above their weight.
Many of these students were admitted to schools where their profile alone wouldn't have been enough. The right strategy behind an application changes the outcome.
ABOUT MATTEvery senior gets me directly.
Not a junior associate. Not a rotating team.
I spent three years at Goodby Silverstein & Partners and nearly seven years at Google — building campaigns, positioning products, and learning how to make genuinely good work stand out. I've brought those same instincts to college admissions consulting since 2022, now entering my fifth cycle.
But the reason I do this is simpler than the resume. I didn't have a guide when I was navigating this process. Most students don't. I want to be the person I wish I'd had — someone with the experience to give real direction and the genuine investment to see a student through it.
CollegeBound isn't essay editing. It's the kind of guidance that shapes what there is to write about in the first place.
EDUCATIONUC Berkeley, B.S. Engineering
AGENCYGoodby Silverstein & Partners
RECOGNITIONCannes Lions — multiple honors
CORPORATEGoogle, Senior Marketer
ADMISSIONS CYCLESFive cycles since 2022
GUARANTEEProcess-based extended support — ask about it on your strategy session call.
Let's talk.
There’s still time to get this right.
Book a free 45-minute strategy session with Matt. You'll leave with an honest picture of where your student's application stands right now — and exactly what it will take to make it competitive.
BOOK A STRATEGY SESSIONNo commitment. No pressure. Just an honest conversation.
Matt works with a limited number of seniors each year.