Get your child into their dream school with a mentor who just did it
For students, by students. Whether your child is in 8th grade or 12th grade, we match them with a college mentor from their dream school who shares their interests, knows their journey, and will guide them every step of the way.
Your Ascend Match
Personalized for your child
Matched with
Sarah K.
Stanford '27 • CS Major
Your child unlocks our full Essay Bank the moment they sign up
Every registered member gets instant access to our curated collection of successful application essays—so your child can see exactly what worked and why.
200+ Berkeley & UCLA Accepted PIQs
Real Personal Insight Questions from students who got in
15+ Accepted Essays Per Top 20 School
From every Ivy League school and more—analyzed and annotated
Exclusive to Ascend Members
Not available anywhere else—our mentors donate their own essays
Harvard
24 essays
Yale
19 essays
Princeton
17 essays
Stanford
31 essays
MIT
22 essays
Columbia
15 essays
UPenn
18 essays
Brown
14 essays
Dartmouth
12 essays
Cornell
20 essays
Duke
16 essays
UChicago
21 essays
Northwestern
13 essays
Johns Hopkins
17 essays
UC Berkeley
112 essays
UCLA
104 essays
...and growing every admissions cycle
How we find your child's perfect match
Our matching is based on three core criteria so every pairing feels natural, relevant, and genuinely helpful.
Their Dream School
We pair your child with a mentor who attends or was accepted to their target university—they know the application inside and out.
Their Personal Interests
From robotics to debate to creative writing, the mentor shares your child’s passions and can guide their extracurricular story.
Their Location & Background
Geography matters. We match your child with someone who understands their region, school system, and community context.
A Real Match
Alex
High School Junior
98% Match
Sarah
Stanford Sophomore
What your mentor helps with
From freshman year planning to hitting “Submit”—here's what our mentors most commonly guide students through.
Getting & Keeping Strong Grades
Course selection strategy, study habits, and GPA management from someone who balanced it all.
PSAT & SAT Prep
Study strategies, resources, and a realistic timeline for hitting your target score.
College Essay Writing
Brainstorm topics, draft, and polish your essays with someone who wrote winning ones themselves.
Publishing Research
Finding labs, reaching out to professors, contributing to real papers, and presenting your work.
Landing Internships
Resume building, cold outreach, and navigating internship applications as a high schooler.
Choosing Extracurriculars
Building a compelling activity list that tells a cohesive story about who you are.
Competitions & Awards
Identifying the right competitions, preparing effectively, and showcasing achievements.
Leadership & Community Service
Starting clubs, organizing events, and demonstrating meaningful impact in your community.
Letters of Recommendation
Who to ask, when to ask, and how to make it easy for your recommenders to rave about you.
Building a School List
Balancing reaches, targets, and safeties based on your profile, goals, and preferences.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Navigating FAFSA, CSS Profile, merit scholarships, and school-specific aid opportunities.
Final Application Review
A thorough, line-by-line review of your entire application before you hit submit.
Real stories from our community
Students and parents share why the peer-to-peer approach works.
50+
College Mentors
200+
Students Matched
94%
T-20 Admit Rate
30+
Universities Represented
350+
Essays in Bank
48hr
Average Match Time
“My daughter's mentor at Yale was incredible. She didn't just edit essays—she helped my daughter find her voice. The peer-to-peer connection made all the difference.”
Linda P.
Parent of Stanford '28 admit
“The Essay Bank alone is worth it. I read 20+ successful Harvard essays before writing mine, and it completely changed my approach. I got in Early Action!”
Marcus T.
High School Senior, Harvard '29
“Having a mentor who was literally in my shoes two years ago felt so different from a counselor. She knew the small things—like which clubs actually matter and which don't.”
Priya S.
MIT '28 admit
“We tried traditional college counseling and it felt too corporate. Ascend Mentors felt personal, affordable, and our son actually looked forward to his sessions.”
David & Karen W.
Parents of Columbia '28 admit
Your child's dream school is closer than you think
Join hundreds of families who transformed their child's applications with a mentor who truly gets it. No corporate gatekeepers—just real students helping students.