What’s YOUR Why? College Admissions Edition

At my daughter’s middle school, our principal has a wonderful catchphrase that is repeated often and hangs on the marquee in front of school. The marquee holds three simple yet powerful words posing this daily question to students and adults alike… “WHAT’S YOUR WHY?”

TOP TIER’S ‘WHY’

Here at Top Tier Admissions our ‘WHY’ has always been the prevailing force behind our ethically-driven and honest approach with all of our families. Our ‘WHY’ is quite simple:

Continue to be trusted educators and the go-to source for ethical, comprehensive, and personalized guidance, making college admissions more transparent.

That statement and the below testimonials are our ‘WHY’ in a nutshell.

“Yes, we are thrilled with everything A has managed to accomplish in the last two years. A did the work, but your thoughtful guidance, expert knowledge, and constant reassurance along the way have helped her tremendously. We are forever grateful. I remember our first meeting thinking to myself, ‘Oh no, A is doomed.’ She did not have a great GPA, did not have good test scores, did not have a passion, wasn’t going to be playing a sport in college, wasn’t a musician, didn’t have a job, wasn’t on student government, and the list went on! This transformation has been unbelievable!” –O.S., Private Counseling parent, SMU Class of 2026

GRATITUDE ALL AROUND

The holiday season is an especially gratifying time for all of us at TTA as we celebrate the many accomplishments of our seniors. While we are always thrilled to watch our students get accepted to their top choice schools in the early round, we are also touched by their reflections as they (and their parents) note their transformation since beginning work with TTA. The best part of our job is supporting our students as they develop a genuine love of learning, an enthusiasm for research, and making a difference in their communities. Our work is not about padding a student’s resume with superficial accomplishments, but about inspiring their curiosity as scholars. It’s an honor to watch this transformation take place and to send the next generation of students off to college armed with the skills to make meaningful change as global citizens.

“I GOT INTO HARVARD!!!!!! Thank y’all so much for helping me in this process. Without a shadow of a doubt, y’all were the driving forces. Again, thank you for all your hard work and making this such an exciting night for me and my family!” – Application Boot Camp student, HARVARD Class of 2026

“My worries about how to spend my summer, my midnight pleas for help lest some grade or other self-destruct, my desperation at the thought of preparing thirty applications, you took them all on graciously. 60+ meetings, 1300+ days, 200,000+ words, we did it all, from classes to camps to colleges. More than that, however, you helped me to find my direction. When I started high school, not only did I have no idea what to do in order to get into a good college, I had no idea what to do, period. You opened my eyes to the opportunities that were available to me and guided me through finding a path that fit. Though we may have approached our decisions from an admissions standpoint, their impact extends far beyond that. The knowledge I have gained about my community and people from my university courses, the friends I have made at summer programs, the sense of purpose I found helping people out through community organizations, these things are worth more to me than a bunch of virtual confetti. In helping me to create a portfolio that was worthy of a good college, you have also helped me to make myself into a person worthy of a good college.” J.W., Private Counseling student, UPENN Class of 2026

“We are thrilled to inform you that H has been accepted to Duke University and will be joining his sister K there this fall. We were admittedly a little nervous when Application Boot Camp (understandably) went virtual, but we should not have worried as H came away super-prepared for application season. We really appreciate all of the frank advice and counsel we have received from everyone at Top Tier over the last few years as our children have journeyed through this process.” W.R., Application Boot Camp parent, DUKE Class of 2026

“We really did it! I’m officially accepted for UPenn 2026. I am far too excited to write you a longer thank-you message right now, but just know that I will be forever grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Many, many, just so many thanks! R.T., Private Counseling student, UPENN Class of 2026

“We wanted to say THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. Your help was essential. G’s college acceptance into her dream school was indeed a dream come true, made possible by a lot of hard work and wise advice and choices. Having you, she did not feel lost while applying. She learned on what she should focus, and you helped her recover from the unavoidable mishaps of a Junior year in the middle of a pandemic. We trusted her and her school a lot, and we honestly never expected you to start co-parenting with us. But you did! When the school basically dropped all the students in the middle of the year, having you to guide her and encourage her to apply for the few programs that were not closed was an invaluable help. Coming from outside the American college system made us unable to guide our oldest child in any way. You ended up being the parent in this admission process and we are grateful for your wise and thoughtful advice and overall guidance.” M.K., Private Counseling parent, DARTMOUTH Class of 2026

“Thank you for everything. In the end, I know he couldn’t have done it without you.” E.R., Private Counseling parent, DARTMOUTH Class of 2026