Applying to college can be a tough and stressful process for students, but the process can be equally demanding for high school teachers! Teachers play a critical role in the admissions process by reviewing essays, providing preparation for entrance exams, helping with college selection and relieving anxiety.

As much as teachers do, there is not a lot of transparency in the college process. As a result, students often make suboptimal college decisions due to a lack of information. There just are not many good college advising sources out there. Guidance counselors are often overworked and detached from the admissions process at top schools. Private counselors are prohibitively expensive (generally $150/hour) and also know little about the unique identity of each school. This lack of information is particularly problematic since college is such an important and expensive part of a student’s life.

College Confidant a new web-based counseling service aspires to make high-quality, affordable college counseling available for all college bound students. College Confidant has created an online peer-to-peer model that will radically improve the way college counseling works. College students (called Confidants) create an online profile, determine areas of expertise and set a price for their services. High school students can log on to the website, search the extensive and diverse network of College Confidants, and choose the best fit based on college, background, and interests. Confidants and students connect over a number of services such as: the phone, Skype, Gchat, AIM etc. The College Confidant online scheduling and rating systems ensure students can easily connect with high-quality confidants. In one hour students can: look over an essay, do a mock interview, think about application strategies or just ask general questions about the college admissions process. Parents, who are often overwhelmed with the college admissions process can also reserve Confidant sessions to quickly learn how they can best help their children through the college admissions process. This year College Confidant will have over 100 students in their network from Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford.

At only around $10-20 an hour College Confidant is considerably more affordable than other private college admissions consulting options. Through partnerships with non-profits, donations, and College Confidants willing to provide pro bono services, College Confidant hopes to reach out to groups underrepresented in the college admissions process.

Summer Workation is excited by this new college counseling model! The peer-to-peer model also has a lot of interesting implications for teachers. By leveraging rapid developments in telecommunications technologies educators around the world will have an incredible new resource. Teachers, regardless of where they are, can book Confidant sessions for their classrooms. Ultimately, College Confidant provides a new resources for both students and teachers to gain more transparency and support during the college admissions process. If you know anyone looking for college admissions help, tell them to check out www.collegeconfidant.com.