Overview: CollegeAdvisor.com Client Success Stories
In CollegeAdvisor’s Client Success Stories, we interview CollegeAdvisor students who have had a successful college journey. At CollegeAdvisor, we work with students from all backgrounds, providing a combination of one-on-one advising, expert resources, essay editing, and more.
The college application process can be years long, and the stress can be overwhelming for many students and their families. But, when students come to work with us, they feel confident knowing they have expertise and a proven track record on their side. Though we can’t control the outcome of a student’s application, we help our students feel confident that they’ve put their best foot forward.
For this Client Success Story, we interviewed Adrianna Walker: a passionate student who took her future into her own hands.
Getting to Know Adrianna
One of the first things that Adrianna told us about herself is that she was adopted at two weeks old. She was raised in Virginia, and though neither of her parents went to college, that didn’t stop Adrianna’s mother from pushing her to achieve. “I love my mom,” said Adrianna. “She’s the one that got me into things that I could really use to make myself a better person.”
When Adrianna was younger, she didn’t feel very motivated—not to grow academically, not even to find her place in the world. It was her mother that introduced her to wide-ranging opportunities and encouraged her to be open to trying new things.
“She put me in dance, helped me learn leadership. She put me in different clubs like DECA to work on my speaking,” Adrianna said. Alongside clubs like DECA, which encourages student entrepreneurship, Adrianna’s mom also pushed her to join other leadership-oriented extracurriculars like honor societies.
In school, Adrianna was drawn to anything science-related. “There was a challenge, but it was a challenge that I liked,” she explained. “There was bio, I took psychology, I took physics, I took environmental, I took earth, I took world,” Adrianna said. “I really fell in love with chemistry so much that I took it twice.”
Once Adrianna found the motivation to achieve, there was no stopping her.
Planning for the future
When it came time to apply for college, Adrianna wouldn’t settle for going in blind. “I’ve been really dedicated to making my future into something that can actually mean something,” Adrianna said. “A future that can actually make a change.”
In order to do that, she knew that she would have to ace her college applications. “I knew that I knew nothing about college, because my mom didn’t go, my dad didn’t go,” she said. “And I know that I wanted to have the best equipment possible so that I would be able to walk in with anything—being able to do anything, being able to be confident about every application, every resume, every transcript, everything.”
Adrianna was determined to go to college so that she could achieve the future she dreamed of. So she went online in search of a counselor who could help her get there.
Getting started with CollegeAdvisor
Like many of our students, Adrianna found CollegeAdvisor by looking online. “CollegeAdvisor was the first thing that popped up when I searched and I read the reviews.”
Convinced by the reviews, Adrianna decided to work with CollegeAdvisor—but not before polling some of her friends. “I talked to my friends about it,” she said. While college counselors are able to provide expert support during the college process, remember that you and your friends are all going through this together. You can also support each other through that journey.
Luckily for Adrianna, she and her friends were able to take advantage of both forms of support. “We all signed up as a collective group, and we’re all going to four year schools this year,” Adrianna said.
Exploring schools and building a college list
Adrianna came into the college process with some schools that she knew she wanted to apply to. But through working with an advisor, she ended up applying to schools that she didn’t even know existed. She’s even going to be attending one in the fall!
“I’m going to a school that wasn’t even on my radar until the beginning of the school year—when I was so set on going somewhere else.” With her advisor, Adrianna weighed the pros and cons. From costs and scholarships to academics, she considered everything to find the place that would be the best fit for her.
To build her college list, Adrianna looked for a number of different things—first, her major. “My major is the only reason that I’m going to school. I’m going to school to further my education. So it had to have that and it had to have a program that was good.” She also weighed the distance: Adrianna wanted to find a school that wasn’t too close to home, but also wasn’t too far away.
Another crucial factor in choosing the right school for Adrianna was the environment. After six college visits, she was able to confidently say that she had found the school where she fit best. “When I stepped on one specific campus, it felt like nothing but home.”
Working with a college advisor
The relationship between a student and their college advisor is crucial. There needs to be trust, respect, and good communication. Luckily, Adrianna felt as if she hit the jackpot with Crystal Aguero-Norman. “She was really amazing,” Adrianna said. “Sometimes, our meetings would go long, just because we were having good conversation.”
Adrianna started working with Crystal halfway through her junior year. They met continuously, so Adrianna felt confident knowing her advisor was going to be by her side through the good and the bad, all the way to the end of her college admissions journey.
One of the best parts about working with Crystal was the way Crystal made Adrianna feel. “The notes she took, the way that she was invested in me—it made me feel like she cared about my future just as much as I did,” said Adrianna. “Which makes me happy because my future is one of the most important things in the world to me.”
How Adrianna’s advisor helped her find success
The best advisor is more than just a supportive ear—they’re an expert in college admissions. To Adrianna, Crystal struck the perfect balance between affirming her and answering questions.
Adrianna appreciated the way that Crystal would explain things. “It breaks stuff down, but it also reassures me,” she said. “Like yeah, it’s okay, it’s okay to have these questions. Here are the answers. Here’s what you can do.”
Crystal also helped Adrianna with building her college list. “My advisor really helped me with stuff that I didn’t know at all, like turning me on to universities that I never even heard of.” Like Adrianna, most students come in with some idea of where they’d like to go to school, but they don’t have a complete college list. Working with an advisor is a great way to discover new schools and create a balanced list of universities that you would be excited to attend.
What was Adrianna’s favorite part about working with CollegeAdvisor?
Even though Adrianna was passionate about her applications and determined to create the future for herself that she envisioned, sometimes she would get overwhelmed. “I’m a big overthinker,” she said.
Because of this, it was useful to have someone to bounce ideas off of. “I think my favorite part about it was just being able to brain dump,” Adrianna said. As a self-identified overthinker, she wanted answers—but she also wanted support.
“Being able to ask questions in a way that reassures me, but also solidifies the answer—I like that type of style,” said Adrianna.
The only thing Adrianna would change about her experience would be the ability to meet up with Crystal in person. “I just wish you guys had a facility or something,” she explained. Certainly, online meetings can be challenging for students to fit into their schedules. Therefore, taking advantage of any in-person resources offered by your high school is also beneficial.
What was the biggest challenge of the admissions process?
For Adrianna, one of the biggest challenges in her college application process was one that many students can relate to: the personal statement.
“I’m not an unconfident writer, but I definitely do struggle sometimes with how to start, and how to bridge my ideas,” Adrianna said. “Like I said, I’m in my head a lot.”
By working with Crystal, Adrianna was able to take her ideas and her passion and craft them into a compelling, well-structured essay. She worked with Crystal on things like transitions, how to start and finish her essay, and how to tie everything together.
Adrianna isn’t alone in these struggles: writing the personal statement can feel like a huge undertaking, and it requires pairing reflection skills, like introspection, with writing skills, like structure, grammar, and storytelling. By working with a college counselor, students can learn how to better structure their ideas, push past writer’s block, and get words down on paper.
Ultimately, Adrianna felt good about her personal statement. “My essay was really good and really well-rounded by the end of it, which I really do appreciate,” said Adrianna.”
Outside of the essay, another challenge for Adrianna has been a bit more existential. “Life has really hit me,” she said. College is a huge transition. After years of thinking about the idea of going to college, it was actually time to do it. “This is real life now.”
Luckily, Adrianna couldn’t be more excited about her future at her chosen school.
Adrianna’s admissions results and the road ahead
Through working with Crystal, Adrianna settled on 15 schools to apply to. And she got into all of them.
So what schools were ultimately on Adrianna’s list? “Lord,” she said. “Every time I do this, I have to put my hands up and count it.”
Adrianna applied and was accepted to Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Mary Baldwin University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, James Madison University, UNC Greensboro, Virginia State, Radford University, University of Richmond, Virginia Union University, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, and Virginia Tech. “And two more in North Carolina that I did not write down, but that’s pretty much it,” she said.
Adrianna was also awarded a number of scholarships for these universities. “Out of all of my schools, of money that I was offered before grants, I had a total of $350,000.” Wow!
When we asked Adrianna what school she would ultimately be attending, she got excited. “Oh my gosh, I love this question,” she said. “I will be attending Old Dominion University in the fall.”
Why ODU
To Adrianna, ODU had everything. “I really just like everything about it,” she said. “I toured ODU three times, just because I felt like I didn’t have enough of it.” Adrianna’s college journey shows just how important visiting schools in person can be. If you are able to, try to visit the schools you got into to see if you can envision yourself there.
“I just felt like being there, I could see myself,” Adrianna said. “I could see myself not only growing, but I could see myself actually making a future, developing my future.”
When she was choosing which school to attend, she looked towards the person who had helped her succeed—her mother. “My mom supports my decision,” Adrianna said. “I support my decision.”
Without CollegeAdvisor, Adrianna would never have found her dream school. “CollegeAdvisor was the one that even told me about ODU,” she said. “I really do appreciate y’all because I wasn’t even thinking that,” she said. “And now, I couldn’t imagine anywhere else being my home.”
What will Adrianna major in?
For some students, choosing a potential major is difficult. After all, it can be hard to know what you want to study before you’ve even taken a college course. But Adrianna’s major was very important to her, and she had a good idea of what she wanted to do from the beginning.
At ODU, Adrianna will be majoring in the field she loves the most—science. “I will be majoring in preclinical sciences along with a minor in medical laboratory science as well.”
And she found the perfect campus to pursue her STEM dreams. “The major is great,” she said, “[and] they just branched over with this big medical center.” ODU just partnered with Eastern Virginia Medical School to create the largest academic health sciences center in Virginia. For Adrianna, this is very exciting.
However, it wasn’t just the major that drew Adrianna to ODU. It was campus life, distance, the environment, the classrooms, the teachers—it was the whole package.
Adrianna’s advice to future applicants
For students just starting the college process, Adrianna’s advice is to get involved.
“Make sure you’re involved. Make sure you’re taking advantage of every single opportunity that you have,” she said. According to Adrianna, the only person who can take control of your life and your future is you—so you better start soon. “You’re going to have to make decisions for yourself. You’re getting older now,” she said.
“Just make sure that you keep your eyes open, keep your ears open, make sure you’re listening, paying attention, staying active in your community, staying active in school, doing whatever you can,” Adrianna continued. “Because once you leave high school, real life is going to come and you have to be prepared for that.”
This isn’t just Adrianna’s advice for future applicants. It’s her advice to anyone growing up and graduating from high school. “If college is what you want to do, make sure you’re looking into it. If you want to work, if you want to go to the army, just make sure that you’re listening, taking advantage and looking at every opportunity and making sure that you yourself are prepared for your future.”
“Because you’re the only person that can live your life,” she continued. “You’re the only person that can make something out of your life.”
Why CollegeAdvisor?
Adrianna’s determination, passion, drive, and intelligence blew us and her counselor away. What’s more, she knew enough about herself and the college process to seek expert assistance. Adrianna’s future meant the world to her, and she wasn’t going to let herself down.
If you’re reading this and you relate to Adrianna, consider working with an advising service like CollegeAdvisor. In addition to one-on-one counseling, we’ve got a ton of resources like webinars, essay writing guides and examples, college breakdowns, and an expert team of essay editors that can help you through every step of the college process. Whether you’re a freshman just getting started or a senior ready to hit the ground running, whether you want to attend the same school your great-grandfather graduated from or you’re the first in your family to apply to college, CollegeAdvisor can help you maximize your chances at achieving your college dreams.
We want every student to have the outcome that Adrianna did: finding a college that feels like home.
This article was written by advisor, Alex Baggott-Rowe. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.
