jiwon. — college counseling. individualized. for all.

The going rate

What "help" costs right now

The private admissions industry has decided that anxiety is a pricing strategy. Some real numbers:

Elite "guarantee" firms (multi-year packages)$100,000+

Big-name consultants (comprehensive)$25,000–$50,000

Typical independent counselor (package)$6,000–$15,000

Typical hourly rate~$300/hr

Us. Maximum. Guaranteed.<$120/hr

Industry figures are widely reported ranges. Ours is a promise: never more than $120 an hour.

Honest truths

Things the industry won't say out loud

Before you pay anyone (including us!), here's what we believe you're owed.

no. 1

Money can't multiply your odds

A $50,000 package does not make you 10× more likely to get in than a $5,000 one. Good help sharpens what's already there. It doesn't reinvent a different applicant.

no. 2

Past performance ≠ future results

We all know the golden rule of investing. Nobody can promise you an outcome, and we won't. What we can promise is honest work at an honest price, from myself (Albert) and the smartest people I know.

no. 3

The process has changed. Permanently.

School ranking frenzies, ChatGPT on the second monitor, exponential applicant numbers. We're not here to tell you the times have changed — we're here to help you adapt.

Why students, not veterans

We applied (6, 18] months ago. Not [18, ∞) years ago.

Every counselor here is a current college freshman or sophomore who has just navigated the same portals, the same prompts, the same nervous pit in their stomach — and landed at their dream school. We remember what it actually feels like, because we still feel it.

✓ Wrote these exact supplemental essays last cycle
✓ Know the current prompts, portals, and deadlines cold
✓ Sat in your chair (maybe not literally, it's a metaphor)
✓ [Placeholder — another recency advantage]

On AI: we won't preach about the corruption of youth, etc. But admissions is visibly adapting to it, and we went through the first cycles where that was true. Whatever you decide about AI and your essays, you deserve advice from people who applied after the ground shifted, not before.

Services

As much as you need. Never more.

Everything is supplemental and by the piece. You should never have to buy a four-year "journey" to get one essay read (we're not Netflix...).

Financial aid

If price is the barrier, it isn't.

We built this because the cost of help had become its own admissions filter. School counselors might be saints, but 6/1800 isn't a comforting fraction.

Why we do it

We are a team of scholarship seekers and creators of monstrous financial aid spreadsheets. We were guilted by the same line: "meet with me, and triple your chance for Harvard." The starting line should be the same for everyone — that's the whole point.

Tell us what you're comfortable sharing

Provide as little or as much information as you feel is enough. We will never require tax documents, account numbers, or any sensitive financial records.

Sliding scale, no interrogation

Our cost of services is based on the principle of the honor system. We are happy to tailor individual plans, and we will never charge you more than our listed prices.

The standing offer

Chat with us anytime. It's always free.

Wondering if a service is right for you? How to cram for AP Microeconomics? The best time to walk along the Boston River? Just ask! No consultation fee, no list of required* fields, no meter. If it turns into real work, we'll tell you exactly what that costs before anything starts.

Start a free chat

Getting to the starting line shouldn't cost $30,000.