Mary Kay Seeks Yellow Brick Road

Mary Kay had a 4.0 GPA, was well-rounded, and self-motivated. Yet, she was not sure how to make herself stand out in her resume, college applications, and essays. Mary Kay was interested in engineering but also wanted a school with liberal arts education choices. Was Mary Kay looking at the right colleges?

As a school newspaper editor, Mary Kay was a good writer, but could she tell her personal story using her strong, unique voice vs. a journalistic style? Mary Kay’s parents wanted her to have every advantage to help distinguish herself for scholarships.

launchphase2’s Coaching (11th-12th grade)

  • Helped Mary Kay confirm majors and careers of interest.
  • Guided her to network with professionals and to conduct informational interviews.
  • Identified Mary Kay’s college fit criteria to create a smart fit college list.
  • Brainstormed essay topics and helped Mary Kay highlight her unique voice in her essays.
  • Helped Mary Kay polish her resume and scholarship essays to stand out.

Coaching Outcomes

  • 100% acceptance rate; including a “reach” name (a prestigious liberal arts college)

$80K

  • Scholarships exceeded $80,000
  • 1st runner-up for full-ride scholarship
  • Enrolled at CU Boulder in Chemical Engineering; Honors Program
  • 2021 Update: Mary Kay is completing her PhD at Princeton University.
  • Successfully landed a research internship as a Freshman through networking (a skill taught to Mary Kay as a high school senior).