In this series, we spotlight a student who worked with Vanguard on their Test Prep and college application process. Here is our interview with Tisya, who applied to numerous Pre-Med and BS/MD colleges for the fall of 2024 and was accepted to UT Austin’s Health Science Scholars Program, Emory University, UNC Chapel Hill, University of Miami with a full scholarship, and more!
I was definitely nervous about the college essays. Obviously we write essays in school, but those are totally different. The college essays are about us. You want to have a perfect balance between highlighting your own qualities and seeming humble, all while trying to tie that into your own experiences.
I knew that I wanted to apply to a good amount of colleges, so I was nervous about how to write the essays. While I could figure out how to write a couple of the essays, I wasn’t sure how to handle the time management of being able to complete all of them. With school going on at the same time, Vanguard helped me combat my nerves on how to write the Common App and the Supplemental Essays, while managing my time and the deadlines.
I also did Reading and Writing SAT Test Prep with Vanguard.
Since I worked with Vanguard for Test Prep, I was also familiar with their college help. I knew that since I wanted to apply to BS/MD’s and many other colleges, I knew that I needed some help. I knew I was applying to a good 15+ colleges, and I was feeling overwhelmed. I knew that Vanguard could help guide me through this process. They helped me organize my ideas, made sure my essays were not jumbled, and helped me with time management.
Vanguard helped me with basic level grammar to get a foundation built. I thought I knew grammar well, but I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. I truly learned a lot from just that, and I’ve been able to apply that outside of the SAT Writing in my writing at school and my college essays.
Reading has always been a weaker spot for me compared to math and writing, but Vanguard really helped me break it down and learn how to navigate the Reading section. They made it seem less overwhelming and provided me with a lot of practice!
I enjoyed how it was private one-on-one sessions with my college Essay Specialist. Because of that, I was able to talk freely with them. I feel like when you’re doing something like this in a group, you can’t say your ideas because some are going to be personal and you won’t want to share it with everyone. All of the specialist’s attention was on me for that full hour.
Along with that, Vanguard helped me have a schedule, which made the process less overwhelming. I had a timeline where by this day I’d have to have a specific thing done, and it was always well before the actual deadline. Vanguard really helped me with that and talking freely with my Essay Specialist helped me organize all my ideas to make sure that each essay highlighted a different aspect of me and what I’d bring to the college.
We had many workshops to help familiarize ourselves with what to put on the Common App Activities and Awards section. That was pretty important because that’s one of the first things colleges see, so they have a good idea of what you’re interested in and what path you want to go in. I think that was one of the first things I worked on along with the Resume.
The counselors shared a lot of insight about what to put on our resume while allowing us to do it on our own so that we had independence. They were sure to double check everything! It was obvious that they wanted to help us get into whatever college we’re dreaming of. Also with the Resume, I had different versions—I had an extended 4-page version and a standard 2-page version. The College Counseling Director really helped me with that. We first started by putting down all my activities, after that I condensed it to two pages.
Having someone with you when listing all of your activities really helps! Vanguard’s counselors made me feel like everything I've done was really important and something that colleges would see as useful.
If I had any concerns about the process, like if I wasn’t feeling great about an essay, they helped me with that. The communication between me, Vanguard, and my parents all worked very smoothly. I truly respected that at the end everyone was happy! I didn’t want any regrets on submitting something as big as a college application. Vanguard helped me feel great about what I was submitting and I really appreciated that.
I started with my Common App essay so that was finished first. We started that well in advance, meeting once a week where I would brainstorm ideas. It was super laid back, but I was still getting the work done. We had so many drafts which changed significantly—I had 40 to 50 pages of just writing—so my essay just kept getting better and better with the specialist’s help! Towards the end, when deadlines were coming up but still well beforehand, I started having two to three sessions per week. I really appreciated that because I got more work done and it really helped me with efficiency. I never felt like I needed to rush.
I think Vanguard helped make my essay more unique. If I had written it on my own, I don’t know how great it would have been or if it would have gotten me into the colleges I’ve gotten into now. The essay I wrote with Vanguard’s help connected my research, my personal family experiences, aspects of myself and how I was feeling. Putting all three together really brought out how these experiences have shaped my life and made me who I am today. While that seems pretty standard, everyone’s experiences are different, so Vanguard really helped make it interesting with their creative essay formulas. It really helped make my essay unique.
Yes, for sure! I think Test Prep helped a lot with foundational grammar that you think you know but you don’t. On top of that, Vanguard also provided a lot of writing workshops, like brainstorming and different ways to start an essay. In general, the essay formulas they had really helped. I was writing so many different essays for my supplements, so that formula really helped because once I got a couple supplements down, I was good for the rest. I kept going and got faster. The first supplement took one or two weeks and then after that it became a week and less. Vanguard has made my writing faster, better and more appealing which allowed me to make all of my essays unique to me!
I got into Rice, the UT Austin Health Science Scholars Program, UNC Chapel Hill, U Miami with a full ride, Texas A&M, UT Dallas, Texas Tech, Emory, and I think that’s it. I had a lot of options, and I wanted to go into pre-med so there were quite a few schools I had to choose from. In the end, I chose Rice. I feel so great about it. I’ll be starting with a major in Health Sciences or Bio Sciences, and minoring in Data Science.
My goal is to become a doctor, and right now I’m aiming to become a gynecologist. I also really want to delve into cancer research, especially those pertaining to women. It’s very underfunded and less focused on compared to other types of cancers. I really want to be able to improve treatments and diagnostics for that.
Don’t slack off too much, but also don’t be overly stressed. If you’re going through Vanguard, they will push you. Listen to them and stay on top of your deadlines because they are there for a reason so that you don’t get too stressed out later on! Whatever you're doing, the BS/MD route or normal colleges, it will all work out. Just be on top of it and always be communicating. Before you know it, you’ll be done. Try to make the most out of it.
Working with Vanguard has helped me build quality essays and a quality Resume, but they also provided me with a lot of guidance outside of that. They were very supportive. Whenever I was feeling stressed about my deadlines, they told me, “Don’t worry, we’ll get it done.” They had great communication and that helped calm me during this stressful college application process.
Essay Specialist Madison L.
Hamilton College