Summer Research Programs for Rising Juniors in California 2026: Apply Before Deadlines Pass
Here’s the problem with summer program research. Most families start looking in May. By then, the best programs have already closed their applications.
The most competitive summer research programs for rising juniors have deadlines in February and March. Some of those windows have already closed. But several strong options are still open right now, and some of the best programs are free.
This post is for parents of California sophomores who are planning for the summer before junior year. I’ll break down which programs are worth your time, what they actually cost, and what they do for a college application.
Why This Summer Matters More Than the Others
The summer before junior year has a specific strategic role in college admissions. It’s the last summer your teen has to build something before the application window opens in August of senior year.
Junior year grades, activities, and test scores will form the core of the UC and Common App applications. But the summer between sophomore and junior year is the last real opportunity to add something meaningful: a research experience, a significant project, a demonstrated commitment to an area of interest.
Admissions officers at UC Berkeley and UCLA read activity lists looking for depth, not just breadth. A student who spent a summer working in a real research lab, publishing something, or building something tangible tells a different story than a student who took a summer class at an expensive pre-college program.
The most impactful summer experiences are usually free or low-cost. The most expensive ones are often the least impressive to admissions officers.
Free and Competitive Programs Still Accepting Applications
These programs are selective, add real weight to an application, and cost nothing or very little.
California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS): a four-week residential program at UC campuses including UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Davis. Free for California residents who qualify. Students work directly with university faculty on STEM topics. Applications for 2026 typically close in February, but late spots sometimes open. Check the COSMOS website directly.
Research Science Institute (RSI) at MIT: one of the most prestigious free summer research programs in the country. Hosted at MIT, students conduct original research with mentors. Extremely selective. Applications have already closed for 2026, but this is the program to aim for in junior year for seniors applying in 2027.
Garcia Research Scholar Program (Stony Brook University): five-week paid summer research program for high school students. Materials science focus. Has accepted students from California. Check their website for current application status.
PRIMES-USA (MIT): independent research program for students outside the Boston area. Math-focused. Online format. Applications for the 2026 summer cycle may still be open. Strong for students with genuine math interest.
UC System Research Opportunities
Several UC campuses offer research experiences specifically for high school students that fly under the radar compared to the branded programs above.
UC San Diego has the High School Summer Research Program through multiple departments. Some are paid internships. Applications vary by department.
UC Santa Barbara runs science research camps through multiple STEM departments at various price points including free options.
UCLA’s Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity (CEED) runs programs for students interested in engineering. California residents with financial need often receive fee waivers.
Contacting UC faculty directly is also an underused strategy. A student who emails a professor whose research they’ve read, explains genuine interest, and asks about research opportunities occasionally gets invited to join a lab for summer. This is rare but possible, and it produces exceptional application material when it works.
Community College Research and Dual Enrollment
This is the most underrated option available to California rising juniors, and it’s completely free.
Through the California College Promise Grant, California high school students can take community college courses tuition-free. A summer course in organic chemistry, computer science, data analysis, or another advanced topic your high school doesn’t offer can be a genuine differentiator on a college application.
It’s not just filler. A community college transcript with a strong grade in a rigorous course shows academic initiative and independence. For students who want to demonstrate readiness for college-level work, this is a direct and free way to do it.
Applications for summer sessions at most California community colleges open in late March or April for courses starting in June. Check your local district’s enrollment portal.
What to Avoid: The Programs That Look Good but Don’t Help
I’ll be direct about this because families spend a lot of money on programs that add little admissions value.
Pre-college programs branded with elite university names but open to any applicant who pays: these programs carry no admission preference at the host institution and often don’t involve real research. Admissions officers at UC Berkeley and UCLA see these on applications regularly and do not give them extra weight.
The test: can your teen point to something they made, discovered, published, or built during the program? If the answer is “I attended lectures and made friends,” that’s a summer experience. It’s not the kind of accomplishment that changes the story on an application.
A student who spent a summer volunteering consistently at a local hospital and documented what they learned is usually better positioned than a student who paid $8,000 to attend a pre-med summer camp at a famous university.
Building Your Own Research Project
This is an option that more families should consider, and it’s one I actively help students pursue.
A self-directed research project, a business with real customers, a community initiative with measurable outcomes, a creative body of work with documented process: these are the experiences that produce the most compelling application narratives.
The bar is genuine engagement and real output. Not prestige of location. Not cost of admission. What did your teen create, produce, or contribute?
For students aiming at top UCs, see our full breakdown of what UC Berkeley admissions officers actually look for when they evaluate extracurriculars and summer experiences.
The University of California publishes its comprehensive review criteria at the UC admissions official site, which is worth reading so you know exactly what they’re evaluating.
Not Sure What Your Junior Should Do This Summer?
Coach Tony helps California families choose the right summer activities for their teen’s specific profile, goals, and college list. Strategic advice based on what actually works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a summer program required for UC admissions?
No. Summer programs are one way to demonstrate initiative and interest. They are not required. A student with meaningful summer work experience, a self-directed project, or intensive involvement in a year-round extracurricular is equally competitive without any formal summer program.
Do UC schools prefer free programs over paid ones?
UC admissions does not explicitly value free over paid programs. What matters is the quality of engagement and what the student actually did. A free program with real research output outperforms an expensive program with passive participation. But a paid program with genuine rigor and real output is still valuable.
How should my teen describe a summer program on the Common App?
Focus on what they did and what they produced. Not the name of the program or where it was held. “Conducted independent research on X, analyzed Y data, and contributed to a paper on Z” is stronger than “Attended the XYZ Summer Research Institute at ABC University.”
What if my teen can’t participate in a summer program because of family responsibilities or financial constraints?
This is more common than families realize. UC schools and many private colleges explicitly recognize that students who work jobs, care for family members, or have other responsibilities that limit summer activities are not disadvantaged. The application asks about these circumstances. Admissions officers account for context.
Are there good summer programs for non-STEM students?
Yes. The Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) is a prestigious free humanities program for rising seniors. The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop and similar programs exist for writers. Many arts conservatories offer intensive summer programs. The best option depends entirely on your teen’s genuine interests.
About Coach Tony
Tony Le is the founder of egelloC, a college admissions coaching firm based in California. He has helped hundreds of students gain admission to UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, and top private universities. Tony specializes in helping California families build smart, strategic college plans without the anxiety spiral. Learn more at egelloc.com.
Spring Break College Visits 2026: The Complete Guide for California Families
Spring break is almost here. And if your junior hasn’t started planning college visits yet, this is the window you’ve been waiting for.
I tell every junior family the same thing: spring break of junior year is the single best time to visit colleges. Classes are in session. Campuses are alive. Your teen can sit in on a lecture, walk through the dining hall at peak hours, and see what actual student life looks like.
That’s very different from visiting in August, when schools are empty and you’re basically touring a ghost town.
Here’s how to plan it so you make the most of this window.
Why Junior Year Spring Break Is the Right Time
Campus visits serve two purposes. The first is to help your teen figure out where they actually want to go. The second is to build the specific knowledge they need to write “Why This College” essays.
Spring break of junior year hits both.
At this point, your junior has a preliminary college list but hasn’t made final decisions yet. Visiting now helps them cut schools that don’t feel right and double down on the ones that do. That’s a valuable filter to apply before investing in applications.
More importantly, the Common App and UC applications open in the summer. Many supplemental essays ask “why do you want to attend this specific school?” The students who visited in person give far more compelling, specific answers than the students who only did virtual tours. Admissions officers notice the difference.
How Many Schools to Visit Over Spring Break
Three to five schools is the right range for a one-week spring break trip. More than five gets exhausting and the visits start blurring together. Fewer than three is fine if you’re focused on a specific region or school type.
I recommend grouping visits by geography. California families commonly plan one of two trip configurations:
A Southern California swing: USC, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, and UCLA (if your teen hasn’t already). Two to three nights in LA, one driving day between Claremont schools.
A Northern California trip: UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UC Davis, with a possible add of Santa Cruz or San Jose State depending on your teen’s list. Three nights in the Bay Area covers this well.
Out-of-state trips work well for East Coast visits: Boston area schools like MIT, Tufts, Boston University, and Northeastern can all be covered in three days. New York area schools are another common cluster.
What to Actually Do During a Campus Visit
The official tour and info session is the starting point, not the whole experience. Here’s what I tell every family to add beyond the official program.
Eat a meal in the campus dining hall. This is where your teen gets the most authentic read on whether they could see themselves living there. Sit near other students. Listen to what they’re talking about.
Sit in on a class in your teen’s area of interest. You can usually request this in advance through the admissions office. Some schools allow walk-ins to large lecture halls. This is invaluable for STEM students who want to see what a large intro lecture looks like versus a small seminar environment.
Walk the area around campus. Is it a college town? An urban environment? A suburban bubble? Your teen’s daily lived experience will extend beyond campus boundaries. See what’s actually there.
Talk to current students when possible. Ask them what they wish they’d known before choosing this school. Ask what they’d change if they could. These conversations are more informative than any admissions presentation.
The Questions to Ask on the Official Tour
Parents tend to ask about financial aid, housing, and campus safety. All important. But I also give juniors a set of questions that serve their application later.
Ask the admissions rep: “What do students who thrive here tend to have in common?” This answer often tells you more about culture fit than any brochure.
Ask: “What’s changed most about the school in the last five years?” This question gets you specific details that are useful for “Why Us” essays and signals that you’ve done your homework.
Ask the student tour guide: “What do people complain about here? What’s the honest downside?” Tour guides are often surprisingly candid about this, and the answer helps your teen calibrate expectations.
How to Document the Visit
This is the step most families skip. And it’s the step that pays off most during application season.
Have your junior take notes immediately after the visit. Not during (that disrupts the experience), but within an hour of leaving. What stood out? What felt right? What felt off? What specific detail about this campus do they want to mention in an essay?
Create a simple document or note for each school visited. Two or three paragraphs of honest observations. These become the raw material for “Why This College” supplemental essays later.
Learn how to turn those notes into compelling essays in our guide on how to write a college essay that gets you admitted.
Demonstrated Interest and Why It Matters at Some Schools
Many private colleges track “demonstrated interest,” which means they pay attention to whether you’ve visited, attended their virtual events, or reached out to admissions representatives.
UC schools do not track demonstrated interest. Visiting a UC campus has no impact on your application.
But for private schools like USC, Boston University, Tufts, Tulane, and many others, visiting and registering for the tour creates a record that you’ve engaged. Some schools factor this into admissions decisions.
Always register for your tour and info session through the official admissions office website. Don’t just show up. The registration creates the record.
Read more about how demonstrated interest works at different schools in our post on demonstrated interest in college admissions.
If You Can’t Visit in Person
Not every family can afford spring break travel to multiple campuses. That’s a real constraint, and it doesn’t have to hurt your teen’s application.
Virtual tours have gotten significantly better since 2020. Most schools offer live virtual information sessions with admissions officers, student panel Q&As, and interactive campus map tools.
The key is the same whether you visit virtually or in person: take specific notes, ask real questions, and document what makes each school feel distinctive. The students who do this convert into more specific, compelling “Why Us” essays than the students who skim the school’s website the night before applying.
Princeton’s admissions office publishes a useful guide for families who can’t visit in person at their official virtual resources page.
Ready to Build Your Junior’s College Plan?
egelloC helps California families figure out which schools to visit, how to evaluate them, and how to turn campus visits into compelling application essays. Real guidance, not generic checklists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does visiting a campus actually improve your chances of admission?
At UC schools, no. They’re test-blind and don’t track demonstrated interest. At many private schools, yes, it can marginally help, especially at schools that explicitly track interest. The bigger benefit is that visiting makes your teen’s essays more specific and authentic, which does help.
Should parents attend the info session or let the student go alone?
Both parents and students should attend the official info session. The financial aid and housing information is as valuable for parents as for students. Then split up: student goes on the student tour, parents do the parent-specific tour if offered. Compare notes at lunch.
What should my teen wear to a college visit?
Comfortable and presentable. No need for an interview-level outfit. Think what you’d wear to a nice dinner with family. You want to be comfortable walking a few miles but look like you made some effort.
How early should we book the official campus tour?
Spring break visits fill up fast. Book now if you haven’t already. Most campus tour slots open two to three months in advance on school admissions websites. Popular schools like USC and Berkeley can fill spring break spots in February. Check today.
What if my junior changes their mind after a visit?
That’s the whole point. Visits are designed to give your teen real information so they can refine their college list with confidence rather than applying to schools that aren’t a good fit. A junior who crosses off two schools after visiting is making a smarter decision than one who applies to schools they’ve never experienced.
About Coach Tony
Tony Le is the founder of egelloC, a college admissions coaching firm based in California. He has helped hundreds of students gain admission to UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, and top private universities. Tony specializes in helping California families build smart, strategic college plans without the anxiety spiral. Learn more at egelloc.com.
Demonstrated Interest: Does It Really Matter for College Admissions?
This guide is written by Tony Le, a former UC Berkeley Admissions Reader and UCLA Outreach Director who understands exactly how colleges use and do not use demonstrated interest in their admissions decisions.
Some schools track every email, campus visit, and information session your kid attends. Others do not track any of it.
Knowing which is which changes your strategy entirely. Spending hours visiting campuses that do not track demonstrated interest has almost no effect on your kid’s application.
Here is the straight answer on when demonstrated interest matters and when it does not.
Sources: Common App | College Board BigFuture
What Demonstrated Interest Actually Is
Demonstrated interest means the actions your kid takes to show a college they are genuinely interested in attending.
This includes visiting campus, attending virtual info sessions, opening emails from the college, clicking links in those emails, contacting admissions officers with thoughtful questions, applying Early Decision or Early Action, and attending college fairs where the school has a table.
Some schools track these signals carefully and factor them into admissions decisions. Others ignore them entirely.
The concept exists because colleges care about their yield rate: the percentage of admitted students who actually choose to enroll. A school that knows a student is genuinely interested is more likely to admit them, because they believe that student will say yes.
Understanding which schools value this data changes where you spend your time and your money over the next year.
Schools Where Demonstrated Interest Matters
Demonstrated interest carries the most weight at small-to-mid-sized private universities that care deeply about yield and admit a significant percentage of their class.
Schools that explicitly factor demonstrated interest into their decisions include Tufts University, Tulane University, Bucknell University, Colgate University, Elon University, and many others in the 20-50% acceptance rate range.
For these schools, visiting campus, attending their events at college fairs, and reaching out with specific questions can genuinely move the needle.
Tufts in particular has a well-known reputation for paying close attention to demonstrated interest. Strong students who do not show genuine engagement with the school can get passed over in favor of slightly less credentialed students who made it clear they wanted to be there.
If any of these schools are on your kid’s list, the investment in demonstrated interest is real. Register for every event. Send thoughtful emails. Apply Early Decision if it is a true first choice.
Schools Where Demonstrated Interest Does Not Matter
The UC system and most large public universities do not track demonstrated interest. At all.
UCLA, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, and most other large state universities have stated policies of not considering demonstrated interest in admissions. The reason is practical: schools receiving hundreds of thousands of applications cannot feasibly track individual engagement at that scale.
At the Ivies and elite private schools like MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton, demonstrated interest is also generally not a formal factor. These schools receive so many applications from genuinely passionate candidates that interest-tracking would add almost no useful information to the review.
If your kid’s list is primarily UCs and elite private schools, the time spent visiting campuses and emailing admissions offices has almost no effect on admissions outcomes. Spend that time on the application itself. The PIQs and supplemental essays will do far more for your kid than a campus visit that no one is tracking.
The One Form of Demonstrated Interest That Always Matters
At every school that offers it, one form of demonstrated interest always matters: applying Early Decision.
ED is binding. When your kid applies ED, they are contractually committing to attend if admitted. That commitment is the clearest possible signal of genuine interest, and schools respond to it.
The admissions advantage of ED is real at most private universities. NYU’s ED acceptance rate runs around 28% compared to 12% for regular decision. Vanderbilt’s ED acceptance rate is around 24% compared to 6% overall. Those differences are substantial and worth taking seriously.
At schools where demonstrated interest matters and your kid has a genuine first choice, applying ED is the single highest-return action you can take.
One important warning: ED is binding. Your kid should apply ED only if that school is genuinely their top choice and the family has confirmed the financial aid package will be workable. You can request release from an ED commitment only in specific financial hardship situations.
How to Show Interest Efficiently
If your kid is applying to schools where demonstrated interest matters, here is how to show it without wasting weeks of time.
Register for virtual events. Many schools track event registration and attendance. A 45-minute virtual info session from home is far more efficient than a multi-day campus visit.
Reach out with a real question. Not “what is your acceptance rate?” which is on the website. A question based on something specific about the school: “I read that your environmental science program includes a required field research component. Can you tell me more about how students typically find their research placements?” That shows you actually looked at the school.
Open and engage with emails. Many schools use platforms that track open rates and link clicks. If your kid is on a school’s mailing list, actually read the emails.
These actions take minutes. They cost nothing. And at schools where demonstrated interest counts, they add up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do UC schools consider demonstrated interest?
No. The entire UC system does not track or consider demonstrated interest. Campus visits, emails to admissions, and event attendance have zero impact on any UC application. Spend that time writing stronger Personal Insight Questions. That is where the real leverage is on UC applications.
Q: How can you tell if a school tracks demonstrated interest?
Search for the school’s Common Data Set online by searching the school name plus “Common Data Set.” Look at Section C7, which lists “Factors used in Admissions Decisions.” If “Level of applicant’s interest” is listed as “Important” or “Considered,” the school tracks it. If it says “Not considered,” it does not.
Q: Does visiting a college campus help with admission?
At schools that track demonstrated interest, yes. A campus visit creates a documented touchpoint, especially if your kid signs in at the admissions office. At large public universities and most elite private schools, it has no impact on admissions outcomes. Research the specific school before booking a flight.
Q: Is Early Decision the best way to show interest?
Yes, at schools where it is available and your kid has a genuine first choice. ED acceptance rates are consistently higher than regular decision rates at most private universities. It is the most powerful demonstrated interest signal that also directly improves your kid’s odds of admission. Just confirm the financial aid situation first.
Q: Can attending a college fair help your application?
At schools that track demonstrated interest, yes. When your kid stops at a school’s table at a college fair and scans their badge or signs the sheet, that touchpoint is often recorded by the admissions team. For schools where demonstrated interest counts, it is worth doing. For UC campuses and elite private schools, it is not a factor.
Ready to Give Your Student the Insider Advantage?
Tony works with a limited number of students each year. Apply now to see if egelloC is the right fit for your family.
Tony Le is a former UC Berkeley Admissions Reader and UCLA Outreach Director with 15+ years of college admissions coaching experience. A two-time full-ride scholarship recipient (UCLA and UCI), Tony has helped 500+ students gain acceptance to top universities including Stanford, Harvard, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Columbia. Featured in the Wall Street Journal and an official TikTok College Admissions Educational Partner. Founder of egelloC. Follow on TikTok @coachtonyle.
How to Ask for a College Recommendation Letter (Template Included)
This guide is written by Tony Le, a former UC Berkeley Admissions Reader and UCLA Outreach Director who has seen firsthand how recommendation letters can strengthen or quietly sink an otherwise solid application.
A weak recommendation letter can quietly hurt an otherwise strong application. A powerful one can tip a borderline decision to yes.
Most students ask for recommendations the wrong way. They send a short email, give the teacher a deadline, and hope for the best.
Here is a better approach, including the exact email template I recommend to every family I work with.
Sources: Common App | College Board application guide
Who to Ask and Why It Matters
Most colleges require 2-3 recommendation letters from teachers, plus one from a school counselor.
The most important rule: ask teachers who know your kid well, not just teachers whose class your kid did well in. Those two things are not the same.
A physics teacher who watched your kid struggle, ask good questions, and rebuild their understanding over a semester can write a compelling letter. An AP History teacher who gave your kid an A but barely knows their name cannot.
The best letters describe specific moments. “I watched her stay after class every Thursday for six weeks to work through problems she did not understand. By March, she was teaching those same concepts to her classmates.” That is a letter that moves an application forward.
Ask 2-3 teachers who will say something real about who your kid is as a student and as a person. The grade in their class matters less than the relationship they have with your kid.
When to Ask
Ask in spring of junior year. Not fall of senior year.
Teachers write dozens of recommendation letters each fall. If your kid asks in September, the teacher is already overwhelmed with requests. Letters written under that kind of pressure are rarely the teacher’s best work.
Asking in April or May of junior year gives the teacher the entire summer to think about what to write. It also signals that your kid is organized and thoughtful. That impression often carries into the letter itself.
Here is the timeline that works. Spring of junior year: identify who to ask, have the in-person conversation, and make the formal request. Summer before senior year: send the teacher a reminder and any helpful context, including your activity list, what schools you are applying to, and what aspects of your personality you hope they can speak to. September of senior year: confirm deadlines and send application-specific links. Give teachers at least four weeks before any deadline. Six weeks is better.
How to Ask in Person First
Do not just send an email cold. Have a brief conversation first.
Find a moment when the teacher is not rushing between classes. It can be very short. “I am starting to build my college list, and I would love for you to write me a recommendation. Do you feel like you could write me a strong one?”
That last sentence matters. You are giving the teacher an out. Some will say “I do not think I know you well enough to write a strong letter.” That is valuable information. Much better to hear that in May than to find out in November that the letter was generic and forgettable.
If the teacher says yes, say thank you, and follow up with a formal email within a week. That email becomes the paper trail with all the information the teacher needs to write a letter that actually helps.
The Email Template That Works
Here is the template I give to every student I work with. Copy it, personalize it, and send it.
Hi [Teacher’s Name],
Thank you again for agreeing to write a recommendation letter for my college applications. I am applying to [list schools or general type, e.g., “several UC campuses and a few private universities”] with a focus on [intended major or field].
A few things that might be helpful as you write:
• [Specific memory from their class, a project, or challenge you overcame]
• [Something you learned in their class that you still use or think about]
• [A quality you hope they can speak to, e.g., curiosity, persistence, contribution to discussion]
I have attached my resume and a brief activity summary so you have the full picture of what I have been doing outside class.
My earliest deadline is [date]. I will send you the recommender link through [Common App / the school’s portal] by [specific date, at least 4-6 weeks before the deadline].
Please let me know if you need anything else from me. I am grateful for your time.
Thank you,
[Student Name]
This email does three things well. It gives context. It prompts the teacher’s memory with specific moments from your kid’s time in their class. And it respects their time by providing clear deadlines well in advance.
How to Help Your Teacher Write a Strong Letter
You cannot write the letter for your teacher. But you can make it easy for them to write a good one.
Give them a brag sheet. A one-page document that covers your kid’s activities and honors, academic highlights, intended major and why, and 2-3 specific memories from their class that you hope they will consider including.
Many students feel awkward doing this. Do not. Teachers appreciate it. It jogs memory and gives them material to work with. Letters written with this kind of support are more specific and more memorable than letters written from scratch.
Remind teachers of specific moments: a time your kid contributed something important to a class discussion, connected a lesson to something outside school, or pushed through a difficult concept. Those moments are what turn a generic letter into a compelling one.
One week before any deadline, send a brief, kind check-in to confirm everything is on track. Not pressure. Just helpfulness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many recommendation letters do colleges require?
Most colleges require 1 school counselor letter and 2 teacher letters. Some private colleges accept or require a third teacher letter or a peer recommendation. Check each school’s specific requirements through the Common App or the school’s admissions website. UC campuses do not require recommendation letters at all.
Q: Can students use the same recommendation letters for multiple schools?
Yes. When teachers submit letters through the Common App, the same letter goes to every school your kid designates. You do not need a separate letter per school. Schools outside the Common App may require letters to be submitted separately through their own portals.
Q: What should a student do if they think a teacher wrote a weak letter?
Students should waive their right to read recommendation letters when applying, as this makes letters more credible to admissions readers. If your kid suspects a letter was weak, they can ask a different teacher for an additional letter and add it to their application. Most applications accept optional supplemental letters.
Q: Can family members or private tutors write recommendation letters?
Most colleges do not accept recommendations from family members. Some accept recommendations from mentors, employers, or community leaders as optional supplemental letters. A private tutor letter is generally weaker than a classroom teacher who saw your kid learn in a structured academic setting over time.
Q: Is it okay to ask a teacher from freshman year?
Only if the relationship is genuinely strong and the teacher knows your kid very well. Junior year teachers are strongly preferred because their impression is recent and they can speak to your kid’s most current academic capabilities. A freshman year teacher writing about who your kid was three years ago is much less useful to an admissions reader.
Ready to Give Your Student the Insider Advantage?
Tony works with a limited number of students each year. Apply now to see if egelloC is the right fit for your family.
Tony Le is a former UC Berkeley Admissions Reader and UCLA Outreach Director with 15+ years of college admissions coaching experience. A two-time full-ride scholarship recipient (UCLA and UCI), Tony has helped 500+ students gain acceptance to top universities including Stanford, Harvard, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Columbia. Featured in the Wall Street Journal and an official TikTok College Admissions Educational Partner. Founder of egelloC. Follow on TikTok @coachtonyle.