College Planning Cohorts
Helping students pursue their aspirations after high school?
We believe that Yurong Jiang’s Harvard University commencement address perfectly captures the spirit of our College Planning Cohort® program and the connections forged through the diversity of our students who attend public and private schools in different communities, states, and school districts. Students in our Class of 2025 earning full scholarships reflect socioeconomic, racial, gender, and religious diversity. Their scholarships reflect both merit and financial need. Like students attending Harvard, some of our students are the first in their family to attend college while others represent a legacy of college graduates. Yet, these students from diverse backgrounds and geographical locations forge relationships with current and former cohort students through their shared humanity and aspirations for the future.
Similar to Yurong’s reflections on her time at Harvard and the relationships forged with her Harvard classmates, the video testimonials of our students provide insight into how we have successfully developed a program that is much more than college planning, one in which students embrace our 3 pillars of scholarship, leadership, and service as they impact their local schools and communities today and prepare to make an indelible impact on their future college campuses.
Our Story is Told Through Student Outcomes
Mr. and Mrs. Wynn worked with my older sister who is now attending Duke. When I was selected as a Coolidge Scholarship finalist, we turned to them to assist me with my interview preparation. After meeting over the course of several virtual sessions, during a very stressful finals week, I felt they prepared me to do well during the Coolidge Scholarship Finalists Interview Weekend in Vermont. Not only was I well prepared, but I was chosen as only 1 of 2 students from throughout the country to receive the prestigious full 4-year Coolidge Scholarship, to any accredited college or university in the United States. I have now shifted my focus to working with Mr. and Mrs. Wynn on finalizing my college list and writing my Common Application and supplemental essays. They have a 100 percent success rate with my family!Julianna [North Carolina School of Science and Math]
I met Mr. and Mrs. Wynn during middle school. At the time, I was in AVID and thought that I knew what I needed to do to plan for college. However, after talking to Mr. and Mrs. Wynn, I realized that I didn't have a clue. The changes they guided me in making to my 4-year high school class schedule were only the beginning. I became a leader at school and served on the cohort's youth leadership board. The goals that I set and strategies they guided me in pursuing throughout each year of high school resulted in many pre-college opportunities such as the Northeastern University Accelerate Pre-College Experiential Entrepreneurship Program and being selected as a QuestBridge College Prep Scholar. After being selected as a QuestBridge College Match Finalist I did not match to any of my schools, but still landed 4 full scholarship opportunities to QuestBridge partner schools (Boston University, Macalester College, Washington & Lee, and Williams College). I have accepted the full scholarship to Williams College, where I will attend an all-expenses paid Summer Humanities and Social Sciences Program, and join 2 other cohort students, Jayla and Juliana, who are currently attending Williams College.Josiah [Boca Ciega High School]
I joined the program as a rising 9th grader and followed the guidance in developing my 4-year high school plan. I then left the program to focus on school, only to return as a rising high school senior for guidance in where I should apply to college and for which scholarships I best matched. Mr. and Mrs. Wynn encouraged me to apply to Xavier University of Louisiana and Spelman College, the only HBCUs to which I applied. They also helped me understand how to approach essay writing—strategically. Well, my high school plan and my college essays worked perfectly! I was offered full scholarships to both schools and will begin my journey toward medical school on a full scholarship in the Spelman College Honors Program. Taylar [Kennesaw Mountain High School]
Joining the cohort has been like having a second family where I have collaborated with other students on the ACT Study Skills Project. If not for seeing the flier about the program at my middle school, I do not know where I would be. While I have always committed to being a good student, I would never have had the guidance to plan my way through high school and in developing the leadership and community service profiles that would make me a competitive applicant for being selected to attend the MIT MITES summer program; and then being offered admission to Amherst, Brown, and Dartmouth; and being offered full scholarships to Georgia Tech and MIT. I have accepted the full scholarship to attend MIT—my dream college!Arshia [Palm Harbor University High School]
The cohort has been an instrumental part of my life since attending my first boot camp as a rising 6th grader. I have served on the youth leadership board, contributed to several books, served as a discussion group leader, led the ACT Study Skills Project, and collaborated with other amazing students from throughout the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Wynns' guidance and my involvement in the cohort became a direct pathway into Brown University and a full scholarship. It was through the relationship with another cohort student, Omar, currently attending Brown, who provided invaluable insight into why Brown would be a perfect fit. Like Omar, I have also been selected as a Jack Kent Cooke College Scholar.Jocelyne [St. Petersburg High School IB Program]
I joined the program as a rising 9th grader and followed the guidance in developing my 4-year high school plan. I served on the youth leadership board, collaborated on the math and science sections of the ACT Study Skills Project, and served as a summer intern researching information for "HBCU Scholarships...and more*." I was offered admission to Rice University, my top choice school. However, as Mr. and Mrs. Wynn had advised me, Rice's need-based financial aid policy did not offer very much money based on my parents' income and my parents felt that paying $80,000 a year to attend Rice was a nonstarter. While I received full scholarship offers from Xavier University of Louisiana and Spelman College, I had not considered attending an HBCU. Consequently, I am planning to enroll at Georgia Tech and major in biology in preparation for medical school. Erin [Kennesaw Mountain High School Academy of Mathematics, Science, and Technology]
We were terrified to have triplets entering college at the same time. We did not qualify for need-based financial aid and we just saw our retirement and home equity going to pay for college for our girls. However, God had a plan. He guided us into the capable hands of Mr. and Mrs. Wynn and the College Planning Cohort. Wow! What a blessing. Through their active involvement in the cohort and personalized guidance of Mr. and Mrs. Wynn one of our girls landed a full scholarship in the Honors College at North Carolina A&T, another landed a full scholarship in the Honors College at Claflin University, and our final daughter received a very generous financial aid package from Wesleyan University.Georgia parent of triplets
I've had more two-way daily conversations with my son (high school) and daughter (middle school) about their goals and aspirations than anytime in their lives. This has definitely improved the social-emotional connections in ways that I could have only dreamed of. My daughter now has a better appreciation of the work I do at Wake Forest University, and is seeking my input to help her as she completes her College Cohort assignments. My son reaches out to me every day with questions, and I give him feedback on how he needs to put forth effort completing the various actions that you are assigning him to expand his college and scholarship opportunities. I can tell he finally sees and understands everything I've been trying to tell him about just being smart alone is not going to get him many places. It's being smart plus having goals, a plan, and working with professional consultants like you and Mrs. Wynn.North Carolina parent
I can never fully express the joy that our family has for what you have done for Arshia. A full scholarship to MIT is surreal. While we always believed that something good would happen for Arshia, no one in the school district ever suggested that he was MIT material. He believed in your program since attending the boot camp as a rising 7th grader and he continued to believe that you could guide him into his dream school. Words cannot express the jubilation in our home when he opened the acceptance email from MIT. Thank you!!Florida parent of 7th grader who went on to be accepted into MIT
I can't stop speaking about the wonderful work y'all are doing to my friends, family, and anyone I meet. I'm on a mission to pluck the mud from the eyes of parents who think that they're kids will get scholarships to college just because they have high GPAs and Test Scores. I too was blind, but now I see!!North Carolina parent of 8th grader and 12th grader
1-on-1 Advising or Join a Cohort
We work with students and families 1-on-1 or in small groups through our College Planning Cohort program. We began our work in 2006 as the Education Ministry Leaders at the Turner Chapel AME Church in Marietta, Georgia. In 2014, we began partnering with school districts in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Texas. Our College Planning Cohort (TM) program has become a nationally recognized, highly successful, data-driven and curriculum-based college planning process. While expanding college access and scholarship opportunities are the desired long-term outcomes, our process focuses on the year-to-year development of academic skills, personal growth, leadership development, and having a meaningful impact on a student’s family, school, and community. Consequently, more rigorous course taking, higher grades and test scores, assuming leadership roles, and engaging in meaningful community service are reflected in the stories of the young people in our program who are intentionally pursuing dreams and aspirations after high school.
Jayla is a graduate of Lake City Early College High School in Florence School District 3 (SC) and only the second student in the history of the school district (both of whom are cohort students) to be offered admission to Williams College, ranked as the top liberal arts college in the United States. She recounts the impact of joining our program as a rising high school sophomore and interacting with students from throughout the United States who had similar college and scholarship aspirations. Jayla further recounts how our program assisted her in closing the widely publicized “college knowledge gap,” particularly as it pertains to first generation students.
Arshia is a graduate of Palm Harbor University High School in Pinellas County Schools (FL) who joined our program as a rising 7th grader when he affirmed MIT as his dream college. Working through our curriculum, accompanied by our 1-on-1 advising, resulted in his receiving a full scholarship to MIT. Like Jayla, Arshia recounts the sense of community during which he engaged with students from diverse backgrounds from throughout the United States.
Josiah is a graduate of Boca Ciega High School in Pinellas County Schools (FL) who joined our program as a rising 8th grader. He recounts his journey through our program, which ultimately resulted in 4 full scholarship opportunities (Boston University, Macalester College, Washington & Lee University, and Williams College (where he has enrolled).
Sydney is a graduate of the St. Petersburg High School IB Program in Pinellas County Schools (FL) who has received a BS in Neuroscience from The University of Chicago and is now applying to medical school. Sydney has poured as much into our program as we have poured into her. Her story is in our curriculum, she has served as a summer intern for our foundation, as a guest speaker at our cohort meetings, and has inspired our students, several of whom have also received full scholarships to The University of Chicago.
Learn more about the stories of Arshia, Jayla, Josiah, Sydney, Tuyen, Jocelyne, and other first generation students who are attending college on full scholarships on our College Cohort YouTube Channel.
Our One of a Kind College Planning Process: Through our online grade-level specific curriculum, books, monthly meetings, 1-on-1 advising, and pairing students with peer mentors, students are guided in developing comprehensive college/career plans to maximize the resources and opportunities within their school and school district. Through our process of “Backwards Mapping” students learn how to develop a “Body of Work” to compete in what has become a hyper competitive college admissions process. However, our process does not end with being offered college admission, but continues throughout the admissions and financial aid processes until students finalize their May 1 college enrollment decisions.
Josiah provides to the impact of our culturally relevant curriculum in which we profiled students who have come through our program whose stories of grit and determination inspires.
Our success is unparalleled. While national data reflects that only 0.1% of college students have been awarded a full scholarship, each year, over 50% of our high school seniors are offered one or more full scholarships. Schools to which our students have received full scholarships in the past, include:
Many of our students are the first students in their high school, or the first students in their school district, to be offered admission to such colleges.
Essay Writing Support for High School Seniors: High school seniors are guided in developing high quality college and scholarship essays. Includes instruction in developing personal statements, language usage, rhetorical situations, thesis statements, and persuasive and argumentative essays—all within the context of a student’s overall college or scholarship application strategy. High quality essays not only demonstrate artistic and technical merit, but are compelling in presenting a student as a high quality applicant within the context of a college or scholarship provider’s mission, vision, values, and institutional priorities. The curriculum was developed by Mychal-David Wynn who holds a BA in English from Amherst College and holds a Certification in College Admissions Counseling from UCLA.
Tuyen is a graduate of the St. Petersburg High School IB Program in Pinellas County Schools (FL) and graduated as Class Valedictorian. An incredibly academically accomplished student who, as a first generation student, lacked any college planning guidance. She describes the process through which our program guided her in developing an essay writing strategy that distinguished her during the QuestBridge application and Caltech admissions processes.
Unique Support for Athletes: Student-athletes are guided in taking action based on the reality that 93% of high school student-athletes will not be recruited. Our program is focused on assisting student-athletes in developing a “game plan” beyond sports onto multiple career or college pathways. Our comprehensive college/career guidance is driven by student aspirations, albeit to continue playing their sport in college, positioning themselves to be drafted by a professional sports team, or to leveraging their sports participation to expand their college, career, and scholarship pathways. As a student pursues a coach’s game plan, we guide students in developing their game plan beyond sports.
Study Skills and Learning Strategies Tutoring: Even the most accomplished academic students benefit from developing brain-based study skills and learning strategies. Most students are forced to figure out how to study and how to learn with little formal guidance from their school or classroom teachers. Our curriculum uses the latest brain research to guide each student in developing a step-by-step approach to studying and learning based on their personality, learning style, temperament, time-of-day energy levels, before- and after-school schedules, and resources.
For a more comprehensive overview of our program, research, and history, go to the Our Curriculum page on our website. Read our newsletters:
Choose Your Level of Support
Join a Cohort: Students participate in grade-level cohorts and work through our monthly online curriculum, attend virtual monthly meetings on the first Saturday of each month, and engage in small group discussions with students from throughout the United States as they develop college-bound plans across our 3 pillars of scholarship, leadership, and service. Click here to register…
1-on-1 Advising for Seniors: We work 1-on-1 with seniors and their families throughout the college admissions process with matching to colleges and scholarships, developing an essay writing strategy, choosing senior-year classes consistent with each student’s college aspirations, and developing the overall self-presentation of students in a highly competitive college admissions process. Click here to get started…
Year-to-Year Advising (Grades 6 – 11): Designed for students who may not be able to participate in our cohort, have the time to work through our online curriculum, or who otherwise are better suited to 1-on-1 guidance. Click here to get started…
Upon receipt of your paid registration, required books and materials will be shipped to the address provided in your registration. Cohort students will be enrolled in the appropriate online classroom and receive login credentials. 1-on-1 students will receive an email requesting documents for our review prior to setting up a virtual meeting with the student and family.
Click here to download college planning cohort flier
Click here to download essay writing cohort flier
Click here to download college planning for athletes cohort flier