Our SERVICES

We know that not everyone is in the same situation and that needs vary, so please feel free to ask for any customization. As a boutique, personalized business, we can also modify any existing plan so that it meets all of your needs.

Premium

The premium service option is the best manifestation of our philosophy. This program is all inclusive and designed to curate the experience of students. Students can choose up to 12 schools (UCs count as 1), and they get support on every element of the application process. No limit on meetings, asynchronous work, and communication.

9th Grade

9th graders meet with their consultant a minimum of 10 (no limit) times per year, where they will be encouraged to explore clubs, service, and often the development of key skills based on their expressed interests. The idea is to expose the student to different fields and experience, so that they will eventually have a more unique narrative.

Puente will support with:

Applications

The consultant will not only guide students in choosing the right summer programs, internships, research opportunities, and competitions, we also support students in the application process. Working on application essays this early helps consultants and students get to understand each other’s style and grow their chemistry as a team.

Course selection

A crucial component of a student’s narrative is the curriculum choices they make in high school. The student and consultant will plan a 4-year trajectory of courses to be taken that will best serve their narrative. Every year, we regroup and reassess, based on GPA, changes, and plans.

Leadership, time management, and priorities

One of the biggest challenges of a high school is time management. At Puente we will guide students in making decisions that will help them prioritize and discriminate activities based on their personal and narrative importance. This includes helping students determine which clubs, activities, and other extracurriculars to engage with, how much, and for how long.

Service

Support in helping students find ways to serve their communities in a way that will contribute to the steps in narrative building that we are taking.

10th Grade

10th graders will meet their consultant a minimum of 10 ( no limit) times. 10th grade is the first year that students take a more serious step into specialization. Conversations start to focus a little less on exploration and more on combining interest to start the formation of a more definite narrative. A pivotal point of 10th grade consulting is the development of the cornerstone project, which is a long-term (10-12 grade) project that encapsulates some of the fundamental interests and passions that define a student.

10th grade highlights

In addition to everything that is done in 9th grade students also work on the following:

Cornerstone project

We begin brainstorming the project during the first semester and begin taking steps into development during the second semester. The cornerstone project is a tangible expression of the student’s narrative. Cornerstone projects touch all 3 pillars of a student narrative: community/environmental impact, specialization, interdisciplinarity. The cornerstone project can be anything: an app, a book, a non-profit organization, a series of research papers, a business, a play, a music album, a robot, etc.

11th Grade

11th is a critical year in high school. In our program, as it is generally true in the high school experience, 11th grade is the busiest year. In 11th grade we get more intentional with our meetings, begin crafting college lists , and begin the college application cycle! When in the process of writing essays, meetings with consultants will typically occur once or twice per week, since meetings serve as deadlines.

In addition to everything that is done in 10th grade students also work on the following:

Puente will support with:

Core meetings

Core meetings refer to meetings that cover specific topics, including letter of recommendations, college list crafting, college visits, and scholarships.

Preliminary college list

Stakeholders get together to begin considering a preliminary college list during the first semester of 11th grade.

College applications

The college application process in our program begins during the second semester of 11th grade. When students have more availability, we begin our journey crafting the personal statement, followed by an activity list, University of California essays, and, in August, the student’s Early Decision/REA choice. Ideally this is all completed by September, so that students can focus on writing their supplemental essays for the rest of their college list.

12th Grade

This is it! This is the time to complete applications and submit. During the first semester of 12th grade,meetings generally take place once or twice per week, so that students can complete every essay for every school with the highest level of quality. Sometimes this means that students complete their application by early December, which leaves them in a great position. Students receive Puente support until June of the student’s graduating year.

In addition to everything done in 11th grade student also work on the following:

Interview preparation: At Puente we support preparation for admission and scholarship interviews.
Softnetworking and updating emails: In some cases students need to update admissions officers or ask questions. We support students in the process of drafting these emails.
Application video review: Some colleges encourage students to submit a video as part of their application. At Puente we support the scripting of the video and treat this component of the application as a supplemental essay.
Waitlist: When students are waitlisted, they often have to write an essay, send an email, or complete a questionnaire. We’re here to support.
Appeals: In some cases, appealing a decision makes sense. When that is the case, we support the process as well.