The counselor’s office, with completely transparent glass walls
Cheryl and her co-worker, another college counselor, share a strong work ethic. They arrive at the office very early in the morning, much earlier than they are supposed to, responding to a pile of emails before students come in.
This effort, however, takes place in a very dark room. To manage their daily emails from students and parents more efficiently, they set a routine to keep their room dark until the official start time, much like hiding from students.
However, since the office wall is fully transparent with glass and the inside is fully visible, students can easily spot Cheryl and her co-worker. Students often bang on the door before office hours. Of course, Cheryl opens the door with a big smile to the students saying, “Hey honey, come in!”
Nonstop Student Lines—A Surge After Every Bell
We witnessed endless lines for Cheryl and her co-worker. The longest lines formed especially after every bell. The bell sound was almost like a warning alarm of student waves.
Students sought Cheryl’s help for everything. Not only college-specific advice, some students came to say thank you for her help, or couldn’t wait to share exciting news with her.
She didn’t even have time to go to the restroom for several hours.
Free trial
She became aware of Admit AI due to a personal connection with one of the platform’s inventors. Although there are some restrictions on the features in free accounts, she decided to keep using it for a while.
There are two reasons she chose to do so.
First, she had little control over the budget. The annual budget cycle was not quite timed right, so she needed to wait for the right timing to bring it up to the relevant district administrator.
Second, she wasn’t quite sure how many students needed Admit AI. (Back then, we only offered a school-wide plan.) At her high school, historically nearly half of her students entered the workforce after graduation, and she knew Admit AI wasn’t a tool for everyone. She continued to monitor how many students actively used Admit AI under the free account.
(After observing Cheryl’s case, we’ve decided to add a Pay As You Go pricing option where they can pay only for students who use paid tier service.)
Hurricanes
No one forgets about the disastrous Category 4 Hurricane Helena and Category 5 Milton. They hit Florida with deadly force. Cheryl’s region was no exception and was affected as well. Students had their houses flooded and laptops were lost. Some experienced multi-day blackouts, forcing them to move to family members’ houses, and they were distracted in the middle of the EA/ED deadline season.
It was a true challenge for Cheryl. She was under serious time pressure to take care of students’ extraordinary scope of work, using an additional section of the Common App to explain the situations to admissions officers.
Some students tried to discuss the mental ups and downs in essays, which Cheryl frequently paid extra attention to because it might not have been about their own story.
Cheryl appreciated Admit AI’s help. It reviewed student essays on her behalf and provided actionable suggestions with an encouraging tone, without being judgmental.
Looking ahead: What’s next for Cheryl and Admit AI?
She is in touch with her district administrator. It’s unclear if her district will sign up for Admit AI’s paid tier to unlock its full potential. Cheryl thinks about using Admit AI on a free trial basis anyway, but she hopes there is a way to make things work out.
Oops, the interview needed to wrap up, as another student was banging on her door!
“Hey honey!”
That’s the last word we heard during the call. Yeah, it’s time to talk to the student!