Helping with the college search
New 12-part video on-demand course is designed to aid in the college search
WEST CHESTER » Another school year has just begun. That means millions of high school students are starting to think — and worry — about their college search and whether they will get in.
The task is daunting, with a seemingly endless list of questions: how to look; where to look; what to look for; what to ask; who to ask; what are the entrance requirements; how to get scholarships, aid and loans; the visit, the interview, the essay.
The pressure on students and families can be overwhelming, as each online search click results in voluminous and often confusing information.
Brandywine Valley College Specialists, has developed a product that helps students and their parents cut through the noise and confusion of the college search and zero in on what they need to know.
The product is a 12-part video on-demand course — the College Admissions Roadmap — that walks students through the college search and admissions process.
Students — and their parents — can complete each module at their own pace, and in the order
they choose.
Topics include: the college essay, campus visits, secrets of the search, college alternatives, standardized tests, the art if the application and finding money to attend school, among others.
Each module features a presentation by Senior Instructor Sandy Thornton, a quiz, downloadable information sheets and tips. A progress bar tracks where the students are in the course.
“We have pulled together handouts — for example everything I know about a college interview,” Thornton said, adding that she compiled the kinds of questions she would ask, “then I go to colleagues and ask ‘what would you ask,’ and then we compile these into what we think are the most comprehensive bullet points.”
The information is presented in a way that is designed to be engaging and accessible and in a manner recognizable to students — using technology they already see in the classroom.
Who is Brandywine Valley College Specialists?
The company is comprised of two experts in the field of college acceptance — Sandy Thornton and Lisa Turner — both of whom have significant experi-
ence in education and working with teens.
“We’re two women with a strong desire to help students navigate the world of going to college and getting further education. We’ve got this knowledge and experience to share with others,” said Turner.
She is an English teacher at Central York High School in York; a course developer and instructor with Eduspire (an educational professional development organization) and is a former associate professor at Ashford University. Turner has taught English to middle and high school students for more than 15 years.
“At the heart of it all, we are all about the kids. We’re hoping that by sharing all that we know, all the tips and tricks — not just what they’re going to get doing a Google search and watching YouTube videos, but really giving them the tools — we can help make this available to everybody,” Thornton said.
Thornton has worked with students in education and with college admissions, including interviewing and evaluating high school students for college admissions since 1984; guiding and assisting college-bound students with all aspects of applying to college; conducting research on current university admissions trends and requirements; and helping middle and high school students prepare for standardized tests.
Talking with the pair — it is quickly evident they know what they are talking about. What also quickly comes across is that they have a passion for what they do — they relish the success of the students with whom they work.
According to Thornton, the fastest growing demographic for college admissions is students who are the first in their family to attend college.
The search and admission process is new for them.
“We know they can go out and spend hours, days and weeks looking for the information. Then they have a pile of information and don’t know what the good information is,” Turner said. “We’ve done all of that for them — we’re giving them the best of the best information — saving them time.”
Thornton and Turner are cousins who had each been “doing their own thing” when they decided to combine forces to launch Brandywine Valley College Specialists about 3½ years ago. Their idea was to take what they know and offer one-day sessions throughout the region.
They quickly began to run into logistical issues. Distance — Turner lives in York, Thornton in Chester County; they needed to schedule hotels to hold the sessions and find dates that didn’t conflict with sports, arts, SAT tests or other activities; and then try to get the word out.
They spent about 18 months tweaking and testing the model, updating information, offering pilot sessions and getting feedback from students before realizing the physical workshop wasn’t going to
work. By their own admission, if the business had been their only source of income, they don’t think it would have survived.
Shifting the model
Through a mutual acquaintance, Thornton found out about West Chester-based Walnut St. Labs, an incubator that works with small businesses. The pair began working with Mike Cresta, COO at Walnut St. Labs, to fine tune a product they could take to the marketplace.
Cresta said it quickly became apparent that the one-day sessions weren’t scalable, adding that with a price of about $800, they may have been out of reach for many families.
Cresta said the team at Walnut St. Labs helped Thornton and Turner work through what the product should be, worked with them on the website, the video production, getting feedback from users and
pricing.
The pair shifted the model from the one-onone sessions to an online course priced at $299.
“We helped them productize
it,” Cresta said. “We know people consume information and media content in different ways, we just had to figure out — between parents and kids — who and how they were going to consume this.”
The course has gone through about four iterations over the past year.
An initial soft launch has led to a broader push over the past month or so, with social media posts and traditional digital marketing.
Turner holds a Bachelor of Arts from York College of Pennsylvania in Secondary English Education; a Master in Education from Pennsylvania State University in Teaching and Curriculum and a Doctorate in Education from Northcentral University in Education Technology Management.
Thornton holds a Bachelor of Arts From Dennison University, with a double major in English (writing emphasis) and Spanish; a Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law and a PA Teaching Certificate from St. Joseph’s University in English, Secondary Education.
For information about Brandywine Valley College Specialists and the 12-part College Admissions Roadmap course visit https:// bvcollegespecialists.com/
“At the heart of it all, we are all about the kids. We’re hoping that by sharing all that we know, all the tips and tricks ... we can help make this available to everybody.”
— Lisa Turner, Brandywine Valley College Specialists