Introducing Early Bird

College admissions processes have never been more complicated. The good news: you don’t have to go it alone.

Our readers have decades of selective admissions experience and are excited to provide you with the feedback and insights you’ll need to present your most authentic, compelling self.

Our Services

  • Comprehensive Application Review

    Every young person, whether they realize it or not, has a story to tell. But how does that story get told within the confines of the college application? How does a student best utilize the spaces available to them to establish a genuine connection with their admissions reader? How might an admissions officer perceive a student based on the materials in front of them? These are the questions we seek to clarify for students and their families.

    Here’s how it works - you will submit the following materials for review: transcript, testing, school profile (if available), the Common App (including the personal statement and activities list), and one supplement essay of your choice.

    From there, one of our admissions readers will comb through your materials and gain a full understanding of how you have chosen to present yourself and how the materials provided may or may not support your candidacy for admission.

  • The Reader Card

    At selective colleges and universities, admissions officers aren’t just reading your application; they’re creating a written summary of your materials - a record of their read and how they evaluated you as a candidate for admission. This written report is called the reader card.

    Early Bird seeks to replicate this process as accurately as possible. As part of our service, you will receive a full-page analysis of your application and a section by section breakdown of the materials provided. This write-up will give you a heads up of how your application may read in a selective review process as well as guidance and constructive criticism.

    And, because we only employ readers who have read for Top 40 universities and liberal arts colleges, you know that the feedback you receive is coming from individuals with real experience in highly selective admissions.

Tell Your Story

About Early Bird

  • A collective of former admissions officers from highly selective universities, each member of our team having worked in the admissions office at a Top 40 ranked liberal arts college or university.

  • Our readers will create a comprehensive application review that outlines a student’s strengths and weaknesses and speaks to the applicant’s competitiveness for selective admissions. Students may submit one personal statement and one set of supplement essays.

  • We encourage students to submit their materials for review at least once in August, September, or October of their senior year. This gives students the time they need to incorporate feedback and put their best foot forward for any early application deadlines they may choose to pursue.

  • Students should have the opportunity to be playful and creative with their applications, to experiment and present themselves in exciting and authentic ways. In our experience, students that take calculated risks in their applications are most successful in highly selective admissions processes. Early Bird creates a space where students can take those risks without consequence or fear of being rejected.

Contact Us

Let's Take the Next Step Together

Complete the inquiry form here and an Early Bird representative will reach out via email. We will send you an outline of our pricing and further instructions on how you can provide us with your application materials.

One we receive your documents, you can expect a detailed and thorough application review within 5-7 business days!