“Working with Honoria of PCCI was a great experience and one of the best investments my family made. Honoria researched majors, which are different at each school. She looked at what the schools offered, and expanded on the kind of schools I was looking for. Many of my friends applied to ‘safety schools’. Honoria helped me find target schools that were a good fit for me and then helped with scholarships and all the fine print. I was accepted into five of my target schools and waitlisted at reach schools. Middlebury College was actually one of my reach schools and they gave me a very good scholarship.”
Amanda Martins
Undergraduate at Middlebury College (Fall 2021). Major: ArchitecturePCCI Success Story
Q&A with successful college admissions candidate Amanda Martins, who received a financial package that included most of the cost of tuition, room and board.
When did you start working with PCCI?
I started in the winter of my Junior year of high school. I was completely new to the process and only knew of big name schools.
Had you already had some schools in mind that you were considering?
I had about 20 schools on my list. Honoria DaSilva-Kilgore reviewed the list and started doing the research. She knew what I needed, the location I wanted and potential majors. She determined which schools would be a good fit for me and my family and those became our target schools.
What was the next step? Your “homework”?
Visiting schools and taking the SAT. (Although due to the pandemic, all SATs ended up being cancelled.) At first, we were able to take in-person tours with a guide and we spoke with admissions counselors. Then, the pandemic changed everything. Over the summer we took many virtual tours and self-guided tours, and did informal interviews. After I applied, I had more formal interviews over the phone (each were about 1.5 hours long) with Yale, MIT, Middlebury and others.
Which target schools did you apply to?
Middlebury College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Tufts University, Amherst College, Temple University, Roger Williams University, Connecticut College, Lehigh University and University of Miami. I also applied to a few that were considered reach schools – MIT, Yale, Princeton, Brown and University of Pennsylvania.
How often did you meet with Honoria or connect via text or phone call?
Meeting with Honoria depended on what was going on during the spring, summer and fall. We met at least once a month, but often it was once a week. We met to discuss interviews before and after. Honoria is very responsive to texts and would also send reminders of things I needed to do.
What was your workload like?
My school workload was pretty heavy. Plus, during my freshman and sophomore years, I did track and in my junior year, I did theater. I also volunteered at church and a local art studio.