Hey Sherpa families,
Kevin here with some news that's gonna make you do a little happy dance in your kitchen.
Remember how terrified you were about college admissions this year? All those articles about how "impossible" everything was getting? How one of your kid’s parent’s spent $50K on a consultant and STILL got waitlisted everywhere?
Well, our College Sherpa families just proved that being smart beats being stressed every damn time.
And the money they saved? Chef's kiss 💰
Let's Talk Numbers (Because That's What Actually Matters)
While everyone else was panic-spending their way through senior year, here's what our organized families pulled off:
73% won scholarships (vs 45% for the wing-it crowd)
$12,500 average scholarship money (vs $7,800 for everyone else)
Applied to 8.2 schools strategically (vs 12+ panic applications)
$16,260 total savings per family (yes, you read that right)
But here's my favorite stat: 89% of our families filed their FAFSA by November 1st. National average? A pathetic 61%.
Translation: Better aid packages, fewer loans, more sleep for us.
Real Families, Real Savings (That'll Make You Text Your Sister)
Lisa from Newton, MA (Gonzalez family): Started following our timeline in June. By December, her daughter had THREE full-ride offers. The scholarship tracker alone saved them 40+ hours of research.
Total saved: $280,000 over four years
"I literally cried in my car in the Target parking lot when the third offer came in," Lisa texted me. "We went from stressed about debt to choosing between FREE colleges."
Jennifer from Austin, TX (Chen family): Used our fee waiver guide and applied to 12 schools for $0. Meanwhile, her neighbor spent $800+ on application fees.
Total saved: $800 in fees + $15K in scholarships
"My husband thought I was crazy tracking all those deadlines," Jennifer said. "Now he calls me the scholarship queen."
Amanda from San Diego, CA (Williams family): Followed our early action strategy. Her son got into 6 schools before Christmas while his friends were still writing essays at midnight on New Year's Eve.
Stress level: What stress? Acceptances: 6 out of 8 schools
What Actually Happened This Year (The Real Tea)
2025 was brutal. Like, historically brutal:
8+ million applications through Common App (6% increase from last year)
Schools like Michigan waitlisted 24,804 students (enough to fill their freshman class 3 times)
$4 billion in unclaimed federal grants because families missed deadlines
Average family spent $2,400 MORE on applications, testing, and panic consulting
But while most families were Googling "when are college apps due???" at 11 PM on December 31st, our subscribers had been done since Thanksgiving.
The $50K Consultant Scam (Let's Call It What It Is)
Here's what those fancy consultants actually do:
Give you a glorified homework schedule ✅
Tell you to "apply for scholarships" (wow, groundbreaking) ✅
Charge you the price of a luxury car ✅
Provide 90% information you can get for free ✅
Meanwhile, our families got:
Exact scholarship deadlines with calendar reminders
FAFSA walkthroughs that turned financial aid from nightmare to strategy
Essay frameworks that admission officers actually remember
Fee waiver guides that saved hundreds per family
All for less than what Sharon spent on one consultant meeting.
National stats that should scare you:
39% of students didn't apply to ANY four-year colleges
31% applied to only ONE school (talk about putting all eggs in one basket)
Most missed crucial scholarship deadlines
Financial aid forms filed last-minute = smaller aid packages
The "we'll figure it out" approach cost families an average of $7,100 in missed opportunities.
Our families? They figured it out in June, not January.
Why Class of 2026 Moms Are About to Have an Unfair Advantage
You're reading this in June, not December. You have 12 months to prepare, not 12 weeks to panic.
You get to watch our Class of 2025 families succeed and steal their exact playbook.
While your friends will be stress-crying over Common App essays next winter, you'll be celebrating early acceptances and scholarship offers.
Here's what smart planning actually saves you:
Application fees: $240 saved (vs $480 average)
Scholarship winnings: $4,700 more than unorganized families
Fee waiver magic: $320 saved
Early action advantages: $3,200 in additional merit aid
What you DON'T spend: $50K consultant ❌, $300/hour panic sessions ❌, last-minute SAT tutoring ❌
Total average savings: $16,260
That's a nice family vacation. Or a car. Or your sanity. Your choice.
What Makes Us Different (Besides the Obvious Money Thing)
No BS, Just Strategy: We skip the fluff and give you exactly what you need, when you need it. Written for busy moms who want to help without becoming helicopter pilots.
Real Timelines, Real Deadlines: Our calendars aren't generic Pinterest printables. They're built around actual admissions cycles and scholarship deadlines.
Money-Saving Focus: Every email includes ways to save money, find scholarships, or maximize financial aid. Because college is expensive enough without making it worse.
Ready to Join the Smart Money Club?
The data speaks for itself. Our families outperform national averages in every category that matters.
The Class of 2025 showed us what's possible when families start early and stay organized.
The Class of 2026 can do even better.
The question isn't whether you'll navigate college admissions – it's whether you'll do it stressed and broke, or prepared and smart.
College Sherpa families choose prepared and smart.
Talk soon,
Kevin
P.S. Remember, I'm not trying to replace your school counselor or become your kid's life coach. I'm just the friend who went through this nightmare already and wants to share the cheat codes. Because let's be honest, the system is complicated enough without making it harder (and more expensive) on yourself.