Frequently Asked Questions
Conflict of Interest
At Inspira, we take conflict of interest seriously. Any of our advisors with a current affiliation with a school cannot work on specific materials (i.e. supplemental essays, interview training, etc.) directly related to the institution. They are the following:
– Shu Yi: Yale University
– Xavi: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
– Lydia: Stanford University
Why Inspira?
Inspira’s not your average college advising company. Our curriculum is created with research using student development theory, and design thinking to holistically support students in every step of their application process. All of our advisors have extensive experience and knowledge in educational consulting, and the admissions space in the realm of higher education. Additionally, our founding team is diverse and comprised of first-generation low-income, immigrant, rural, urban, suburban, neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, and PoC-identifying people. We believe it’s incredibly important to have a diverse and inclusive team to be ready to serve students from various backgrounds.
At Inspira, our goal is help create a human-centered application that celebrates you as an individual to your best fit colleges. Additionally, our advisors not only care about your academic well-being but also your emotional and mental health. We keep this in mind as we create individualized advising plans for students.
Furthermore, our 3:1 paid-to-pro bono ratio ensures that our company is socially aware and working to relieve education inequality by supporting economically disadvantaged students, completely free of charge.
With Inspira, you will get quality and experienced college advising, and you will be helping other economically disadvantaged students receive the same.
How does Inspira help me in the college application process?
Inspira’s process uses design thinking to walk you through each core step of the college application process. Your advisor is trained and knowledgeable in each of the application elements and will use your weekly one-on-one sessions to help you develop these core tenets of your application.
Who are the Inspira advisors, and what makes them so great?
The Inspira team is comprised completely of Ivy League-educated advisors who understand the college application process well. They have experience in college recruitment, reading applications, and have worked in the admission offices of highly selective universities. Before our advisors meet with you, we ensure they have undergone training in Inspira’s curricula to meet our high standards.
Our advisors have also been in your shoes, and have extensive experience advising students to be equipped to talk about student life and the student experience at a variety of colleges. Inspira prepares each of its advisors to tackle the college application process with a human-centered approach with empathy and centers students’ voices to understand them holistically as individuals. We know the college application process is unnecessarily confusing, and our goal is to change that.
Read more about our advisors here.
Is this just for applying to Ivy League colleges?
No! Inspira’s mission is to place you in your best-fit school, no matter what that school is. We are not a service that limits students only to applying to Ivy League colleges. We are also not a service that guarantees admissions to any school. According to the Higher Education Consulting Association, students and their families should steer away from any college advising company that guarantees admissions to specific schools.
One of the tenets of Inspira’s program is college list formation, where you and your advisor will first talk through what makes a college ideal for you and then narrow down the ones you’ll thrive in. Your advisor will also ensure that you apply to a variety of colleges, Ivy League or otherwise. Inspira recognizes the value of schools both in and out the Ivy League moniker (fun fact, the Ivy League actually refers to a Northeast sports division, so technically isn’t academics-related at all!).
Does Inspira offer scholarships?
A core tenet of Inspira’s business model is our 3:1 paid-to-pro bono student ratio: for every three paid students, Inspira offers the exact same services to an economically disadvantaged student at not cost to the student or their family. Find out if you’re eligible and how to apply for scholarships here!
Inspira will have a college resource page linking to free college application resources available online. Inspira’s blog will also be full of useful first-hand advice from our advisors as well.
I’m interested in getting on Inspira’s scholarship waitlist. What do I need to do?
Go to Inspira’s scholarships page. Read our eligibility criteria to determine eligibility for the pro bono services. If eligible, fill out a short form sharing your information with us. An Inspira representative will contact you shortly thereafter.