Case Study ·

Accepted to
Barnard College

Art
Nina started in 9th grade as a busy art student with many interests and no clear academic focus. Over three years she tied her art to gender inequality, grew to more than 36,000 Instagram followers and was admitted to Barnard Early Decision.
Smiling student with a backpack

About Nina

Application Persona · the theme that tied it all together

“The artist and activist who uses art to drive social change”

Started
9th grade
From
New York City
GPA
n/a
Test score
SAT 1510

Challenges and Activities: Before and After

Where Nina started
Where Nina finished
Interests spread thinArt, dance, music and social media, hard to prioritize
One cause for her artGender inequality, carried across her activities
Average transcriptGrades alone would not set her apart
Academic Mentorship at ColumbiaOne-on-one work with a Columbia lecturer on art
Impressive Instagram pagePosts without a clear purpose
36,000+ Instagram followersPosts that raise awareness about causes she cares about
Art student, not art schoolWanted a college with an art program
Barnard, Early DecisionChosen after years of school list work

How did InGenius Prep Help?

A Columbia University Former Admissions Officer and a Princeton University Graduate Coach worked with Nina 2-on-1 from 9th grade through the application.

  1. 9th grade

    Getting to know her

    Weekly check-ins, a course map for all of high school and a spreadsheet to track how she spent her time.

    Through Candidacy Building
  2. 10th and 11th grade

    Finding her cause

    Exercises showed she cared about gender inequality. She made it the theme of her school art board and her social media.

  3. Summer

    Application Counseling begins

    Before senior year, a Graduate Coach joined her team to start the application.

    Through Application Counseling
  4. 12th grade

    Barnard, Early Decision

    After years of school list work, Nina and her family chose Barnard. Her persona ran through her essay, activities and portfolio.

Questions About This Case

How did Nina balance an average transcript?

Her Former Admissions Officer set up an Academic Mentorship with a Columbia lecturer, which showed her interest in the academic side of art and her readiness for college-level work.

When did she start working with InGenius Prep?

In 9th grade, through Candidacy Building. She and her Former Admissions Officer worked together for more than three years.

What was her Application Persona?

The artist and activist who uses art to drive social change, built around her work on gender inequality.

Did Nina want to go to art school?

No. She wanted a college with an art program, so her counselor shared schools with art programs, interdisciplinary options and dual-degree programs before she chose Barnard.

One honest conversation.
That's how it begins.

Every student works 2-on-1 with a Former Admissions Officer and a Graduate Coach.