“I want to thank you, again, for a fantastic Top Tier Boot Camp experience. As a second time Top Tier family, we drank your Kool Aid fully and completely, and it paid off! You know your stuff, you manage to thread the needle with a mix of tough love and compassion (for both the students and their parents – no small feat) and you run a super-efficient 4-day program.”

–Application Boot Camp parent

College Application Boot Camp

You found the original Application Boot Camp®; helping students prepare the best possible applications for the last 16 years.

Work with Dr. Michele Hernandez, Mimi Doe, Dr. Kristen Willmott, Maria Laskaris, Dr. Eliza Fox, Dr. Elizabeth Doe Stone and the Application Boot Camp team to prepare a suite of essays and to develop an application strategy to increase your college acceptance odds. Seats are limited. Sign up today and receive your Personalized Admissions Report.

Prior to the 4-day
Application Boot Camp®
students will receive:

  • Personalized Admissions Report:
    A roadmap filled with testing suggestions, application strategies, tips to articulate and deepen an academic niche, assessment of stats to date, recent admissions info for targeted colleges and summer strategy
  • Personal Consultations:
    Meet with Dr. Michele Hernandez or Mimi Doe via Zoom or phone to discuss your Admissions Report, review next steps and confirm application strategy
  • e-Copies Of:
    The Ultimate Guide to Top High School Summer Programs, The Ultimate Guide to Top High School Contests and Awards, Resource Guide, our exclusive Mysteries of the Common App PDF, Activity Sheet Tips and Samples, Activity Sheet Template, practice ACT and SAT exams
  • Three Exclusive Teleseminars:
    Including an ‘Ask Me Anything’ Q&A with Maria Laskaris, former Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Dartmouth College
  • Access To:
    Application Boot Camp Student Membership Site with resources, tools, and updates including access to all recorded virtual workshops from Mimi and Michele

During the 4 days of
Application Boot Camp®
students will:

  • Complete Common Application:
    Work one on one with their mentors to complete the entire Common Application and receive ‘admissions-committee style’ essay reviews from counselors
  • Prepare A Suite of Essays using the ABC Strategy:
    Leave with essays that can be adapted for supplements
  • Develop Acceptance Strategy:
    Customized application plan to maximize early acceptances and receive advice on odds at targeted colleges
  • Create Activity and Achievements Inventory:
    Sum up high school awards, activities and extras in an Activity Sheet
  • Ace the Interviews:
    Learn interview techniques

Videos from past successful Application Boot Camp students


Featured on:

Top Tier Admissions in the news: PR & media

ABC 2021 (current juniors) & ABC 2022 (current sophomores)

REGISTER NOW (LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE)

Frequently Asked Questions about Application Boot Camp

What Happens Before Application Boot Camp?
  • Personalized Admissions Report follow-up call
  • Activity Sheet creation and finalization
  • Brainstorming for Main Essay
  • Supplemental Essay organizer
What Happens During Application Boot Camp?

During the four days of Application Boot Camp students will work one-on-one with their mentor to review and finalize their text entries for the Common Application; prepare multiple essays including all required essays and extra essays using the Application Boot Camp strategy; develop an application strategy to increase college acceptance possibilities; receive advice on their odds at targeted colleges; complete a final Activity Sheet and List of 10 to submit with the Common Application; and take part in interview training. This is not an unlimited-time program.

When Is Application Boot Camp?

Boot Camp is 9am to 5pm for 4 days in August.

Note: We have a 9:30-10am coffee meet-and-greet on day 1 for parents and students and a closing parent meeting on day 4 from 3:30-4pm. If you are coming in from out of town, we recommend you arrive the night before day 1 and leave the evening of day 4 (the last day) or the morning after.

Who Is Application Boot Camp For?
  • Students who will be rising high school seniors in August 2021 (for ABC 2021 students) OR students who will be rising seniors in August 2022 (for ABC 2022 students), including U.S. and international students
  • College students seeking to transfer
  • Non-traditional applicants (home-school or community college students)
  • Re-applicants: applicants who were previously rejected and intend to reapply
What Is The Report That Comes With Application Boot Camp?

The report is a chance to receive input from Mimi and Michele on what you can do NOW to improve your admissions results. It’s full to the brim with specific advice on a personalized testing schedule, summer options, ways to sharpen your scholarly focus and gives insight into the schools you are interested in from an admissions prospective. They make the nontransparent admissions process clearer and give specific ways you can rise above the rest by taking action as well as ideas for an application strategy.

What Else Is Included In The Application Boot Camp Package?
  • Follow-up phone call to review your personalized report
  • Access  to our ABC Student Membership Site
  • ALL of our content e-guides including: TheUltimate Guide to Top High School Summer Programs, The Ultimate Guide to Top High School Contests and Awards, the Resource Guide, and our exclusive Mysteries of the Common Application
  • Access to all of our recorded Virtual Workshops with Mimi and Michele
  • Two exclusive teleseminars on test prep and extracurriculars
  • “Ask Me Anything” Q&A with Maria Laskaris, former Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Dartmouth College
  • Application strategy call
What Do I Do Between Receiving My Personalized Admissions Report And Follow-Up Call And Boot Camp?

The time between receiving your PAR and phone call and Boot Camp is when you put the counsel put forth in the report into action. You should keep up with your classes, aiming for A level grades across the board; begin standardized testing if you haven’t started, or tutor and retest if you need to boost your scores; and use the e-guides we’ve included to help create an academic niche to strengthen your application. Junior year is your big push, the year that matters the most for college applications. Additionally, you will work with our Activity Sheet Editor to develop a polished, compelling list of your high-level extracurricular activities before you arrive at Application Boot Camp.

What Is The Student To Staff Ratio?

We have a student to staff ratio of 3:1.

What Will Students Complete During ABC?

Our students leave Boot Camp with a completed Common Application plus a suite of essays (4 at minimum) that highlight their strengths, fit the criteria for the Common Application, and can be morphed into supplemental essays for schools that do not use the Common Application. Students also leave with a finalized Activity Sheet as well as other short answer responses to customize for each college application they will submit. Our students leave Boot Camp with a deserved confidence in their full application package and are ready to focus on the ever-important senior year.

High Praise From Past Clients:

"Thank you so much for all your time and work with N over these last few months. N found his experience at Boot Camp to be incredibly helpful and he very much enjoyed meeting you and working with all the Top Tier counselors as well as the other students. The process was educational for N in so many ways- thank you, thank you, thank you!"
–M.T., Application Boot Camp parent
"I want to thank you, again, for a fantastic Top Tier Boot Camp experience. As a second time Top Tier family, we drank your Kool Aid fully and completely, and it paid off! You know your stuff; you manage to thread the needle with a mix of tough love and compassion (for both the students and their parents - no small feat) and you run a super-efficient 4-day program."
–R.R., Application Boot Camp parent
"I got my acceptance letter over the weekend from Middlebury!! I’m officially a Panther!!! 🙂 Thank you for all of your help; I could not have made it through 1st quarter without ABC!!!"
-S.F., Application Boot Camp student
"Dear Michele, I just wanted to let you know that I just got accepted into Dartmouth for ED! I’m overjoyed and incredibly excited to continue my academic journey in New Hampshire. Thank you so much! You were always there to answer so many of my questions and were incredibly supportive of me; I couldn’t have done it without you and the Top Tier team!"
–B.S., Application Boot Camp student
"Thank you! He could not have done it without you."
–P.W., Application Boot Camp parent
"Thank you so much!! He couldn’t have done it without your amazing team!"
–H.O., Application Boot Camp parent
"We just got the news! Northwestern Class of 2024! She’s over the moon. This would not have happened without the advice and guidance along the way from all of the folks at Top Tier Admissions! From the advice on how to structure her supplemental info, including how to position her interests and activities relative to her major, the advice to take a college course this summer, and the amazing work that was done during Boot Camp, Top Tier is the absolute best and I know we have you to thank for her acceptance!!! Happy Holidays and thank you from the bottom of my heart!"
–P.S., Application Boot Camp parent
"Michele and team - Just wanted to pass along the great news that J got admitted today to Pitzer, her first choice ED school. Thanks for all the amazing support you've provided H and J over the past few years. They both learned a lot from the process and, of course, benefited greatly. We now get to celebrate the holidays with a sigh of relief!"
–V.J., Application Boot Camp parent
"Happy Holidays to you and your families. J is so thrilled about attending Middlebury College next fall (and we are thrilled for her) and we appreciate all your assistance. It was so exciting for her to get the official acceptance last week. She loved her time at ABC and still keeps in touch with the group of friends she made. Boot Camp was tough, but she thoroughly loved it. She’s a grinder so the intensity and complete immersion didn’t bother her at all. She loved working with all of you and cherishes having another little group of friends that she bonded with in Boston. Don’t fire your caterer - she’s a big fan of the food at Boot Camp."
–W.R., Application Boot Camp parent
"B, you helped me with my application during Boot Camp this past summer and I wanted to let you know that I committed to UPenn last night! Thank you so much for helping to transform my supplements into something readable. Boot Camp DEFINITELY helped me get in and made the process a lot less stressful. Thank you so much for all of your help!"
–B.A., Application Boot Camp student
"We wanted to thank you for your guidance, counsel and support through T’s application process. Your advice has been instrumental to his success and, more importantly, you gave him the confidence boost he needed to apply early at Princeton. We will continue to recommend Top Tier services to our friends and will always be grateful for what you did. We hope we can stay in touch and wish you a wonderful holiday season."
–K.L.T., Application Boot Camp parent
"We are excited to report that B was accepted ED to Duke University and has committed to attend next fall. We’ll forward a picture once our first Duke swag order arrives. Duke was her clear first choice and we are all very happy! We are also very pleased with the assistance we received from all of you at Top Tier and are confident that the guidance we received over the last seventeen months helped B wind up with this great outcome. So, thank you!"
–E.R., Application Boot Camp parent
"I am ecstatic to report that I got into my ED school: University of Chicago! Thank you so much for all your help and willingness to work through draft after draft until I got it right."
–W.D., Application Boot Camp student
"I am happy to report that we found out this evening that L has been accepted to Boston College! We are SO excited! And for your records, he was also accepted at Villanova and invited to the honors program. Thank you all so much for your help and support! We would have been lost without you!"
–M.J., Application Boot Camp student
"I wanted to extend my personal thanks for all your help with my son's application process and essays. Your Bootcamp proved to be well worth the investment and per your advice I stayed away from the temptation of even reading my son's essays until he was accepted. The bottom line is that he was accepted into his top choice of UChicago and in his acceptance letter his essay was specifically mentioned. Furthermore, this was a reach school for him which made the acceptance even more sweet. Your methods and advice were instrumental in his success and I cannot thank you enough for making my son's aspirations real!!"
–L.T., Application Boot Camp parent
"I'm not sure if my daughter told you yet, but she was accepted ED to Dartmouth in December. So, two for two with the W sisters-- thanks Top Tier Admissions!"
–G.W., Application Boot Camp parent x2
"I wanted to let you know that I got into my first choice, Boston College, early decision. I'm so excited. Thank you all so much for everything, I'm so grateful!"
–L.K., Application Boot Camp student
"Thank you to Mimi who wrote my personalized report back in junior year, to the entire team, and definitely to E! My quick acceptance into Cornell owes much to your insights and guidance. Although I have been accepted to Cornell, the process with Top Tier has made me want to stay competitive in college — whether for internships, or for graduate schools later in life. I thank you for that!"
–P.O., Application Boot Camp student
"WE MADE IT!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!"
–L.J., Application Boot Camp student
“Once again, I am so impressed with your program. I am amazed at the sheer 
amount B. accomplished in four days! Equally as important, she feels
 really great about her essays. She loved working with each of you as well as 
A. (a great pairing for her!).  

I know how hard each of you worked this week; I hope you get to enjoy some
 well-deserved R&R!” –N.G., Application Boot Camp parent
"G is excited to go to her first choice, the University of Miami! She continues to say that Application Boot Camp was the best investment we ever made for her education." –R.J., Application Boot Camp parent
"I liked the process of having multiple people read my essays before finalizing a draft. This made me confident that my essays were clear and concise while also captivating to a diverse audience. Everyone was also patient and encouraging. Boot Camp took away so much stress coming into Senior Fall, allowing me to focus on my academics and earning my highest term average ever." –S.A., Application Boot Camp student
"I know first hand how you run your business.  Off the charts ethical! We look forward to continuing our relationship with Top Tier's Application Boot Camp."
-Parent of Application Boot Camp (Dartmouth) students
"Thank you so much for your help and guidance. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you and the Top Tier Admissions Team! I'm still in between UPenn and Georgetown, but I will make sure to visit both."
–S.I., Application Boot Camp student
"Clearly, Application Bootcamp and Top Tier took a lot of anxiety out of the whole situation. Our children know a number of kids who did not get into their top choice ED school, only to be devastated and stressed as they are without a plan for ED II and regular decision and have not worked on a range of essays for other schools. So while F & J’s EA-only strategy is not for everyone but made sense for them since they did not have a clear lead school when they were applying, being prepared made all the difference. The help Bootcamp provided in honing their voice and words into essays that reflect their intent was fantastic. In the end, it is all about having choices they are happy with, and I am happy to say they both have those now!"
–F.A., parent of Application Boot Camp students
"E., I just wanted to let you know that I got into Barnard Early Decision! Thank you for everything you have done!!! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you did for me! Thank You!!" - H.L., Personal Boot Camp student
Barnard, Class of 2023
"I wanted to say thank you again for all your help! I got into UPenn, Cornell, Barnard, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Tufts, University of Michigan, and Wake Forest, and am waiting to hear from Georgetown; I think I'm leaning towards UPenn. Thank  you so much for all your guidance; I don't think I could have done it without your help!" --I.R., Application Boot Camp student
"We are thrilled! Duke is absolutely fantastic and is the exact right fit for K. Application Boot Camp definitely helped her get into Duke during their most selective year in history, a year in which they turned away well over 2,000 Valedictorians. Thank you!" -Y.R., parent of ABC student accepted to 9 top-tier colleges
Y.R.
"Boot Camp was the most incredible experience. It made me push myself into thinking about my future and prepared me to send in all my applications. I am so thankful that I got the help I needed at Boot Camp because it made my application process effortless once I had completed my essays. I think that the colleges were able to clearly see my goals and ambitions through the writing of my essays. I believe this helped me have a very successful application process." –P.K., Application Boot Camp student
Barnard Class of 2022
"I just wanted to say thank you for all the help that I received during Boot Camp! I was able to do so much work and gain so much knowledge about the procedure of applying to college. I am so blessed to have had you as my best resources. I will definitely keep you posted when I start hearing from schools and thank you very much for all your help and feedback once again.” – L.L, Application Boot Camp student
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