Evan

Claremont McKenna College

Class of 2026

WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS FOR COLLEGE ADMISSION? DID YOU ACCOMPLISH THEM?

I wanted to be sure I was making the decision of what college to go to based on how good of a fit it is for me rather than superficial indications of how good a school is like its acceptance rate or average SAT scores. With the help of Hughes College Prep, I found a school that specializes in what I’m interested in, which was a great feeling.

WHAT WAS MOST HELPFUL ABOUT WORKING WITH HUGHES COLLEGE PREP?

The most helpful thing about working with Hughes College Prep is that it made the incredibly daunting task of picking where to go to college seem manageable. The college admissions process has a million moving parts so it was very valuable to have the help of people who are extremely familiar with the process.

WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE, GOOD OR BAD, ABOUT THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS IN GENERAL?

The worst surprise was discovering the endless pile of forms to fill out like the FAFSA and CSS profile. However, this paperwork was manageable because I knew when everything needed to be filled out because of Hughes College Prep.

WERE YOU ACCEPTED TO ONE OF YOUR TOP THREE SCHOOL CHOICES?

I was accepted into Claremont McKenna College, which was my top school choice.

DID YOU FEEL SUPPORTED BY HUGHES COLLEGE PREP DURING THE ADMISSION PROCESS? IF SO, HOW?

I felt very supported by Hughes College Prep. Going into the admissions process I didn’t really have any idea of what I was looking for in a college. Talking with tutors at Hughes College Prep taught me the pros and cons of different types of colleges, which was ultimately instrumental in my decision to apply to Claremont McKenna.

WHAT SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT WORKING WITH HUGHES COLLEGE PREP?

I was surprised by how much everyone who works at Hughes College Prep genuinely cares about the lives of the people they tutor. Everyone is flexible and understands that seniors have a ton of stuff on their plate already without the college admissions process. Additionally, the help Hughes College Prep gives extends beyond the narrow confines of getting into different colleges. They care about the mental health and personal growth of the people they teach.

ARE THERE ANY ASPECTS OF YOUR TIME WITH HUGHES THAT STICK OUT AS HAVING CARRIED THROUGH TO OTHER ELEMENTS OF YOUR LIFE, BEYOND COLLEGE ADMISSIONS, SUCH AS COLLEGE, JOBS, ETC.? 

Hughes College Prep pushed me to get an internship with Forward Montana, which I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise. The experience with Forward Montana was great because I got hands-on experience in politics that will be invaluable if I end up majoring in government like I plan to.

WHAT IS ONE BIT OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO PARENTS OF COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS? 

Remember that there isn’t just one good college out there. Hughes College Prep pushes students to find many schools that they like, not just one or two. This way you can be sure that students will be happy with where they end up going to college even if they don’t get their first or second choice of school.

WHAT IS ONE BIT OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES?

Read Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be by Frank Bruni. The book helped take the stress out of my college admissions process. It teaches that where you go to college is ultimately far less important than what you do while you’re there. Like Hughes College Prep, the book pushes students to pick what college they want to go to based off of fit rather than bogus measures of how good schools are like the U.S. News and World Report college rankings.