About
Guidance shouldn't require a five-figure check.
Sherpa puts counselor-trained help beside Common App — so students get clarity while they apply, and families get a clear, application-cycle alternative to private consulting.
Mission
Why we built Sherpa.
Who we are
Sherpa was founded by three alumni from Princeton University, Columbia University, and MIT. We come from low-income, first-generation backgrounds — and saw firsthand how inaccessible college consulting is for the average family.
What we saw
Many of our peers spent tens of thousands on college prep, and even more on private tutors and private high schools. Private counselors often charge over $200 an hour, easily reaching thousands over a couple of months.
What we’re building
We think everyone deserves the resources and opportunity to reach their dream school. Sherpa is a start at leveling the playing field.
Audience
Who we built Sherpa for.
Students
Common App is a lot to hold alone — essays that won’t land, activities that feel thin, a list of colleges that keeps shifting, and no one beside the form when you’re stuck at midnight.
We hope Sherpa gives you a guide in the side panel: clarity while you write, consistency across your application, and room to show your real strengths — not a generic essay someone else could’ve written. A helpful tool on its own, or alongside a private counselor when you already have one.
Parents
You want serious help for your kid without a five-figure retainer or an open-ended consulting bill. Private counselors can run over $200 an hour. Guesswork and Google aren’t enough — and neither is an essay mill.
We hope Sherpa is the clear, application-cycle alternative at $199: counselor-style guidance beside Common App, so you can support the process without buying a whole consulting engagement.
Vision
What we hope to achieve with Sherpa.
We want counselor-style help to be something every applicant can reach for — not a privilege reserved for families who can write a five-figure check. Our models are supported by real data from college counselors. But the core difference is this: we take a holistic view of your application on every question you ask.
We make sure your application is strong as a whole — that it makes sense, stays consistent, and tells a story. Not one isolated tip at a time. Guidance that sees activities, essays, and colleges together, beside the form you're already filling out.
We don't want an AI that spits out generic writing. Sherpa is built to encourage students to showcase their individual strengths and tell their own story — so more applicants can aim for the schools that fit them. A start at leveling the playing field.
Contact us