We get a lot of our students approach us for advice on how to establish a startup. Empowerly's own startup success story with its humble beginnings in a college dorm room can provide inspiration and many seek our expertise to see their own ideas launched into the market or community.

Want to work with a professor or get your hands-on experience in a research lab? We have just the ticket.

Let's start with introductions: I am an Empowerly counselor who earned my Ph.D. from Stanford University in Cellular & Molecular Biology. In the past, I’ve mentored students working on their research projects for Science competitions and have served on the admissions committee of Stanford's Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes.
 Hence, I wanted to share a post from the perspective of the person who would be reading your email!

Read on for a step-by-step guide to success.

Wondering what it's really like to work with the Empowerly community? Of course, we think our program is pretty spectacular... but that's just us. Hear from real students as they reflect on their experiences with Empowerly and advice they have to offer you.

Did the COVID-19 epidemic cancel your plans for the summer? Are you left bored at home, with nothing to do? Do you have a great idea for a business, but are unsure of where to start? Or do your college apps just need a boost? 

If any of these questions apply, the National Youth Entrepreneurial Summit sounds like the perfect opportunity for you!

• In light of current events, including the murder of George Floyd and the protests for Floyd and many others, we would like to express our support for the Black Lives Matter movement. As an organization, we are in support of the movement towards equality—and in order to do our part to make change, we have several updates as follows. 

Empowerly provides expert advice to high school students applying to college. Our counselors play a huge role in working one-on-one with our students to help them through the application process. You may be wondering, “what’s so important about getting college admissions counseling?” or “how can a college counselor help me?”

We talked to Sheelah Bearfoot, one of our fantastic counselors, to get the scoop.

As students plan their summer (or rejig their plans) to accommodate for the likelihood that social isolation will continue, students interested in the medical field are probably feeling particularly stuck. The two typical extracurricular activities a premed student will do are off-limits: volunteering at the local hospital is a no-go; and research programs at colleges cancelled.

With the current state of things, finding summer activities are hard. Luckily, a lot of internships and externships have switched over to being remote, allowing students to continue to explore possible career paths without putting themselves at risk of exposure. But what are externships and what makes them different from internships?

College tours canceled? Here are some tips to virtually scope out the campuses to finalize your college list from home.

You’re making your college list and you have plans to visit a good number of the campuses you’re considering. But then a pandemic breaks out and all the campuses are closed. How are you going to finalize your college list now? How can you be sure that you’re applying to the places you actually want to go to?

There isn’t an easy answer to this question, but here’s some advice that could help.

Whether it’s for a job, a school, or an internship, interviews are an important process that everybody has to go through at some point. Thanks to COVID-19, the majority of interviews are now being held online. Should you prepare differently? What’s the etiquette like? Where should you sit?

Keep reading to find out seven things you must know to ace your virtual first impressions.

Do you want to avoid falling behind—and falling ill?

At this point, we’re all probably a little sick of hearing about the Coronavirus. Its effects on the education sector are, however, an under-discussed area, and one where online learning can help solve some of the problems.

Applying to colleges admittedly undecided about your major is actually way harder than centering your application around a focused intended major. You’re signing up for a very challenging strategy- persuasion about your unbridled potential, while squashing suspicions that you’re aimless. 

Undergraduate research remains one of the most sought-after qualities in the college search. Students want to know how, when, and where to find opportunities for hands-on projects. Not only do these research projects allow students to express creativity, take control of their education, and delve deeper into their specific interests, it's a great way to demonstrate leadership and initiative on your resume—for any career you want to pursue. From humanities to STEM, opportunities to produce independent work under the supervision of a highly-qualified faculty member are a golden ticket to standing out. Convinced?

Here is a run-down of the top spots for undergraduate research in 2019.

Applying to college can be daunting, but applying to BS/MD programs can seem even more difficult. With admissions rates in the single digits, earning a spot in a medical school while in high school can seem like an impossible task. 

Having gone through the BS/MD application process last summer, there were several tips that I wish I had known before applying to medical programs. Below are some of the most important things I have taken away from my experience applying to BS/MD programs.

There are two types of statements typically listed on a resume - either the objective statement or the summary statement. Below are examples of each:  

The foundation of my career didn’t start after college. Instead it started with a conversation with a customer at a grocery store checkout counter during high school.