In 2015, a student I’d never met before wrote me an email that read:
"I come from a single parent household, my father does not support us in any way at all and my mother has just recently been let go of due to financial struggles, but I would like to ask for your help. Please light a little match to guide me through this."
And, just like that, the Matchlighters Scholarship was born.
The Matchlighters Scholarship connects generous and experienced college counselors with low-income, high-achieving students from around the world to deliver college admissions help to those who need it most.
The scholarship comprises 10 hours of one-on-one support in navigating the complex college admissions process, from experienced counselors — at no cost.
It’s awarded to high-achieving students who have solid grades, but just need a little extra help.
Are you interested in volunteering to help high-achieving students from low-income households write great college essays and/or develop an awesome and balanced college list?
We could use your experience and generous heart.
Commitments of Volunteer Counselors:
Work with one student for 10 hours, unless a different agreement is made in writing with the Program Director.
Respond within two business days to emails from the Program Director to work with a student and requests for feedback from Scholars, unless written prior notice of unavailability is given to the Program Director or Scholar.
Make a reasonable effort to reach out to students. Our goal is for this program to be student-driven and that they take ownership over it. That said, we also know that some gentle nudging and a quick email check-in from a counselor every two weeks or so can be helpful and motivational, especially as the senior year course load kicks in.
Why the above? We think these guidelines are important and the minimum commitment needed for Matchlighters Scholars to have a solid experience. Responding to emails promptly will allow us to connect students with other counselors if you're too busy, and responding to emails from students will allow you to schedule sessions more effectively.
While we understand that life gets busy, we'd prefer that counselors only commit to work with students if they can agree to be available for the full 10 hours.
Frequently asked questions for counselors
Have a student you’d like to nominate for the scholarship? Want to help spread the word about Matchlighters at your work or school?
Are you a high school counselor who works with low-income or free and reduced lunch students? Do you have a student who could use some extra support? Share this page with them!
Here’s where a few of our
Matchlighters scholars ended up:
Agnes Scott
Amherst
Ashoka University
Barnard
Baruch College
Boston University
Carnegie Mellon
Columbia University
Cornell
CSU - Los Angeles
Dartmouth
Davidson
Drexel
Georgia Tech
Grinnell
Harvard
Kenyon
Los Angeles Southwest College
Loyola University Chicago
Macalester
Middlebury
Minerva
MIT
Mount Holyoke
Northwestern
NYU
NYU - Abu Dhabi
Rhodes College
Stanford
Swarthmore
Tufts
Tulane
UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UC Merced
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz
University of Chicago
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas, Austin
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Vanderbilt
Wesleyan
Williams
Yale
WHAT our matchlighters ARE SAYING
“Learning about the College Essay Guy and Matchlighters scholarship was life-changing for me. Slowly my confusion and anxiety about the application process disappeared - the kind support of your team allowed me to enjoy it and to learn from this process more than I could ever dream of. Mark, my counselor, has been the kindest and the most supportive person. He helped me on the weekends, holidays and even couple of hours before the deadlines - I can not imagine a more helpful, caring and devoted counselor. His feedback was always informative and useful. Any resources on the website were always available to me - everyone on the team ready to give every advice they have and ready to help at any time. I can not imagine having gone so far in the process if it wasn’t for your amazing team. I am so thankful!”
“I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to you for creating such a wonderful scholarship program. Without Matchlighters and my amazing counselor, I would have never been able to complete and compose such great essays that help me get admitted to Harvard, UPenn, Duke, JHU, Rice, and UCLA! I still cannot believe what happened this past month and all of that incredible news would not have been a reality without the Matchlighters program. I want to personally thank you for putting the effort in organizing this program and helping me match up with my counselor.”
“Sandy Clingman is the best counselor in the world. She was super patient as well as extremely quick and helpful with her essay coaching. She always went the extra mile when helping me. If this program runs on counselors with a heart as big as Sandy’s, this program will continue seeing success for many years to come. I would not be in the position I am today without you guys.”
“I remember signing up for Matchlighers thinking it was my last call for hope because I was so desperately seeking assistance with not only my college essay, but with the application process in general. Being both first-generation AND low-income, I found it quite difficult to navigate the college admissions process because at home, no one had experience regarding this topic and at my small public high school, the resources were limited. Once I found out I was accepted, I was immediately set up with my two counselors whom I can never repay for the help they provided. My essay counselor had so much patience with me and didn’t at all mind the fact that I was changing my essay topic every other day. He worked with what I gave him and encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone; overall, I couldn’t be happier with my essay. My college list developer was so incredibly kind and insightful, and best of all, she was willing to work around my schedule and set up appointments with me when I was available. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a Matchlighters scholar. Thanks again :)”
+ About the scholarship:
Why did College Essay Guy start this program?
Because we believe in equal opportunity and access to higher education. In 2015, a student he'd never met before wrote him an email that read: "I come from a single parent household, my father does not support us in any way at all and my mother has just recently been let go of due to financial struggles, but I would like to ask for your help. Please light a little match to guide me through this." And, just like that, the Matchlighters Scholarship was born.
Who conducts the 10 hours of one-on-one help?
A volunteer group of like-minded essay coaches and expert counselors.
How many students do you match each year?
During the 2020 application cycle, we matched more than 400 scholars to counselors each year. We hope to match 500 in 2021!
Do you offer financial aid assistance? I.e. FAFSA submission and scholarship searching?
The answer to this question will depend on your counselor — so ask him or her! When counselors sign up, they sign up to help you with 10 hours of college list development and essay work; we don’t ask or expect them to offer any financial aid counseling, but they likely have experience in this!
+ ABOUT THE PROCESS (FOR STUDENTS):
How do I know if I qualify?
Check out [this table][1]. You qualify if your income level is equal to or less than the number in the row for your household size. Or, if you’re a domestic applicant, your family income qualifies you for one of the following: free/reduced-price lunch, SAT/ACT fee waivers, enrollment in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income families, etc.
What does the application require?
It’s a two-step process. First, you simply need to complete the application form — plan to spend 30 minutes or so doing it. Also, make sure you have access to your high school transcripts as well as a document that proves your financial need. If you meet the financial and academic requirements, you’re accepted! For the second part of the application, you’ll receive an email with instructions for completing your essay brainstorming exercises. Once you’ve done that, email matchlighters@collegeessayguy.com your brainstorming exercises. That's it! Usually within one week of completing the application, you will be paired with a professional counselor with whom you’ll meet via Skype/FaceTime/Zoom and email for a total of 10 hours, at a pace that works for you both.
Do I need to fill out the entire application? I just need essay feedback.
Yes! The application process allows your counselor(s) to get to know you, your dreams, test scores and preferences — all of which help them ask better questions and provide better essay feedback.
How do we meet with our counselors?
Our counselors live and work in all corners of the globe. Mostly you’ll meet via a digital platform, like Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime. If you work better via phone, you can set up phone calls, or simply email and text. Choose a method or combination of methods that work for you both!
Will my counselor reach out to me first?
After we connect you and your counselor in an email, you should reach out directly to your counselor. Take the plunge! And commit to keeping in touch regularly with your counselor — they’ll doing the same for you (and we love them for it!).
What other resources will be available to me as a scholar?
You’ll receive access to any and all of Ethan's resources - for free - including the Choose Your Own Adventure eessay tool! And you'll find some of our favorite guides on the College Application Hub. Make it easy on yourself and bookmark this page now.
+ ABOUT THE PROCESS (FOR COUNSELORS):
What qualifications do you require of your volunteers?
We take newcomers with college counseling certificates or seasoned veterans! We do ask that you commit to responding to your student’s emails within 48 hours, that you meet your student “face-to-face” via Skype/FaceTime/Zoom (or whatever platform works for you) and that you can feasibly offer your student at least 10 hours of assistance.
If it’s too busy of a season for you, let us know and we can contact you next year. Our scholars are amazing and we want to make sure they receive the assistance they’ve earned.
Do I have to have a specific area of counseling expertise to volunteer?
Nope! However, in your interest form we’ll ask you if you have any experience with any of the following groups:
- Undocumented/DACA students
- Student-athletes
- Student-artists
- Transfer students
- Students with disabilities
- LGBTQ+ students
- Gap-year students
- General graduate school applicants
- MBA program applicants
- Medical school applicants
- Law school applicants
- Community college applicants
- Military/armed forces applicants
- Trade school applicants
How long after I submit my interest form will I be paired with a student?
This depends on how quickly students finish their applications. During the especially hectic application months, you may hear back within a week. In slower months, you may not hear from us until a new group of students applies, perhaps a month or two after you submit your initial interest form. But don’t worry! We will always email you before connecting you to a student; if your situation has changed and you can no longer volunteer, you can let us know and we will remove your name from the list.
What resources will be available to me?
You’ll have access to any and all of Ethan's free resources which includes the Official Matchlighters Counselor Guide. It's a helpful companion piece with suggestions on how you might structure your sessions with your student.
You'll also want to bookmark the College Application Hub, as you'll likely be referring to these guides and resources quite a bit in the coming months.
What program/platform should I use?
Any you’d like! CollegePlannerPro, Guided Path, Naviance, Trello, Google Drive — whatever works for you and your scholar (though ideally you would keep the essay drafts in the Google Drive folder). We understand that each counselor has her own style, tools, and method.
Other questions? We have more information specifically for counselors that you’ll receive as part of the onboarding process. If you have any further questions, email us at matchlighters@collegeessayguy.com.
The mind is not a vessel to be filled,
but a fire to be kindled.
- Plutarch
Have a question, comment, or idea? Email us at matchlighters@collegeessayguy.com
