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Ready to craft stand-out college applications
and maximize your acceptance to your dream schools?
We help our students streamline their application process with strategy
to eliminate overwhelm and maximize results.
"Dyllen helped me achieve my goal of attending Stanford, and I know she can do the same for you!"
Melany – Stanford University
Washington
"I am happy to share that because of Dyllen’s help, I will be attending my dream school: Boston University!!!"
Luke – Boston University
Connecticut
"I realized my essay did not have to be one life-changing moment, but could be a series of life experiences that built my character!"
Maya – University of Pennsylvania
Maryland
"Dyllen pushed my son beyond anything I would've thought possible."
Parent of Hudson – USC
California
"I discovered my strengths, themes, and learned how to build connections between my experiences!"
Sunny – University of California San Diego
California
Oh god, it’s college application season – a confusing, overwhelming process that feels like an impossible balancing act.
😰 You need your application to stand out, but your experiences feel so… common.
😰 You want to dive deep into your personal story, but you’re worried about oversharing.
😰 You’re trying to showcase your most impressive accomplishments...
but imposter syndrome keeps whispering that you're just not enough.
The need to be unique yet authentic, vulnerable yet confident, holistic yet specific – leaves you paralyzed, but your perpetual procrastination only adds pressure as deadlines loom closer.
What if you could embark on your college applications with confidence and ease?
😇 Your applications stand out, not because you've tried to become someone you're not, but because you developed the strategy to effectively identify and showcase your most admirable qualities.
😇 Imposter syndrome fades away as you grow more self-assured, recognizing your true value and potential.
😇 Procrastination has vanished because now you have a clear pathway to success.
Your college application process is no longer a source of anxiety, but instead an opportunity for self-discovery and personal growth!
The Gold Key Collective is your key to unlocking
a stress-free college application process.
This group coaching program unites high-achieving students like you, fostering a supportive community to learn from one another, establish connections, and encourage accountability.
Through personalized support, comprehensive resources, and exceptional essay editing services,
The Gold Key Collective equips you with everything you need to create a winning college application.
With our support, you will…
Craft a cohesive application profile that builds strong connections between your unique experiences, values, and extracurriculars.
Write powerful college essays that bring out the best in your story and set you apart from other applicants.
Gain the skills you need to effectively articulate your value – preparing you for applications to college, jobs, and beyond!
Meet Your College Admissions Coach
What's up!
I'm Dyllen, a Stanford undergrad and YOUR coach this application season.
When I applied to college in 2018, I had big dreams of getting into top-ranked colleges, but I had no idea HOW. So, I sought out numerous articles, books, and videos to educate myself on the ins and outs of the college application process.
It all paid off. I was accepted into every school I applied to including Stanford, USC, UCLA, NYU, and more. Most importantly, I experienced an incredible journey of self-discovery and became more grounded in my values and identity than ever before.
But here's the catch. I spent MONTHS sifting through millions of random resources to piece together a strategy to get into my top schools, that I didn’t have a comfortable amount of TIME to actually execute what I had learned.
As you can imagine, I was #StressedAF.
What if there were a way to submit top-notch applications,
WITHOUT the stress and time crunch?
This is the strategy I've spent years developing, and will now teach YOU.
Every year since, I have coached students to get into their dream schools – including the Ivy Leagues, Stanford, UC's, and other top universities.
I have taken everything I’ve learned from…
- Years of coaching THOUSANDS of successful students across the world!
- Editing 2,000+ college essays.
- Writing and storytelling strategies I developed through my coursework at Stanford University.
- Analyzing my Stanford admissions file to understand exactly what led to my acceptance.
…to create the best program to support YOU through this process.
The Gold Key Collective is divided into three key sections
to give you the support you need...
Coaching & Community
Receive personalized coaching throughout your college application journey with our weekly group coaching calls held on Zoom and led by me, Dyllen Nellis. Plus, connect with other ambitious students in our supportive Slack community, where you can ask questions to our team, share resources, and celebrate milestones.
Personalized & Unlimited Support
Submit your college essays for detailed feedback from our editors from top-tier universities, as many times as you need. With our next-day turnaround, you'll have the edge you need to elevate your essays to their full potential before your deadlines. This is one of the most popular parts of our program and a huge advantage for our students!
Apply Now!
Apply now for your invitation to join our exclusive, advanced training on
how YOU can build a stand-out college application to your dream schools!
Fill out your application ASAP so we can send you all the details!
Why me?
I connect with Gen Zers
on a deeper level
...because I am one!
Let's face it, when it comes to sharing deep thoughts and feelings, most teenagers are more likely to confide in someone close in age to whom they can relate. My students feel safe crafting their stories with me, and we have fun while doing it!
As a student who applied to college not too long ago, I am very familiar with the current process, and how it has since adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. I am NOT the kind of college consultant who uses outdated strategies. I have years of experience coaching students and I am constantly refining my approach to reflect the latest trends in college admissions and technology.
Plus, as a current college student myself, I can give you the inside scoop on everything from the college workload to dorm and campus life!
You will be set up to succeed no matter your admissions outcome.
The skills you develop through this process will benefit you for the rest of your life!
You will position yourself as a top-notch applicant, get accepted to more schools, and earn generous merit aid.
You will save time and submit early, so you can enjoy every moment of senior year!
You will sail through the process with less stress & more ease – no more guessing or scrambling.
You will unlock a stronger understanding of yourself, your values, and your identity.
You will gain more confidence and clarity in your goals, interests, and aspirations.
You will be better prepared for a college education with stronger skills in writing, storytelling, and organization.
🎓 How would it feel for YOU to be accepted into your dream school?
"I got into schools that I would never have fathomed getting into - schools with below 5% acceptance rates. It has truly been a dream come true."
"I loved how organized her entire program is and how easy she makes it for students to craft meaningful essays while also being authentic and truthful to who they are. It allowed me to learn a lot about myself, and in turn, teach those reading my essays who I am as well."
Maggie – Harvard University
California
"Dyllen's college essay advising service stands unparalleled to any other service out there!"
"I entered the college application process without much support from others but I stumbled upon Dyllen's YouTube channel over the summer. She generously offers so many resources and I can tell that she loves working with every one of her students. To all future applicants, definitely reach out to Dyllen for help! I thought of it as an investment into my future and I'm so glad that Dyllen makes this process accessible to all!"
Vivian – Stanford University
California
"This program was a huge lifesaver that made me excited to work on my application!"
"It has allowed me to have fun and be creative during a time that is tend to be filled with stress over college applications. Every lecture you have written out was all super helpful and constructive. It was so worth it."
Raisa – UC Berkeley
California
"Thanks for helping me get into the Ivy League!"
"Dyllen helped bring clarity to my essay structure that was desperately needed, further helping to unify my ideas into a cohesive narrative for a successful application that highlighted the best I had to offer."
Prince – Cornell University
California
"I won the USC Presidential Scholarship!"
"Dyllen's program helped me so much throughout my college application process. She really allowed me to add structure to the process, identify what I needed to work on, organize my ideas, and evaluate what I truly wanted to convey in my essays. The videos and curriculum integrated into her course really helped me tell my story and be proud of my writing. It was definitely worth it! I would recommend it!"
Uriel – USC
Washington
"Dyllen has the eye of a storyteller."
"Dyllen helped clarify different moving parts of my essay to become one cohesive narrative. By asking a number of probing questions, identifying confusing syntax, and pointing out opportunities for me to tie my complicated story together, her feedback made sure I presented myself in the best way possible. Compared to other services, Dyllen's focuses on capturing who YOU are as an individual. Because of Dyllen, I was able to show who I was and who I became in my story, and this is a skill that not many people can do well. But Dyllen can! Her teachings and feedback allowed me to create an application that I was proud of!"
Clara – UC Berkeley
California
"Dyllen helped me achieve my goal of attending Stanford, and I know she can do the same for you!"
"One of the most important decisions I made during my college application process was getting Dyllen to help me brainstorm and edit my essays. Her feedback helped me understand where my writing was strong and where I needed to go back to the drawing board so that I could craft the strongest application possible. I cannot thank her enough and recommend her to any and everyone!"
Melany – Stanford University
Washington
"Dyllen's advice enabled me to gain admission to my dream schools!"
"I was hesitant to do essay editing services at first since I didn’t know if it would be helpful, but Dyllen’s editing service really helped me enhance my essays by strengthening the themes and adding clarity to details. Also, the short paragraph of overall feedback is really helpful as it gives me an insight into how my essays are perceived by readers besides the people I know. I strongly recommend her editing service to anyone who requires suggestions for their college essays."
Emilie - University of Pennsylvania
California
"I discovered my strengths, themes, and learned how to build connections between my experiences!"
Before using Dyllen's resources, my essay ideas were scattered and I struggled to find themes. Using the program, I discovered my strengths and how they connected to experiences and relationships I had. That helped me form cohesive stories that highlighted my creativity, perseverance, and successes. I realized how valuable it was to dig deep in my past, uncovering hobbies and challenges throughout my life, and thinking about how relationships shaped me, in the brainstorming exercises that Dyllen provided. I also realized that tying several, what seemed like unrelated topics together was possible and helpful.
I felt so relieved after using Dyllen's program and talking with her over zoom calls. Dyllen's prompts and structure made writing the essays so much easier, and actually fun. Her instructions to use timelines helped me stay on track. Overall, her program made this daunting process doable way less stressful. I am so grateful!
Sunny – University of California San Diego
California
"Dyllen is fantastic and knows so much about college essays."
"Even though I felt confident about my general writing abilities, college essay writing is a different beast. She helped me tackle it, encouraging me to reflect further and refine my essays into pieces that were authentically me. She was always timely and available to answer follow-up questions, too. I'd highly recommend her services wherever you are in your application process!"
Allison – UC Berkeley
California
"I never imagined I could craft the quality of essays necessary to be admitted to some of the country’s most competitive and high-ranked universities."
Dyllen's program was invaluable in my journey to craft the best college application essays possible.
Like most, the college application and essay writing process initially felt daunting and intimidating. But after learning Dyllen's process, I understood more about who I was and the personal values and stories I wanted to convey throughout my college application essays. The step-by-step process allowed me to break the process down into more manageable pieces to which I could better fine-tune the details and be less stressed. Everything is methodically well-planned and detailed.
As a result, I was admitted into some of my top choices, including Berkeley & UCLA, and I am certain that I could not have done it without Dyllen.
Abraham – UCLA
California
"I was able to get into multiple Ivy leagues, ultimately deciding to go to Columbia University!"
"Dyllen really helped me start to develop the ideas and life stories I wanted to share with colleges. Thank you Dyllen for helping me in my college journey!"
Angela – Columbia University
Texas
"Meeting with Dyllen over Zoom allowed me to have a lot of clarity and direction going into college essay writing season."
"We brainstormed my theme and ways to tell my story, which helped me get a good head start on the hardest part of essay writing. I appreciated all of her great ideas and encouragement so much!"
Isabella – Yale University
California
"Dyllen pushed my son beyond anything I would've thought possible."
"My son learned more about writing in the two weeks between Christmas and the New Year than in his 4 years of school! I only wish that we had found Dyllen a year earlier. She went out of her way to be encouraging with rough love and pushed my son beyond anything I would've thought possible."
Parent of Hudson – USC
California
"I'm going to UPenn!"
"I learned how to better organize my essay response and I realized my response did not have to be one life-changing moment, but could be a series of events and life experiences that built my character!"
Maya – University of Pennsylvania
Maryland
"I wrote authentic essays!"
"Dyllen really helped me challenge myself to play with my writing in a visual and creative way rather than try to make myself sound a certain way through my writing that wasn’t authentic. I loved the examples she used and the descriptions and emphasis on utilizing sensory imagery in my essays."
Sarah – New York University
Boston
"Dyllen made it easy."
The college application process was super stressful and scary, but Dyllen made it easy to step back and get to the root of my problems. If you're unsure about what stories to write about, she made it easy to pinpoint the most interesting things about you, make them relevant to your character, and write wonderful essays. Dyllen broke down the structure and made it a more collaborative and individualized experience, making it easier to figure out what to write about."
Julie – Columbia University
California
"Dyllen understands the college application process, and I knew I could trust her feedback."
"She gave me great advice on how to better organize my supplements and "spice up" the writing style. She also explained her suggestions in a simple way so that I could easily understand how to make adjustments. She is also extremely accessible and provided a quick turn-around time. I definitely recommend her services!"
Eve – University of Pennsylvania
New York
"I got a full ride to an Ivy League!"
"With Dyllen's program, I learned what to do before the writing process, how to level up the essays, and how to save crucial time by recycling essays in the best way possible! There are plenty of resources on how to write essays but this program really gave me a new perspective on portraying me as a human and how to stand out as an international FGLI student. I wouldn't have been able to make it without your help Dyllen!"
Vania – Cornell University
Peru
"Dyllen's resources allowed me to find a sense of confidence in my voice and story. With that confidence, I was guided me to complete an application that felt authentic to me."
Claress – Swarthmore University
New York
ADMISSIONS DISCLAIMER
Any college acceptances shown through our website are only to demonstrate what might be possible now or in the future. There can be no assurance as to any particular admissions outcome based on the use of our website. You agree that we are not responsible for your college admissions decision, the success or failure of your personal decisions, or any other result of any kind that you may have as a result of information presented to you through our website. You are solely responsible for your results.
TESTIMONIALS
We present testimonials and insights about other people’s experiences with our program for purposes of illustration only. The testimonials, examples, and photos used are of actual students. They are not intended to represent or guarantee that current or future students will achieve the same or similar results; rather, these testimonials represent what is possible for illustrative purposes only.
Dyllen undoubtedly provides robust and comprehensive resources that are optimized for students and their stage in the journey. Dyllen should be the primary option for students when seeking input from someone who went through the college process.
Zayn – Babson College Washington