(Instead of a blank page, a panic attack in October, and a rejection letter they never saw coming.)
Andy leading a previous bootcamp, circa 2020. Not staged at all!
If you're reading this, your 11th grader is about to enter the most defining five months of their academic life. And if they're like most Class of 2027 kids right now, here's where they actually are:
Here's the thing. This isn't something a public school guidance counselor juggling 400 students is built to handle. And private school counselors? Better ratios, but they're still not giving your kid the kind of personalized, strategic attention that actually moves the needle.
What about the English teacher running your high school's essay workshop? She's trained in grammar, not marketing. She's never sat inside an admissions committee room. She has no idea what makes an admissions officer put down their evening cold brew and pay attention.
Positioning a kid for a top college is a specialized craft, and it takes the kind of work most families don't know exists.
They spend 6 to 8 minutes reviewing each application. They read roughly 1,000 a year. They reject from the "Sea of Sameness" ruthlessly. Because they have to.
The kids who get in aren't smarter than your child. They're better positioned. Positioning is a craft. It can be taught. And your kid has exactly one summer to learn it.
I'm Andy Lockwood. For 24 years, I've combined deep admissions expertise with 26+ years of studying direct response marketing to get kids into colleges like Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Brown, Cornell, Michigan, Emory, Boston College, Notre Dame, and dozens of other top schools. A college application is a marketing document. Most guidance counselors at public and private high schools don't understand that.
I've also written 5 bestselling books on college admissions and been featured repeatedly for my college admissions and financial aid expertise on the Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Fox Business, CBS News, The New York Post, NewsNation and Newsday.
And I'm not just a college advisor. Pearl and I have four kids of our own. Two were admitted to Ivies. Three have graduated college and have started careers with substantial upside.
I remember being on your side of the table. The deadlines creeping closer. The blank essay screen. Wondering if your kid is actually going to get this done or if you're going to lose your mind first.
I've lived it. Four times. And just like giving birth, you'll completely forget about the labor pains by move-in day. Until your next kid starts applying.
June through September. In-person at our Long Island office or online from anywhere. Your kid walks out with:
Roll up your sleeves and do the work. Participate in the group. Be open to edits, feedback, and college list suggestions you weren't expecting. This isn't a spectator sport.
Write the check and stay out of the sessions. This is your kid's project, not yours. They can't take you to college with them, and admissions officers can smell a parent-written essay from three states away. The whole point is to teach them to own the process, advocate for themselves, and build the skills that will serve them long after they get in. That's not just college prep. That's life prep.
The hidden benefit? You get to stop nagging. No more screaming matches about deadlines. No more "did you work on your essay today?" We become the ones holding your kid accountable, so you can go back to being their parent instead of their project manager.
Custom positioning audit for your Class of 2027 kid. 45 minutes. We assess strengths, goals, and angle. We'll also evaluate admissions odds for the colleges they're considering and suggest tweaks to balance the list.
We look at where your kid stacks up on GPA, SAT/ACT, course rigor, extracurriculars, awards and talent. Whether Early Decision makes sense. Which colleges care about demonstrated interest. Whether the list is top-heavy, missing safeties, or ignoring schools that would actually be a great fit. All of this before the bootcamp even starts.
5-phase framework introduced. Your kid understands exactly how this works and what's expected. Recorded if you can't make it live.
Early July. Recorded if you can't make it live, or want to rewatch. Foundation laid before drafting begins.
6 Sunday sessions with Ivy-level editors. A minimum of two 1:1 private meetings with your student at every session. Plus weekly Wednesday evening office hours.
Your kid could be done with the hardest part of the Common App (the personal essay) before most of their peers have even started thinking about it.
Application architecture. Your kid will have a clear plan for every school on the list.
| What You Get | Real Value |
|---|---|
| 46+ Hours Live Instruction (June–September) | $4,600 |
| Six Summer Essay Drafting Intensives (9am–1pm sessions) | $3,000 |
| Weekly Wednesday Office Hours (July–September) | $1,800 |
| Personalized Common App + Supplemental Editing | $2,400 |
| Application Architecture Coaching | $495 |
| On-Demand Masterclasses w/ Former Admissions Officers from Elite Colleges | $997 |
| 1:1 Private Fast Start Strategy Call + Positioning Audit | $497 |
| Insider Interviews w/ Former Admissions Officers from Elite Colleges (recorded, instant access) | $97 |
| Prior Year Session Recordings (Instant Access) | $197 |
| Financial Aid Quick-Start Session w/ Pearl Lockwood (Could be worth $10K+ in discovered aid) | $297 |
| Proven Sample Essay Swipe File | $47 |
About the Financial Aid Quick-Start Session: Most high-income families assume they don't qualify for aid. They're frequently wrong. Pearl Lockwood (Andy's wife and co-founder) has helped families earning $300K+ find $10,000-$50,000 in merit-based aid they didn't know existed. This session is included with your enrollment. For many families, it pays for the entire bootcamp.
June turns into July. July turns into "we'll start after vacation."
Then it's August. School is about to start. The Common App is open and your kid hasn't written a word.
Now it's September. Deadlines are weeks away. Your kid is juggling senior year, activities, and an essay they still haven't started. The anxiety at your kitchen table is through the roof.
And by October, you're watching your kid submit something they wrote in a panic at 11pm, hoping for the best.
That's what waiting looks like. The families who act now aren't smarter than you. They just refused to let it play out that way.
Full-pay at a private university
$320,000
Same school with $25K/yr merit aid
$220,000
That's a $100,000 difference
Your investment to position for that outcome: $3,045
We take only 10 students. Every spot matters. Here's the deal:
As soon as you enroll, you and your kid will get on a 45-minute 1:1 Private Fast Start Strategy Call with our team. We'll assess your child's profile, their strengths, their goals, and build a custom positioning framework before the bootcamp even begins.
This call is also wide open for questions. College list? Essays? Financial aid? Test-optional strategy? Anything goes. Bring whatever's keeping you up at night.
If, after that call, you don't feel 100% certain this program is right for your family, email us within 24 hours and we'll refund every dollar. No questions asked.
After June 1, no refunds. Every spot we give you is one we can't give someone else.
Do the Fast Start Call. If we're a fit, you're in. If we're not, you walk away with every penny back.
One more thing: if your kid shows up, does the work, and puts in the effort, we guarantee they'll walk out with a finished Common App essay, supplementals for their top schools, and a strategic college list. If we don't deliver on our end, we keep working with you until we do.
Enroll now and get instant access to last year's recordings, sample essays, and AO interviews. Your 1:1 Private Fast Start Strategy Call booking link arrives within minutes.
Both options include all bonuses, all sessions, and the "Yeah, This Isn't For Us" Guarantee.
Early Bird Registration Closes May 15 At Midnight
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"I sent my son to the Boot Camp. The time he spent there not only gave him an incredible head start on the application process, but also provided him with invaluable feedback. Andy's generosity of time and resources were on display as he graciously included a few amazing surprises along the way."
"Hi Andy, I just wanted to let you know that I was admitted to Stanford REA yesterday. Thanks to you and the rest of the team for all the help so far!"
"Sorry for the late text but it's Ivy Day! Looks like Jared is choosing from Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth and Amherst! It's a good day!"
"The Cornell admissions person said that this was an incredibly competitive year and their applications really stood out! Guess who made all this possible? We are so grateful to you!"
"The Duke admissions officer said it was the best application she read."
"I needed help with my essays and I knew my English teacher would be useless. Thank you!"
"We used Andy for the applications and essays. The whole thing was overwhelming, don't try this on your own! We will be back with our younger daughter."
"I know a lot of college planners who promise results but don't deliver. In your case, I got real results. Other parents thank me for recommending you."
"Thank you for your help with everything, especially the applications and essays!"
"From the moment I walked into your office, I felt an enormous weight lifted off my shoulders. Thank you for all that you have done for my precious girls."
Ready to give your kid The Edge over the competition?
Enroll Now →Join 2,457+ families. 10 spots. Early bird registration closes May 15.
Andy Lockwood is a bestselling author of five college admissions and financial aid books, co-founder of Lockwood College Prep, and the person 2,457 families have trusted to get their kids into the schools they thought were out of reach.
His background is unusual for a college advisor: he's spent 26+ years studying direct response marketing: the science of making someone say yes. Getting into college isn't about a meritocracy. It's MARKETING. Andy knows how to position, persuade, and differentiate in ways that English teachers and guidance counselors were never trained to do.
Private 1-on-1 college advising fees range from $14,000 to $30,000. This bootcamp gives Class of 2027 families access to the same positioning system at a fraction of that investment. Group delivery makes it possible.
"What's the schedule?"
| Kickoff Meeting | June 8, 6pm EST Online, recorded |
| Instructional Sessions | July 7 & July 8, 6-7pm EST Online, recorded |
| Drafting Sessions | Sundays, 9am-1pm EST July 12 • July 26 • Aug 9 • Aug 23 • Sep 13 • Sep 27 In-office or online |
| Office Hours | Wednesdays, 5-6:30pm EST Drop in, no appointment needed, in-office or by phone |
"My kid's guidance counselor already does college advising. Why pay for this?"
Public school counselors carry 200–400 students. Private school counselors are better, but still stretched thin. Neither one is sitting down with your kid individually, twice a day, to review their essays and positioning. We do. Every drafting session, your kid gets a 1:1 meeting in the morning and another in the afternoon. That's the kind of individualized attention that changes the outcome.
"Isn't it too early or too late for my 11th grader?"
This bootcamp is built specifically for juniors heading into application season. June kickoff is the ideal starting window. If anything, don't wait.
"What if my kid doesn't know what to write about?"
That's 90% of the kids who start with us. The Positioning Audit phase is about finding the story that's already there. Your kid has one. They just can't see it. We can.
"Why should I pay $3,000+ when YouTube has free essay advice?"
YouTube can teach your kid what a Common App essay is. It can't make them write one. This bootcamp isn't just advice. It's accountability: deadlines, drafting sessions, 1:1 feedback, and a team that won't let your kid coast. Free advice doesn't call you out when you're behind. We do.
"What kinds of results do your students get?"
Past bootcamp attendees have been admitted to schools ranging from Ivies like Brown, Cornell, and Dartmouth to Stanford, Duke, Notre Dame, Michigan, Boston College, USC, UVA, UNC, University of Florida, Fairfield, top SUNYs, and everywhere in between. Not every kid is aiming for an Ivy, and that's fine. The positioning work we do consistently moves kids up the ladder, wherever they're applying.
"Why no parents in the sessions?"
Admissions officers can smell a helicopter parent from 3,000 miles away. When the essay sounds like a 45-year-old wrote it, the kid gets rejected. Your child needs to own this process. That's how we get results.
"Will you write my kid's essay?"
No. And honestly, you shouldn't want us to. Admissions officers read thousands of essays a year. They know exactly what a 17-year-old sounds like, and they know exactly what a 45-year-old (or an AI, or a hired writer) sounds like. The moment your kid's essay doesn't sound like your kid, it's over. We teach them how to find their story, structure it, and write it in their own voice. That's what gets them in.
"Won't my kid just use AI to write the essays?"
They could. And it'll read like AI wrote it. No voice. No soul. No personality. Just perfectly structured sentences that say absolutely nothing. Admissions officers have read hundreds of ChatGPT essays at this point. They spot them instantly, and they reject them. Your kid's biggest competitive advantage is that they're a real human with a real story. We help them tell it. AI can't do that.
"Who is this NOT right for?"
Kids who won't do the work. Kids who want someone to write their essays for them. Parents who'll try to rewrite everything their kid produces. If that's you, don't enroll. You'll waste your money and everyone else's time.
"What if we miss a session?"
All instructional sessions are recorded, so your kid can catch up anytime. Drafting sessions aren't recorded because there's nothing to record. It's kids writing in time blocks with 1:1 feedback. Attendance at all six isn't mandatory. Most kids make it to most of them. We also run Wednesday evening office hours throughout the summer if your kid needs extra help or wants additional feedback.
"What happens after the bootcamp ends?"
Most kids are submitting by the end of September. For the ones who need extra polish or have later deadlines, we have options to keep working together.
"My spouse isn't sure about this. How do I explain it?"
Show them this page. But if you need the short version: college admissions is a $300,000+ decision. This bootcamp costs less than 1% of that, and the positioning work consistently moves kids into better schools with more merit aid. The guarantee means you can try it risk-free. And the alternative is your kid writing essays alone at midnight the week before the deadline.
"Is this really different from my high school's essay workshop?"
Yes. High school workshops are typically a week long, run by English teachers who are trained in grammar, not persuasion, not positioning, and not what actually happens inside an admissions committee room. Our program runs from June through September, is led by Andy personally, includes on-demand masterclasses with former admissions officers from elite colleges, and covers everything from essays and positioning to college list strategy and application architecture. Your kid also gets two 1:1 meetings per drafting session. Different league.
| School Counselor | Essay Tutor | Edge Bootcamp | Private Advisor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| College list strategy | Basic | No | Yes | Yes |
| Essay positioning | No | Questionable | Full positioning | Yes |
| Accountability structure | No | No | Built in | Varies |
| Duration | Scattered | Per session | 4 months structured | Varies |
| Price | Free | $2,000-$5,000 | $3,045 | $14,000-$30,000 |
$3,045
$14,000–$30,000
$2,000–$5,000
Free
10 Spots. Early Bird Registration Closes May 15.
Picture this: It's October. Your kid's applications are submitted. The essay is something they're actually proud of. Their college list is balanced, strategic, and actually makes sense. The Activities section of the Common App is written to sell, not bore. You're not stressed. You're not fighting. You're just... done. That's what this bootcamp buys you.
If you're serious about making sure this application season ends with acceptance letters instead of regret, enroll now.
3-pay: $915 first month, then $1,165/mo for months 2 & 3
Both options backed by the Yeah, This Isn't For Us Guarantee.
"Congratulations on making the decision. Most parents know their kid needs more than a guidance counselor and a bunch of free advice from TikTok and YouTube. Very few actually do something about it."
— Andy Lockwood
Dad of four. Two Ivy League alums. 2,457 families. 24 years.