admissions platform

Innovative digital admissions platform helps students reach Ivy League


A pioneering collaboration of 26 Ivy League-level educators introduce holistic, comprehensive college admissions program

U.S. colleges have seen a 108 percent increase in applicants over the past 15 years, while acceptance to highly selective colleges has dropped by 15 percent during the same time period.

With millions of students and their parents baffled by the increasingly complex landscape of navigating and ensuring competitive applications, GATE College System (GATE) launched a holistic, comprehensive college admissions system.

Offered digitally, GATE provides step-by-step, easy to follow instruction by 26 Ivy League-level educators on a mission to equalize access for students everywhere, regardless of their socioeconomic level.

“Our philosophy is that by championing the innate potential of every student we help shape not only the individual but culture as well,” says Pamela Donnelly, Founder and CEO of GATE College System and author of SWAT Team Tactics for Getting Your Teen into College and 4 Keys to College Admissions Success. As a professional educator and admissions specialist, Donnelly has dedicated the past twenty years helping parents get their children into the best possible colleges. “Like me when my oldest daughter applied to college ten years ago, millions of parents are completely overwhelmed by this process. Focusing myopically on a single test score fails to serve students. In an effort to help families everywhere understand what we’ve spent our careers learning, our team created GATE College System to unlock the secrets to successful college admissions with a map of the landscape and friendly guides to lead the way.”

GATE’s acronym delineates the four sections of the system: Grades, Applications, Testing and Essays. Its seventy two trainings engage students with academic support on their computers, tablets or smart phones, whether in schools or on the go. This digital program helps students understand college options, improve study skills, prepare for either the ACT or SAT exam, optimize college essays, and demystify insider secrets about how to pay for college with financial aid strategies.

GATE’s proven track record via its Los Angeles affiliate Valley Prep Tutoring Services shows significant point gains for students on both the SAT and ACT exams, increased GPAs and improved acceptance rates to competitive schools.

Students who have implemented what they learned in GATE have also received substantial merit aid and scholarships and gone on to successful admissions to many of the most competitive colleges in America.

“We have one opportunity, at the 11th grade level, to get the testing component right, but without the G, A and E of GATE we place undue pressure on students who sometimes feel they are reduced to a single score,” cautions Donnelly. “Celebrating GATE students as they successfully transition to the right colleges for them is our favorite part of what we do. We look forward to continuing to telling the stories of students whose potential is being realized, and sharing via social and traditional media the stories of flagship schools where individual lives are being impacted by this program.”

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Laura Ascione

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