How it works

A process you can see, start to finish

Most advising firms sell hours. We work a route: a written plan, working sessions against it, and every draft and piece of feedback tracked in one place — your client portal. The route itself depends on where you're starting: see the advising services.

Step 01 · Free

The Bearing Check

30 minutes, student and parents welcome. We talk about where you are, what the real deadline pressure looks like, and whether we're the right fit. You leave with three next steps whether or not we work together.

Step 02 · Week one

Your route plan

A dated, written plan in your portal: target schools or employers, application deadlines, essay and résumé drafts, and who owns what. Parents can see progress without sitting in every session.

Step 03 · Ongoing

Sessions & the portal

1:1 working sessions on a cadence that matches your deadlines. Drafts go into your portal; feedback comes back with status you can track — new, in review, feedback ready, final.

The portal

Nothing lives in a lost email thread

Every client gets a private portal account. Upload essay drafts and résumés, download advisor feedback and route plans, and see the status of every document at a glance. When your advisor finishes a review, the status flips to "feedback ready" — no chasing.

Client sign in

Questions

Common questions

What is a Bearing Check?

A free 30-minute conversation about where you are and where you're pointed — students and parents both welcome. There's no pitch: you leave with three concrete next steps whether or not we end up working together.

Who does COMPASS work with?

High school students in grades 9–12 (First Bearing), undergraduates mapping majors to careers (True North), graduate school candidates (The Crossing), and seniors and new graduates running a job search (Landfall).

Who will I actually work with?

Dr. Taiwo Adefiyiju-Monwuba, Ed.D., directly — a college dean of students and former career-education director who has advised students since 2016. One advisor across the whole route, not a rotating bench.

Where do your students have to live?

Anywhere. Sessions run online, so advising works the same whether you're across the state or across an ocean — Dr. Adefiyiju-Monwuba has counseled students across Rhode Island and Massachusetts, elsewhere in the U.S., and internationally in Africa and Europe. Every draft and piece of feedback is exchanged through your client portal.

What happens after the Bearing Check?

In week one you get a dated, written route plan in your portal — target schools or employers, deadlines, drafts, and who owns what. After that it's 1:1 working sessions on a cadence that matches your deadlines, with every document tracked from new to final.

What kind of help do you give on essays and applications?

Balanced college lists of reach, target, and likely schools; personal statements and supplemental essays coached from brainstorm to final draft; mock admissions and scholarship interviews; résumé development; and job-search strategy for graduates planning their next step.

Start here

The first conversation is free.

Book a free Bearing Check
Book a free Bearing Check