OUR FOUNDER'S STORY

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Hello, my name is David Fort and I am the founder of Admissions Navigators. I am the proud graduate of one of the most highly selective colleges in the nation, Colgate University, and have received Masters degrees from universities such as the University of Michigan, Northeastern University and Loyola University of Chicago. Additionally, I worked in Corporate America for more than 20 years in roles such as CFO, Founder, Management Consultant, Managing Director, Finance Director and Chief Business Strategist. Lastly, I am a proud Associate Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), which is the largest professional organization of independent educational consultants in the world. 

While working in Corporate America, which was a passion of mine, I was also passionate about inspiring young people to strive to live their best present and future lives. Outside of work, I served as a youth sports coach,  part-time college admission advisor, alumni student interviewer, alumni representative at college fairs and mentor to numerous young students and career-seeking young adults.

You may be asking why would I transition out of a successful business career to help students get into colleges full-time? If you have ever had a child, niece/nephew or student go through the college admission process, you know how crazy and competitive the process has become. The levels of stress, uncertainty and confusion that students, applying to college are now facing, is in my view, unprecedented.

Through the years I have seen countless students - who I interacted with but did not have as clients - either fail to get into their desired schools or simply did not apply to colleges that most likely, would have been a great fit for them. I have long been very frustrated seeing kids and their parents experience all of these disappointments, and after much thought, I came to the conclusion that my unique skills can be better utilized enriching young students during their journey to college, than to further enrich million dollar organizations. 

Additional impetuses for me to change careers, and my past work and volunteer experiences with young people to live their best lives, are rooted in understanding that: 

o It is increasingly more difficult for ALL students, especially students seeking to get into highly selective colleges/universities, to gain college admissions.

o The college admission and financial aid application processes have become significantly more difficult and confusing for both students and their parents. 

o The Supreme Court decision in 2021 that eliminated Affirmative Action from college admissions, has made the college admissions process exponentially more difficult for a variety of historically under-representative groups.

o Students are increasingly finding it more difficult to differentiate themselves in the admissions process. GOOD GRADES and LOTS OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ARE NOT ENOUGH TO GET YOU INTO YOUR "RIGHT FIT" COLLEGE ANYMORE. 

o Most college seeking students (and their parents) are still woefully unaware that they can hire and afford a private college admission advisor to help bolster their application to the school of their choice.

o Student-athletes are increasingly finding it more difficult to navigate the athletic recruiting and selection process.

Although these challenges are very real, strategic one-on-one college admission counseling from Admission Navigators can help you navigate these challenges successfully.

The college admission landscape has significantly changed since the days that I applied to college. However, even back then, getting into your dream college was very competitive, especially considering that a) I did not know absolutely anything about the college admission process; and b) I had very few in-person, college-readiness role models/experts accessible to me.

I received my first glance at the college admissions process when I attended my first college fair during the Fall of my senior year in high school. With all honesty, my glance was unfiltered and brutal. At this college fair, an admission officer, who I spoke to, said to me point blank, “kid, you will not get into this school.” I asked him why. He said, even though I had great grades, played 4 varsity sports, worked 30 hours a week and had years of volunteer experience within my community, he said that if you cannot craft your application in a manner that differentiates it and you from the others, then “don’t waste the application fee applying.” In an instance, my confidence dropped. Although I had better subsequent experiences with admissions representatives at other college fairs, this first experience not only shook me, but also motivated me to learn everything I could about college admissions. And I did.

Between all of the college admissions books/articles that I read, the numerous college prep/college awareness workshops that I attended, and the discussions with (i.e. picking the brain of) almost 100 college admission representatives at college fairs in the college-rich Boston-New England-Northeast region, I navigated the admission process well-enough on my own, to get into highly-selective colleges such as Colgate and Hamilton College. After living in cities all of my life up until that point,  I wanted to go to a very small, highly-selective college that would provide me with a top-notch education, while also providing me with the opportunity to play competitive NCAA sports. 

Trust me, I was so excited to get into these and other selective schools, especially considering my prior lack of knowledge of the college admissions process; and the fact that I went to a public high school that was the most under-resourced, but most socially diverse high school in my city. But honestly, I wish I had a private college admissions advisor,  a high school guidance counselor who wasn't overloaded, or someone in my life that would have encouraged me to apply to at least a few Ivy League schools. Key Fact: after I had accepted a spot at Colgate, representatives from two Ivy League schools reached out to me, and encouraged me to apply to their schools at the last minute because they felt that I had an exceptional chance to get into their schools. Though the offers were tempting, I had made a commitment to Colgate and have no regrets on my decision. I received a top-notch education that led me into several amazing careers.

Since the age of 17, I have been helping students (and/or their parents), in some capacity, navigate the college admissions and financial aid processes. I have always loved these experiences, but since I had my sights so focused on working in the business and healthcare worlds, I could only help students on a part-time basis. Recently, I made the decision to make this my full-time career, and have no regrets that I did. To me, this is not just a new career for me, THIS IS MY LIFE's CALLING. 

With that said, if you are a student who wants to differentiate yourself in the enormous college applicant pool, or if you are a parent and want help focusing your child on what they need to do to gain admission into college (or to pay for it), SIGN-UP for a free consultation now.