Students continue to seek resources that assist in navigating higher education opportunities.
Since the rise of the global pandemic of 2020, the entire world began to reimagine and reinvent a new way to thrive in an online-only environment. Education became one of the hardest-hit sectors, forced to rethink hundreds of years of tradition. Schools were closed, students of all ages recommenced classes through Zoom, and technology was at the forefront of discussions. For the first time in history, education relied on the powerful resources of the internet and technology. What was once a convenience suddenly became a necessity.
Teenagers were some of the most affected and stressed during the pandemic, transitioning from normal class settings to Zoom classes while facing uncertainty about their future and college prospects.
There are those in the industry exploring the collective understanding of the individual needs of students aiming for customized higher education and subsequent career placement.
This reporter sat down to talk with Zenith Prep Academy's Founder, Franklin Song, about his modern approach to college preparedness and how alternatives to conventional face-to-face education may benefit college-bound teenagers. Founded over 14 years ago and currently on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America, Zenith works with 6th to 12th graders to help students gain acceptance into highly competitive colleges by guiding them to identify their subject of interest and turning that into unique profiles.
Since 2007, Zenith has been working with families and students to create fully tailored and customized online consulting and learning programs designed specifically for the college application process that help students identify their personalized paths of choice. Song believes that online opportunities open extensive pathways for young people to pursue professional paths linked to educational activities.
"I was shocked this full transition to online didn't happen earlier. The advantages of being online were clear the entire time, and through the pandemic, all the forward-thinking parents readily understood its benefits," Song explains. "By being online, you've now unlocked a whole different level of potential that has allowed students to achieve greater success."
According to Song, Zenith's results have been extremely positive. Their efforts have led to more students conducting research at prominent universities, pursuing internship opportunities at companies, attending competitive summer programs, and being accepted into top universities, including Ivy League.
Additionally, from a company standpoint, being online has made hiring and retaining talent more accessible. Song believes the education sector is one of the most challenging fields to find and retain talent. Online hiring has allowed him and his staff more options in finding the best and most effective counselors for their students throughout the U.S.
"It's something that wouldn't be possible if in-person meetings were mandatory," says Song. "As we all know, having the right person in a teenager's life is a complete game changer when it comes to helping them achieve their true potential and getting into the university they deserve. That's why we were already online before online became a thing. That's what has been fueling our skyrocketing growth."
While the education industry has historically been slow to change, companies like Zenith are doing their part to apply modern approaches to guide students' paths. However, with any advancement or transformation, there are also lost benefits from the traditional model—mainly the importance of in-person interaction.
"Yes, it's unfortunate that meeting someone face-to-face is a thing of the past because I personally love in-person meetings. However, the data and results clearly showed that our [online] students excel faster and achieve more than when we were in person. More importantly, none of our families are willing to sacrifice having access to a more qualified talent pool just for the sole privilege of sitting at the same desk with a counselor when that could happen online with an even more qualified counselor," says Song.
The total global impact of the lockdown is still adjusting across all economic sectors. Inside technology companies and many other traditional organizations, there are now increased deliberations between management and employees about a return to the office.
A notable example of the tension appears in the recent resignation of Ian Goodfellow, a top executive at Apple, over the company's return-to-office policy. However, Song believes that allowing fully remote work is key to their counselors' well-being, which drives each student's success. To him, the counselors' lives must also be considered if students are to grow and thrive.
"Nobody is in a good mood after sitting in traffic. I don't understand how counselors sitting in traffic for in-person consultation positively affect their abilities to enable students to succeed. I just don't. This is education,” adds Song.
“When teachers, counselors, or advisors are in a good place in their lives, they have more mental and physical energy and clarity to help students become the best they can be. Even something as small as giving our counselors the ability to have some reasonable control over their schedules contributes to their productivity, which ultimately trickles down to our student's success."
The lockdown has had many effects on our daily lives, and the impact of fully remote education and work has yet to play out in various industries. When it comes to education, Franklin Song and Zenith may have stepped into a pocket of need that allows the necessary streamlined focus, guidance, counseling, and extra teaching efforts to propel students wishing to profile themselves for improved higher education placement.
As education models expand, online learning appears to be securing itself in our collective consciousness and acceptance. Adding more offerings that benefit student preparedness for 21st century higher education and career demands seems not only appropriate but a prerequisite to the future success of all involved.
Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
