Hi, I’m Jessie!

Jessica Gardner

Founder, My College Activities
Independent College Coach

The story behind my activities-first method

My experience as an independent college counselor began in 2018, when I guided my daughter through the shockingly convoluted & difficult process of applying to collegiate musical theatre programs. At the time, I was a mom trying to help my daughter achieve her dreams. We were told that the only way she could ever possibly have a chance of getting into a preferred choice program was if she applied to at least twenty schools. This seemed like overkill, but who were we to question the system? So, we applied to twenty schools.

Since that first application season in 2018, I have made it my mission to help demystify the college application experience. Over the past eight years, dozens of students have used my methods and counseling to apply and get into top colleges. Through this process, I discovered three important things:

First, every student had at least one activity they didn’t think “counted” for some reason or another. They would say things to me like, “Oh well, I just did that for my family, that doesn’t count.” or, “That was just something I did for fun, I don't need to put that on there.”

Second, once I spent enough time interviewing a student & coaxing all of the things they didn’t think mattered out of them, we always, without fail, ended up with a list of activities that surprised them. My students would turn to me and say, “Oh wow, I actually have done something, I didn’t realize it.”

Third, and most importantly, my students gained confidence in their abilities and all the activities and talents that made each of them unique. Once we filled out the activities section, the application was 90% done. My students knew what they wanted to write their essays about, and used the activity section as a springboard to create their resumes & brag sheets. Ultimately, they ended up with a comprehensive application that actually reflected who they were and what they wanted to do.

Experience behind the method

Jessica Gardner

BBA in Organizational Management, Radford University
Nine years of independent college counseling experience since 2018, and creator of the activities-first method and My College Activities
Professional experience specializing in home renovations and rental properties since 2014
Roche Pharmaceuticals: Hospital Representative and Field Trainer, creating sales aids used nationally
Happily married to my husband, an Ophthalmologist, with two amazing adult children
Special interest: helping young people succeed and find their unique journey

Student Stories.

A compact collection of student and family stories from the activities-first method behind My College Activities.

The guidance students deserve, made available to more families.

My College Activities brings Jessica’s structured approach to student reflection, organization and application preparation into one thoughtful platform. Students can remember more, repeat less and approach the college application process with greater clarity and confidence.

Start Building My Application Learn How It Works