Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Our ‘full student’ approach is a coaching methodology we developed over the last ten years to help our students reach their potential across all areas of their lives, hence the name, ‘full’ student (and hence our name, Youthfully).

Before we get into the details of the approach, why is ‘full student’ development important? Simple! If your end goal is achieving admission into a competitive post-secondary program or a job with any employer, these institutions evaluate their candidates holistically. This means that they look far beyond grades at things like self-awareness, emotional intelligence, interviewing skills, writing skills, extracurricular achievements, devotion to self-guided learning, and so much more. Therefore, the candidates who demontrate holistic maturity will have superior evaluations and receive more offers. We’ve seen this time and time again.

Our ‘full student’ development approach is facilitated by one of our Youth Coaches and encompasses four elements: Discover, Design, Build, and Deliver. Discover focuses on enhancing the student’s self-awareness and clarifying their authentic selves. We have students complete a personality assessment we custom built for our students and a tool called the Student Identity Blueprint. The coach then hosts a series of Discovery calls, where they will ask a series of deep and introspective questions, to arrive at a very clear sense of self. Then, in the Design, Build, and Deliver phases, we help the student identify and execute authentic and audacious goals, while building key skills such as project management and organization along the way.

The result? A well-rounded student with a highly developed skillset who has the tools and guidance they need to reach their full potential.

A Youth Coach can help you take your grades, extracurriculars, goals, self-awareness, and skills to the next level.

By working with a Youth Coach, you will:

• Have a knowledgeable mentor you can rely on during this difficult transition in your life.
• Develop high-value extracurriculars and learn how to incorporate them into supplementary essays.
• Showcase your skills, interests, and experiences on your application, while creating a unique and authentic angle/theme so you can stand out.
• Improve skills that universities and employers look for, like communication, problem solving, leadership, project management, and more.
• Build self-awareness and discover what path you truly want to take in life.
• Become an expert on your top choice program, while clarifying your direction and the ‘why’ behind your program choice.
• Have the guidance and resources to make strong academic and extracurricular decisions to position you well for your undergrad (and graduate and/or professional programs after you graduate).

For the majority of our students, working with a coach increases their chances of admission into top-tier university programs by about 9x. This depends entirely on the amount of time a student works with a coach, their devotion to their own development and doing ‘the work’, their grades, and other factors. However, for most people, this is the most measurable payoff.

We think of measurable payoffs much more broadly. For example, our students have started profitable entrepreneurial ventures, obtained paid internships with well-regarded companies, won esteemed scholarships worth tens of thousands of dollars, done their own TED Talk, and so much more. The intangible payoffs are the ones that we believe have the greatest impact. Learning skills they simply do not learn elsewhere (such as interviewing), enhancing their understanding of themselves, and simply getting clarity on what makes them happy and healthy in life.

All of these payoffs increase the chance of transitioning smoothly into university, performing academically well when they get there, getting great jobs, being admitted into graduate school, and having a promising career after graduation. Our services go far beyond the admissions process because students are prepared, confident, and they make the most of their university experience.

Most students who apply to university have worked really hard to become amazing candidates. The problem? Good grades and solid extracurriculars can only get you so far — not to mention that admissions committees read thousands of applications that are virtually the same.

Our coaches work 1-on-1 with students to develop skills and help them discover who they are. We make a comprehensive plan that allows students to identify and execute big goals and understand what they are passionate about. Then, these experiences, skills, and interests are applied when writing admissions essays so that the entire application is memorable, persuasive, and unique.

Connect with a coach today to see how we can help you stand out and increase your chance of success!

Unfortunately, no one can guarantee admission to highly competitive post-secondary programs. Offers are completely up to the school you’re applying to, so we cannot guarantee admission. There many variables outside of a coach’s control, such as grades, the student’s commitment to the process, and more. Also, even though our coaches are alumni, former university staff, and/or former application reviewers, they are in no way directly affiliated with universities.

However, by working with a Youth Coach you will be given the tools, resources, and mentorship to set you up with the best possible chance for admission success. On average, our students have a 9x higher likelihood of getting admitted into top-tier university programs. It is important to note that students who work with coaches over a longer period tend to experience the developmental benefits of coaching more than those who do so over a couple months.

At Youthfully, we believe that mentorship and guidance should be accessible to every student, regardless of their financial situation.

That’s why we’ve created a ton of completely free resources to help students navigate the complicated world of university admissions. Our comprehensive guides to schools like Queen’s Commerce, McMaster Health Sciences, Waterloo Engineering, and Western Ivey, will give you all the information you need to stay on top of deadlines, writing your applications, and so much more. We also publish application prep guides with essay templates and examples that follow our communication skills processes.

In our 10+ years of experience working with students, we’ve learned that students also need help building key skills like communication, problem solving, critical thinking, while also gaining a deeper understanding of who they are and being more self-aware. That’s why we’ve created a series of free skills guides to help you excel in every area of your life.

We’re always creating new free resources, so check our Free Resources page often, subscribe to our YouTube channel, follow us on socials, and subscribe to our email list (at the very bottom of this page). If you’d like more information about free resources, email us at help@youthfully.ca.

Let us be very clear — we DO NOT write your applications or essays for you. We take academic integrity VERY seriously.

Our process uses a ‘full student’ approach that will help you reach your full potential in all areas of your life. A Youth Coach is someone who will help you think through big problems, offer different perspectives, and challenge your writing and thinking. Their role is entirely based on mentorship and support, NOT essay writing or academic dishonesty. To protect the privacy of all our students, we will also not share our students’ essays or put them in contact with other clients (unless specifically requested).

The role of a Youth Coach is not dissimilar to the role of a guidance counselor, teacher, parent, mentor, older sibling, or tutor in students’ lives. Many students simply do not have access to some of these role models, and therefore, a Youth Coach is able to fill this void.

If your grades or ECs are not as good as you’d like, your coach can help you take it to the next level by suggesting effective studying strategies, building up your core skills, and identifying extracurriculars that you might not have considered. We know that high school is tough, especially when you’re taught subject-based courses rather than real world skills like communication, problem solving, project management, and critical thinking.

The good news is that, when you’re applying to university, admissions committees don’t just look at grades. What they want to see is that you can communicate your interests and experiences, while also showcasing your skills and how you’d add something positive to their program. Your coach will work with you to identify and execute big goals, and then help you communicate this on your application. It’s never too late to think outside the box and learn about ways to improve. If you haven’t already, connect with a coach here.

In our experience, working with students over the long-term has the greatest impact.

Students in Grade 9 or 10 typically register for an Essential plan for 2-3 months, and then switch to a Basic or Standard plan for ongoing monthly support. In the heavy application months of Grade 12, students typically register for a Premium plan.

Students in Grade 11 usually register for 1-3 hours so that they can build solid extracurricular experiences leading up to the summer before Grade 12 begins.

We recommend that Grade 11 students shift to a Basic plan before ramping up coaching support again in Grade 12 when university applications open.

Yes we can. However, to ensure that you and your coach have enough time to crush all your goals, we highly suggest signing up for at least a Premium plan (9 hours within a monthly support cycle). We still want to take our students through the entire ‘full student’ coaching approach, but because you are getting started later, we can run a lighter, expedited version of the process. With that said, we strongly recommend starting with a coach earlier rather than later. The longer we have, the greater the impact.

100 percent. We have many students who continue to work with their coach both during and after university. Our ‘full student’ methodology and process is designed to help you successfully transition into university, career, and beyond. Many students struggle transitioning into university because everything is new and different, including the environment, the learning model, the people, etc.

Also, it’s also often the first time students are on their own, and they are at the age where they may not stay as connected as much as their parents might like. So, having a coach who a student can rely on as their support system through this pivotal transition is invaluable. More tangibly, coaches can help students think through university projects, prepare them for presentations, set them up for employer recruiting, and more.

No matter what goal to want to conquer, we truly have your back!

Absolutely! We want to involve parents in this journey for a variety of reasons. For example, we find parents enjoy learning about our coaching process and expertise on different topics. It’s also important to have parents as an additional accountability partner, alongside the coach, which scientifically shows an increase in the likelihood of goal accomplishment.

As a result, all parents can be given access to our coaching platform (known as the ‘Tracker’) to follow their child’s pursuit of their goals and witness the progress. We also see benefit in parents being involved in at least one of the Discovery calls, as they can add insights about their child that can otherwise be missed. Parents are also welcome to book separate calls with the coach if they’d like a 1-on-1 conversation. Our coaches will ask parents at the beginning of the process how much or how little they would like to be involved and the ideal cadence/mode of communication (e.g. a monthly email, a quarterly phone call, etc.).

We have a strict hiring and vetting process for our coaches. First, they are university graduates—most of which are from top-tier programs that many of our students aspire to attend. Youth Coaches have at least 1-2 years’ work experiences, because we see a huge difference in maturity levels between current university students and adults with 1-2 years of post-university life experience.

We look for a few things in the coaches we recruit. First is a devotion to youth development, in the form of participating in mentorship programs, being a teaching assistant, coaching a sport, or being an instructor.

Prospective coaches also go through a series of interviews, often involving the completion of a micro-project to assess their coaching potential (e.g. strengths, personality, and expertise). Last, we require coaches to complete Youthfully’s proprietary Youth Coach training, where their comprehension of the ‘full student’ approach, coaching theory, and other essential abilities is evaluated.

Our coaches receive both personalized and asynchronous training in the ‘full student’ coaching approach prior to being onboarded into Youthfully. Youth Coaches also receive ongoing development opportunities and support to ensure their skills are continually evolving and improving.

While ongoing training and development for our coaches is important, what’s just as critical is sharing your feedback with your coach so they understand how to deliver more value to you.

Students are able to submit monthly feedback to their coach across five dimensions: reliability, clarity, expertise, comfort, and growth. We call this the “Monthly Barometer”. There is also an optional free-form text box for students to submit a private note to their coach. This feedback is confidential between the student and the coach. Parents are also able to submit their own feedback across the same categories. Please make sure you get access to the Tracker in order to do so.

There are other services that deliver consulting services to students. These tend to focus heavily on essay editing, rather than whole-student development. Over the last 10+ years, we’ve learned that students need SO much more support beyond the essay.

What truly sets us apart is that we’re the ONLY service to offer youth coaching services and a ‘full student’ approach, which focuses on helping youth reach their full potential in every area of their lives—which inevitably enables students to write the best essays, deliver the best interviews, and reach real-world accomplishments.

We want to not only help you get into the school of you dreams, but also give you all the tools you need to excel once you’re there and after you graduate. This includes teaching key skills and self-awareness, identifying and achieving BIG goals, improving mental wellness, and helping you become a better you.

You can leave monthly feedback for your coach in the “Monthly Barometer” section at the top of your Tracker.

The barometer allows students to rate their coach from 1-5 across five dimensions: reliability, clarity, expertise, comfort, and growth. A coach’s relationship with the parent and student founded on trust, and these five dimensions are the best way for us to evaluate the level of trust that has been established.

There is also an optional free-form text box for students to submit a private note to their coach. This is an opportunity to leave your comments, high-fives, notes on things you love, or areas you want to focus on more next month. Our coaches always welcome feedback and work hard to ensure that you’re completely happy with the service.

Parents are also able to submit their own feedback across the same categories. Please make sure you get access to the Tracker in order to do so.

Our coaches are completely committed to helping you succeed and reach your full potential. We’ve helped over 1,000 students and we have a 4.9/5 coach satisfaction score and a similar rating on Reviews.io. Read more reviews, audio testimonials, and client journeys on our reviews page.

Our Youth Coaches are experienced professionals with an extensive knowledge base. As a result, all of them can help with general courses, such as Law, Business, English, World Studies, etc. to varying degrees.

Depending on your coach’s expertise, they may also be able to support you on more technical courses, such as Math and Science. The principles of coaching and the skills we foster with our students can be applied to almost any assignment or project and your coach can be leveraged to help you increase your academic performance in a variety of ways.

For example, coaches will help articulate their students clarity of thought, structured problem solving and analysis, and communication approaches. These foundational skills can be applied across subjects and domains.

Sometimes students realize they need a bit more support to get to the next level. We want to provide you with as much flexibility as possible, so you can easily change your plan on the Youthfully coaching platform. Access all plan modification options in your My Account page.

Clients may either change their plan in the current monthly support cycle, next month’s support cycle, or both. Upgrades in the current cycle can be made anytime and you will simply pay the price difference between plans. If you do not want to upgrade to the next plan, you can easily add another hour using the 1-Hour Top-up option.

Downgrades in the current cycle can be made only if the current number of hours used is less than or equal to the number of hours available in the downgraded plan. In other words, if a client wants to downgrade from Premium (9 hours) to Essential (3 hours) in the current monthly cycle, the current number of coaching hours already used must be equal to or less than three.

There are no limitations to the upgrades or downgrades made to next month’s support cycle. Please note, however, that unused hours expire and reset after each support cycle.

Absolutely! We know that life gets hectic and flexibility matters.

After your first month of working with us, it’s free to pause your coaching plan. You can do so in the My Account page and you can resume with the same coach at any time. However, note that we can’t guarantee your coach’s availability at that time and cannot ‘save a spot’ with a coach for paused clients.

One hour a month might seem like enough at first, right? Trust us, it isn’t. Our coaches need at least three hours to really dig deep and work with you to make a lasting impact.

That’s why our students must begin with an Essential, Standard, or Premium plan. After the first month on one of these plans, you can switch to a Basic plan. Our Basic plan is a great option that keeps you on track with the support of your coach over the long-term. Connect with a coach today to get started!

All plans provide coaching support across areas of need. The only difference between plans is the number of hours provided.

Areas of focus include (but are not limited to): resume and CV development, interview prep, job applications, scholarship and awards applications, video interview prep, extracurricular development, leadership qualities, and writing skills.

Our coaches use a specific coaching methodology, and your coach will recommend and implement a plan to work on areas of strength and weakness, depending on your unique profile. Once this has been discussed, you, your family, and your coach decide what to focus on together.

Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that affect the ability to attend a scheduled coaching call. However, if the reason why a client (or a coach) is late/unable to attend is preventable through effective time management and scheduling, then no hours will be charged to the client in the first incidence.

If this happens again in the same support cycle, the coach will have to charge for the time that was scheduled for that call (e.g. 30 mins, 1 hour). We believe this is a fair policy, not only because our coaches blocked this time to work with their client, but because we want to instill in our students time management and reliability. We find this translates to students more effectively meeting deadlines set for tasks and actions during their coaching journey.

Absolutely! You can work with your coach to use the hours available in your plan when both you and your coach are available. With that said, we recommend waiting at least a few days in between coaching sessions, so you have enough time to complete actions from your previous call.

We recommend setting a purpose or agenda for each call, to ensure calls are scheduled only when a call is required. We also recommend limiting coaching sessions to no longer than 1 hour, because we notice fatigue starts to set in after that and students lose focus.

Our coaches are genuinely passionate about helping students succeed, and they will be there with you during every step of your journey. If you don’t have enough time in the plan you signed up for and want to add extra time, we offer a One-Time Top Up for $139 for an extra hour of coaching time. You can add as many One-Time Top Ups as you wish.

We provide youth coaching services on a monthly subscription support model. This allows families and students to work with us on a flexible schedule that accommodates their coaching needs, timelines, and budget.

Payment occurs at the beginning of a new plan’s support cycle to activate the coaching services. A monthly plan will auto-renew at the end of your support cycle, unless you change your plan via the Youthfully portal. For example, if your start on an Essential support plan on January 15, your plan will renew on February 15, at which point an additional payment will be made to your credit card.

You will be billed on the same day of the month, every month.

For example, a student with a monthly subscription set to cycle on the 2nd of the month will always be billed on the 2nd. If a month doesn’t have that day, the subscription will be billed on the last day of the month. For example, a subscription starting on January 31 bills on February 28 (or February 29 in a leap year), then March 31, April 30, and so on.

If you have any questions about the monthly subscription cycle, please reach out to us directly at help@youthfully.ca.

We do not provide short, one-off consulting services. Our mission is to prepare students to transition successfully into post-secondary and adulthood. The only way to fulfill this mission is to build a genuine coaching relationship with our students so we can make a substantial impact.

At the start of a plan, our coaches devote at least three hours to understanding the student better, which is done through a series of calls we call Discovery and Design calls. Once you sign up for one of our plans, you can add extra time if you need it. The more time a student works with a coach, the more opportunity the coach has to make a developmental impact on the student.

No. For example, if a client is on the Essential plan and only 1 of three hours have been used to date, the 2 remaining hours do not carry over to the support cycle. Finding ways to use all the hours within a plan is never an issue. There are always things you and your coach can be working on, no matter what time of year, including skills training, academic coaching on assignments, extracurricular coaching, career guidance, scholarship applications, online competitions, and so much more.

Yes. Your unused hours carry over in the current billing period if you decide to upgrade your plan. Let’s say you have an Essential support plan and you use 1 of 3 hours. If you upgrade to the Premium plan in the current support cycle, you would have 8 hours remaining in that support period (9 hours available at the Premium plan minus 1 hour used). If you are interested in upgrading your plan, you can do so in the My Account page.

Any support your coach provides you with, such as coaching calls, editing essays, commenting on a school assignment, reviewing a mock interview video recording, etc. counts as used time. When you start working with your coach, you will align on your goals and priority actions, and then focus your time on those actions. Your coach can also give you an estimate of the amount of time activities will take, so you allocate your coaching time in whatever way you want.

You are eligible for a full refund in your initial support cycle if your coach has delivered less than 30 mins of coaching time. We recommend using the kick-off discovery call as a ‘chemistry check’ with your coach to determine a good fit. If for any reason you feel a coach is incompatible, please be sure to end the call prior to the 30-min mark to ensure you are still eligible for the full refund. If this is the case, please reach out to our Student Success Team at help@youthfully.ca and we will issue your refund. Alternatively, you may forgo a refund and simply switch to another coach.

If you forgot to pause your account and you were charged for another cycle, we suggest that you downgrade the current cycle to Basic Support (1 hour) and use that hour with your coach on something relevant to you (e.g. improving time management, building communication skills, etc.). You may also Pause your plan, which will pause any future payments, but still allows you to use your coach until the end of your current cycle. If you would still like to request a refund because you forgot to pause/cancel your plan, please contact help@youthfully.ca and we will issue you a refund minus a $20 transaction fee that we are charged to issue the refund.

If you have a complaint with your coach, we first recommend expressing this to your coach as soon as possible. All clients are asked to submit ongoing feedback to their coach. This feedback serves as an important communication tool for coaches to adapt and personalize their style for your unique needs, so please be candid, forthright, and specific when you submit your feedback. If this issue persists, please contact help@youthfully.ca and we will conduct an independent investigation in good faith to both parties to determine if there was a failure of the coach to competently, professionally, and timely deliver the service. If so, Youthfully will issue you a full refund.

You and your coach have access to the coaching platform (aka the Tracker). If your Mom/Dad originally registered for Youthfully, they should have access as well; otherwise, you can invite your parents to view the Tracker. That way, they can see all the amazing progress you’re making.

Our coaching platform has a tool called the Tracker, which is an easy-to-use online application that allows you to book coaching calls, keep track of action items, collaborate on documents with your coach, and so much more.

Celebrate! Well done. You set a goal for a reason, and now you know the feeling of accomplishing an Audacious Yet Authentic (AYA) goal. In the Tracker, under the Goals section, hover over your completed goal and mark it complete.

If you’re having difficulty using the Tracker or something isn’t working, please talk to your coach or contact help@youthfully.ca.

We’ve helped over 1,000 students over the past 10+ years and we have a 4.9/5 coach satisfaction score. Check out our written reviews, audio testimonials, and client journeys here.

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Yes! All of our social channels are linked in the footer of our website (scroll down to the bottom of the page). If you are a talented content creator or video blogger, you might also be interested in joining our Youthfully Insiders Network. Send us a DM on any of our social channels to let us know you’re interested!