The next FlightPlan cohort opens August 11. Join the waitlist
Curious CardinalsHelp your student stand out with a clear college strategy
FlightPlan helps ambitious students understand where they stand, uncover their narrative, find unique opportunities, and stay accountable.
Doors open Aug 11 · 12:00 AM PT
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Waitlist families hear from us first.
HOW IT WORKS
Turn ambition into real outcomes
Tell us your story
Your student is more than a transcript. The FlightPlan starts by getting to know the whole person: what they care about, what they want, how they actually spend their time. Sky, their guide, asks the questions and listens. They also upload a transcript and resume, and Sky turns it into a clear picture of who they are and what they've done so far. The first conversation is open to anyone. Once you sign up, you'll get the chance to go deeper.
See where you actually stand
Most students have no honest read on where they stand, just a vague hope that it's enough. The FlightPlan trades the guessing for clarity: their scores today, the themes that tie their interests into a real story, and a straight look at where their time is actually going. Then your student weighs in. Did we get it right? They have the chance to give feedback until it feels true to them.
Turn strategy into a game plan
Knowing where you're headed is one thing. Knowing what to do Monday morning is another. Missions turn the big picture into a week-by-week plan, built around your student's actual calendar and real goals. We ensure there's always a clear next step, so your student is never left wondering what to do next.
Stay accountable, week over week
Plans are easy to make and easy to abandon. So every week, your student checks in with Sky: what got done, what got in the way, what's next. Five minutes, by voice or in writing. It's the steady rhythm that keeps them moving. And as a parent, you get an email update after each one, so you can stay in the know without nagging.
Discover what's next, anytime
The best opportunities usually go to the families who already know about them. The FlightPlan levels the field. The always available Discover feature surfaces competitions, awards, internships, summer programs, and project ideas matched to your student, there whenever they're ready to explore.
A year from now
Your child has a real story to tell.
Not the same five clubs everyone else is in. A project they're genuinely proud of, a competition entered, research underway, an internship that fits who they actually are.
Their narrative is clearer. Their scorecard has improved. The progress is real.
You're not chasing updates or wondering if you've missed something. Instead of asking “are we doing the right things?” you both already know.
DISCOVER OPPORTUNITIES
Help your child find internships, awards, summer programs, and more
Your child is smart and driven. But right now, they are:
- ×Missing direction: You see sparks of brilliance but don't have the time or direction to channel them.
- ×Scattered in activities: AP classes, sports, and clubs with no single achievement to stand out.
Stop settling for generic extracurriculars.
Why trust us?
The Projects that Get into Stanford
We've already helped thousands of students achieve tangible results.
Silver
High school
Silver transformed her passion for AI into the FIRE Initiative, delivering a powerful TEDx Talk and earning Diller Award finalist recognition while championing ethical technology. She's now studying at Cornell.
See full story
Every week, another student builds something extraordinary.
Recent Curious Grads
Recent acceptances from students who worked with Curious Cardinals mentors and whose journeys helped inspire The FlightPlan.
The team behind FlightPlan
FlightPlan was built by people who have spent years helping students navigate high school and college admissions.
Our team includes former college counselors, teachers, executive function coaches, and mentors, including graduates of the Harvard and Stanford Graduate Schools of Education.
Every score, recommendation, and next step is informed by real experience working with students and families.
Our track record
Six years. Real results.
We didn't start with an AI product. We started with real human mentorship. FlightPlan is how we scaled what we learned.
15,000+
students served
10,000+
mentor applicants from top universities
6 years
building what families asked for
A note from our founder
Alec and I built Curious Cardinals six years ago because we saw the disconnect between what kids were learning in school and what they actually cared about. We knew that when kids found what they cared about, they were capable of extraordinary things, the kind of impact that sets them on an accelerated trajectory for their future.
For years, families have asked us for more help: guidance through the noise, structure for the chaos, a way to make sense of what comes next. We held back from college guidance for a long time because we believed the business of “manufacturing kids for college” was antithetical to what we stood for: nurturing real curiosity, real passion, and real work.
But every week, we'd hear the same questions from parents: “is my kid doing enough?”, “what should I know?”, “what should we be doing differently?” And every week we'd wish we had the right resource to hand them. Now we do.
FlightPlan is the platform we've spent six years learning how to build: one that answers your biggest questions about college while honoring who your child authentically is. We can't wait to share it with you, and help you get where you want to go with more clarity, more resources, and more accountability than we've ever been able to offer before.
Stay Curious,
Audrey Wisch
Co-Founder & CEO, Curious Cardinals
Pricing
Ready to give your child a real head start?
Join the families helping shape what FlightPlan becomes.
Billed annually
About $34 a week — less than the cost of a single hour with most private college counselors, for a full year of personalized guidance.
What’s included
Personal onboarding
Strategy assessments
scores, narrative distillation, activity audit
Opportunity Discover
competitions, internships, programs, and community service tailored to your student
Missions
a project-management breakdown of how to actually achieve your goals
Weekly check-ins
accountability loops that keep your student on track
Plus: monthly office hours with the CC team. Two hours, the last Sunday of every month.
An honest disclaimer
This is the second cohort ever. There will be bugs. Features will roll out in phases. Some things won’t work perfectly the first time.
If you want the polished version, we would suggest you continue to wait until later this year.
If you’re an innovative mover, the kind of early adopter who likes getting to cutting-edge technology before everyone else, join Flight 2.
By signing up today, you agree to the terms, including no refunds.
College Admissions Has Changed. We'll Help You Navigate It.
Tue, Aug 11 · 9:00 AM PDT
168 families registered
What we believe
FlightPlan's Guiding Values
Every recommendation FlightPlan makes is built on principles we will not compromise on.
Start with the student, not the application.
We don't manufacture a kid for a school. We help a student bring out the best of who they already are, and surface the blind spots they can't see.
We don't predict outcomes. We improve inputs.
Admissions is probabilistic and opaque. What we can do is give your family radical clarity on the things you can actually control.
We tell the truth, paired with a path forward.
No sugarcoating. No false hope. Just radical transparency grounded in credible data, paired with a growth mindset. Every gap comes with something the student can do about it.
The student is the pilot. The parent is the co-passenger.
We empower your student with agency over their own journey, and give parents clarity from the cockpit so you can support without hovering.
An Apple Watch, not an Instagram.
We don't want your kid staring at our platform. We want them doing things in the real world. Every nudge exists for one reason: more hours on what matters.
A tool, not a relationship.
The FlightPlan does not replace your school counselor, a mentor, or a trusted adult. It's an accountability layer underneath the humans who matter in your kid's life.
The questions smart parents ask
We'd be skeptical too.
The counselors, heads of school, and parents we've piloted with have pushed hard on every one of these. They should. Here's where we've landed.
What early families are saying
“FlightPlan has been one of the most valuable investments we've made for our daughter. More than anything, it has given her a framework she can use on her own to identify what truly matters to her, focus her energy where she'll have the greatest impact, and make thoughtful decisions with confidence. In a world that often tells students to do more, FlightPlan gave her permission to do less …but do it with intention. It helped her recognize that depth, purpose, and authenticity matter far more than simply filling a schedule. As a parent, it's been wonderful to watch her become more confident, more focused, and more excited about the path she's creating for herself. Those are skills she'll carry with her long after the college process is over.”
Parent of a Rising 9th Grader
“The FlightPlan has helped me so much. It took me from feeling confused and scattered to organized and with a clear vision and a plan of what the next steps are to take. Sky impressed me so much, and instantly got a clear vision of who I am and what my goals for the future are.”
Carmen P, rising 10th grader
“I really love how you can put in your activities and it can evaluate which sections you need to work on and then give you options and ways to do these things.”
Leah, rising 10th grader
“I think that FlightPlan is really helpful to get you started in your journey to apply to colleges and I really like how the experience is different for everyone based on your hobbies and strengths.”
FlightPlan Student