For Parents and Guardians
Support the process without taking it over.
You want to know they're making progress. They want to be trusted. Both are reasonable.
Admissions StoryMap gives you meaningful visibility into your student's college application journey without turning you into the person who has to manage every essay, deadline, and next step. You can see what is progressing, what may need attention, and what is coming up next, while your student's private writing stays private unless they choose to share it with you.
The Sample StoryMap shows what the student experience can look like. Your parent dashboard does not automatically show your student's private Discovery responses, Story Bank, or writing.
Getting started is simple
- Step 1
Create your account
Your parent or guardian account is separate from your student's account.
- Step 2
Invite your student
Add your student and send them an invitation to claim their own private StoryMap.
- Step 3
Follow their progress
Once they begin, your dashboard shows meaningful progress across their StoryMap and college application journey.
Stay informed without reading over their shoulder
Your parent dashboard gives you a clear view of how the college application journey is progressing without automatically opening your student's private work.
StoryMap supports the whole application, not just the essays: the story exploration that happens in Discovery, Story Directions, essays, supplements, short answers, activities, the Brag Sheet, recommendation preparation, colleges, deadlines, and later decisions and offers.
- Where your student is in the StoryMap journey
- What parts of the application are underway
- Which drafts or application pieces are in progress
- Colleges, deadlines, and upcoming priorities
- Important milestones reached
- What may need attention next
- Brag Sheet and recommendation progress
- Application readiness as deadlines approach
- Later, decisions, offers, and transition milestones
- Anything your student specifically chooses to share
Progress, and what your student shares with you
Seeing that work exists is different from seeing what it says.
Progress
Shows where things stand without opening your student's private writing. You might see that an application piece is in progress, a deadline is approaching, a milestone was recently completed, or a draft is in revision, without having permission to read it.
Shared with you
Shows only the specific work your student has chosen to share with you: a story direction they want your read on, or a particular draft version they hand you for feedback.
Their private space stays private
Your student's Discovery responses, Story Bank material, and unshared writing are not automatically visible in your parent account. When they want your feedback, they choose what to share.
Sharing a Story Direction or draft does not automatically reveal the Discovery responses, Story Bank material, or other private work behind it.
That privacy gives students room to explore honestly while still letting families support the larger college application process.
Help without taking over
StoryMap gives you a clearer role in the process.
- Encourage progress without asking to read everything
- Help them stay aware of deadlines and decisions
- Review the work your student deliberately shares
- Support the practical parts of the application journey
- Know when your student may need additional help
- Stay informed without becoming the essay writer or application manager
Writing support without replacing your student
A fair question parents ask: is AI writing my student's essay? No. Your student does.
StoryMap acts like a writing coach. It asks questions, identifies what is missing, suggests ways to strengthen a section, helps students organize and revise, and provides more support when they need it.
The goal is not to hand your student a finished AI-written essay. We design the writing process so the final essay remains genuinely your student's work.
StoryMap uses AI to support the coaching process, but the student remains the author.
Your family can support them together
You can invite another parent or guardian to your family. Each person has their own account and sign-in, and family access does not automatically give anyone access to your student's private writing.
Your student controls what writing they share with each person. If a guardian is removed, their StoryMap access ends.
Support the process without taking it over.
Set up your family, invite your student, and give them a StoryMap that belongs to them while you stay connected to the progress that matters.
The sample shows the student experience. Your parent dashboard does not automatically reveal your student's private work.