First Class:
College Readiness Program for Rising Freshmen Who Wish to Strengthen Their Executive Functioning | EEC
Your student got into college.
Now help them thrive academically, socially, and mentally.
Built by former college advisors and executive functioning specialists
4-week program • Starts July • Limited to 25 students
The moment most families realize their student isn't ready — it's already August.
You already know your student has executive functioning challenges. You’ve been managing around them for years — the reminders, the shared calendars, the forwarded emails, the conversations with teachers. You’ve done it well. They got in.
But you also know what’s about to happen. In college, nobody is holding the clipboard. There’s no advisor looking over their shoulder. No parent portal. No teacher who notices when they miss the assignment. For a student who has relied on external structure to function — and most students with EF challenges have — the first six weeks of college is where things fall apart.
Most families treat the summer before college as a victory lap. For students with EF challenges, it's not. It's the last runway. — Mary Miele
The First Class Your Student Takes Before They Enter College.
Join First Class College Readiness Program
Apply. Have an Intake Call with Us. Join Class July 6-31 or Have Private Lessons.
Four systems. Four weeks. Built to last four years.
College readiness isn’t a feeling. It’s a system — or rather, four of them. These are the systems every student needs to survive college. Students with executive functioning challenges cannot thrive without them. Here’s what your student will build.
WEEK 1 — EMAIL & FORMS
Every college sends 40–60 emails and 15–20 forms between acceptance and move-in day. Most students never open them.
What your student will do:
- Configure phone and laptop for college communication (accounts, signatures, notifications)
- Build the Three-Bucket Email Protocol to triage every incoming college email
- Identify, complete, and submit every required pre-enrollment form
- Set up the Form Tracking System to ensure nothing slips through
Strategies taught: Three-Bucket Email Protocol · Form Tracking System
Deliverables: All required forms submitted · Email protocol in place · Digital setup complete
WEEK 2 — CALENDAR & TO-DOS
College students who don’t keep a calendar fail college. It’s that simple.
What your student will do:
- Build one unified calendar system that syncs across phone and laptop
- Transfer every deadline from every syllabus into the calendar
- Master the Weekly To-Do Protocol that runs their academic life
- Establish The Weekly Wrap & Map — the ritual that closes out each week’s classes and maps the week ahead, carrying them through the next four years
- Load their phone with every key contact (advisor, professors, accessibility services, health center)
Strategies taught: The Weekly Wrap & Map · Unified Calendar System · Weekly To-Do Protocol Deliverables: Calendar system built · Weekly Wrap & Map habit established · Phone loaded with key contacts
WEEK 3 — SELF-ADVOCACY & CAMPUS RESOURCES
The single skill that predicts success in college is knowing when to ask for help — and how.
What your student will do:
- Learn to navigate advisors, professors, and office hours with confidence
- Map out the campus resources they’ll actually use: health center, accessibility services, dean’s office, tutoring, writing center
- Practice the Five-Step Problem Solve — our proprietary framework for the moment something goes wrong
- Schedule a real meeting with their academic advisor
- Contact accessibility services (if applicable) and put accommodations in motion
Strategies taught: Five-Step Problem Solve · Office Hours Protocol · Campus Resource Map Deliverables: Campus Map and Resources Stored in Phone · Accessibility services contacted if applicable
WEEK 4 — TIME MANAGEMENT & SYLLABUS WALK-THROUGHS
The system that separates students who graduate on time from students who don’t.
What your student will do:
- Walk through a real college syllabus step-by-step using the 7-Step Syllabus Walk-Through
- Learn to backward-plan a paper or project from the due date
- Build a daily study routine anchored in the Two-Minute Drill
- Map out the first six weeks of their actual semester — assignments, exams, papers, all of it
- Lock in the paper-writing protocol they’ll use for every major assignment
Strategies taught: 7-Step Syllabus Walk-Through · Two-Minute Drill · Backward Planning for Papers Deliverables: First semester syllabi walked through · Study routine established · Paper-writing protocol in place
Who First Class is built for:
First Class is not a generic college prep program. It’s designed specifically for students who:
- Have been diagnosed with ADHD, a learning difference, or another EF-related challenge — or have struggled with focus, organization, time management, or task initiation throughout high school
- Are enrolled at academically rigorous, independent college environments — schools where students are expected to manage their own time, their own deadlines, and their own problem-solving from day one
- Have relied on parents, tutors, teachers, or school structures to stay on top of their work, and are transitioning to an environment where that scaffolding disappears
- Are motivated to do this work themselves — First Class requires showing up, participating, and completing the checklist
If that describes your student, this is the program. If it doesn’t — if your student has always managed their own systems independently — they probably don’t need this. We’d rather tell you that now than take your money in July.
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Sarah Bergin
Director of College Consulting, Evolved Education Company. Over 15 years guiding students and families through elite college admissions and the transition into college life. Former Upper School Dean of Students at Sacred Heart Greenwich.
Brown University (B.A., Biology) · Choate alumna · Fordham University (M.S., Curriculum and Teaching) · Active member of IECA and NYSACAC.
Mary Miele
Founder & CEO, Evolved Education Company. Nearly two decades guiding students through the country’s most demanding academic environments. Creator of the Integrated Executive Functioning Method and the Evolved Education Problem-Solving Model.
NYU Steinhardt · UCLA-certified college counselor · Author of Strategies Are Your Superpowers and 30 Strategies: For Learning Well in College · Host of the Be Evolved podcast (top 5% globally).
THE REAL PAYOFF
“I’m the mom of a rising college freshman from last summer, and we worked with Mary to ready him for college — to have these key systems created, rehearsed, and planned out before he got to school was absolutely the only reason he ended up with As and Bs first term. He’s well on his way to the same result this term, too. Mary nailed it when she said this is the First Class to take.”
S.B
Mother of a student in the Class of 2029
“We tried to work on these exact systems together at first, and it was nonstop fighting — honestly, it just meant I was doing everything for my daughter. I panicked around mid-August and called Evolved. With Mary’s help, we were able to get these systems in place, and it relieved so much of what I was worried about and showed me what my daughter was actually capable of handling. Believing in her is everything. And having this support was the best investment we could have made.”
J.C.
Mother of a student in the Class of 2028
Momentum, not overload. Two classes a week builds competence gradually — not one overwhelming download in August.
Time and Guidance to do the doing. Classes are active and office sessions exist for the moment a form breaks or more time to do the task is needed.
A clear picture. Students know what they have to do and when to do it. No more guessing.
Confidence for a strong start. With key systems in place, students who take First Class are uniquely positioned to begin college securely and confidently.
Every deliverable, laid out.
What the program specifically involves:
8 classes (2 per week × 4 weeks) + recordings
4 weekly drop-in sessions, small group
Checklist
The 20-point checklist organized across four systems: Email & Forms · Calendar & To-Dos · Self-Advocacy & Campus Resources · Time Management & Syllabus Walk-Throughs
Toolkit
Three-Bucket Email Protocol · The Weekly Wrap & Map · Syllabus Walk-Through · Two-Minute Drill · Five-Step Problem Solve · Office Hours Protocol · Backward Planning for Papers
Timeline
Four weeks · July 6 – July 31, 2026 · Classes typically run 5:45–6:30 p.m. ET · Two days/week Monday/Wednesday OR Tuesday/Thursday· One weekly office session for both cohorts to have structure and guidance to complete tasks · Private lessons available as add-on
FAQs: Answered before you ask.
Who is this program for? Rising college freshmen with known executive functioning challenges — students with ADHD, learning differences, or a documented history of struggling with organization, time management, and task initiation — who are heading to academically rigorous, independent college environments. If your student has always managed their own work independently, they probably don’t need First Class.
Who teaches the program? Mary Miele and Sarah Bergin, the two senior-most people at Evolved Education Company. Every class, every office hour, and every 1-on-1 is taught directly by your instructor. No associates, no delegation.
Can’t we just do this ourselves? You could. So could a home cook attempt a ten-course tasting menu. The question isn’t whether it’s possible — it’s whether you want this to be the project that eats your July. We’ve walked this process a thousand times. Your student will walk it once.
My child is organized and responsible. Do they need this? If your student has always been independently organized, First Class is probably not the right fit. This program is built specifically for students with known executive functioning challenges — students who have relied on structure, reminders, and external scaffolding to succeed. If that’s not your student, save your money.
My child has a summer job. Can they do this around work? Yes. Classes run 5:45–6:30 p.m. ET — late enough to clear most summer shifts. Every class is recorded, so a missed session doesn’t mean a missed skill. Office hours are customized each July to fit most students’ schedules, and students who need a fully custom schedule can add private 1-on-1 sessions.
How do I choose between cohorts? When you apply, you’ll indicate your preference for Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday, or you can opt for private lessons instead. We’ll confirm placement after the application review. Cohorts fill on a first-come basis.
What exactly will my student experience in the program?
- It starts with a 1-on-1 application and intake call. Every student begins with a private 45-minute session with us. We walk through the First Class Checklist, identify where they already stand, and map the work ahead.
- Then, four weeks of live classes. Students meet twice a week for four weeks in July (July 6 through July 31). Each class is 45 minutes, live, and small enough that every student participates.
- Plus a weekly office session. Each week, students are invited to an additional 45-minute office session — time to surface a question, troubleshoot, or work through a checklist item with support.
- Classes are for doing, not just listening. Your instructor teaches the checklist items assigned to that session, then students take action in real time: filling out a form, configuring a portal, building a routine. Your instructor is present throughout to answer questions and guide students as they work.
- Private lessons are available as an add-on. For students who want deeper 1-on-1 support on any part of the checklist, private lessons are available at an additional fee and customized to the student’s specific needs.
What happens after First Class? Many families continue with 1-on-1 executive functioning tutoring or accountability sessions through Evolved Education Company during the academic year — either with Mary, Sarah, or a member of our team. Students using our tutoring during freshman year benefit from the continuity of staying with instructors who already know their systems. Internship, Career Planning and Graduate school consulting with Sarah is also available as students enter undergraduate programs.
The right preparation changes everything.
Your student doesn’t need a pep talk. They need systems — and two instructors who have built them a thousand times before. That’s what First Class is for.