How families actually do this, and what it costs
Helping a child build something real beyond grades is not a new idea. A whole industry exists for it. Here is the map, with published prices, so you can see every option honestly, including ours.
Prices are as listed on each provider's own site or published reviews, July 2026. Sources at the bottom.
Private college counselors
One-on-one admissions strategy from an independent counselor, usually starting in Grade 10 or 11. Packages commonly run US$3,000 to US$10,000 and up.
What it does well: application strategy, school lists, essay guidance from a human who has seen hundreds of cases. What it cannot do: create the years of evidence it needs. A counselor hired at 16 works with whatever record exists.
Research mentorship programs
A student is paired with a PhD or graduate mentor for one research project. Polygence's core ten-session program starts around US$3,000 (group "Pods" from US$495; US$4,000 to $6,000+ with publication add-ons). Lumiere's individual program is around US$2,600, its premium track about US$4,800, fellowships above US$8,000.
What it does well: genuine academic depth, an impressive single artifact, sometimes a publication. The shape to notice: it is one episode: three to six months, one project, then it ends. Nothing carries forward except the memory.
Passion project coaching
One-on-one coaching to launch a real venture or long-term project. Spike Lab, which originated the category, starts at US$6,600 for a 12-session package, then US$550 per session, and reports an average project taking about 18 months.
What it does well: serious adult coaches, real-world ambition, weekly rhythm, messaging support between sessions. The shape to notice: at these prices it serves a small number of families, usually starting at 15 or older.
Tutoring and enrichment centers
Weekly academic enrichment: math, languages, coding clubs. Typically in the region of US$100 to US$200 per subject per month, varying widely by center and country.
What it does well: grades, fundamentals, exam results. What it is not: any of this page. Enrichment strengthens the transcript; it does not create the story beside it.
AI tutors
Khanmigo, Khan Academy's AI tutor, is US$4 a month. Synthesis Tutor, an AI math tutor for ages 5 to 11, is about US$20 a month.
What they do well: homework help, patient practice, real skill-building at a wonderful price. What they are for: a different job. They help with the work school assigns. They do not coach a child through years of self-chosen work, and they keep no record of who the child became.
Doing it alone
Free, and some families genuinely pull it off.
What it requires: a parent with the time and steadiness to coach for years, and the discipline to document as you go. The usual failure is not starting; it is the record. By Grade 12, the projects happened but nobody wrote anything down, and the family is reconstructing years from memory.
A capability the family gains
What changes when a family joins is not a service they consume. It is a capability they gain. A young person can start something real without being selected for a program, enrolled somewhere expensive, or old enough to be picked for the team. A parent can answer what their child is actually good at without hiring anyone, because the questions are asked for them and the record keeps itself.
Distinction is the coach and the record underneath that capability, from the first question to the last dated entry. It costs US$29 a month, or US$290 a year, less per year than a single research program costs per project. It is not a substitute for the humans on this page. A family can still hire a counselor at 16 or buy a mentored project at 15. The difference is what those professionals find when they arrive: years of dated evidence instead of a blank page.
And when it is over, the record does not expire with the application. It is your family's, kept, exportable, and still theirs at twenty five.
Sources
- Polygence program and FAQ pages: polygence.org/program · polygence.org/faq
- Lumiere program pricing as compiled by Global Research Fellowship (June 2026): globalresearchfellowship.com
- Spike Lab package pricing as published in Lumiere's program review (2025) and snow.day program listing
- Khanmigo pricing: khanmigo.ai/pricing
- Synthesis Tutor pricing: synthesis.com and published reviews (2026)
- Counselor and enrichment ranges: widely published industry figures; treat as indicative
All third-party prices belong to their providers and change; check their sites for current figures. No provider named here is affiliated with Distinction.