1. Who we are
Alongside (“Alongside”, “we”, “us”) runs alongsidementors.com, a marketplace where high school students book one-on-one online sessions with college students and recent graduates (“mentors”) for help with college applications. By creating an account or booking a session, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy.
2. Who can use Alongside
- Students must be at least 13 years old. We do not knowingly allow anyone under 13 to use Alongside.
- Students aged 13–17 may use Alongside only with a parent or legal guardian’s permission. When signing up, the student confirms that a parent or guardian has given permission and agrees to these Terms on the student’s behalf, and gives that parent or guardian’s email address. We email the parent or guardian a link to approve the account, and nothing can be booked until they do; by approving, they agree to these Terms on the student’s behalf. The parent or guardian receives copies of booking emails.
- Mentors must be at least 18, currently enrolled at or graduated from a college or university, agree to the mentor code of conduct, and be approved by Alongside before their profile is shown.
- You must give accurate information, keep your password private, and keep one account per person. You are responsible for activity on your account.
3. What Alongside is, and isn’t
- Alongside connects students and mentors. Mentors are independent people, not Alongside employees, and set their own prices and hours.
- Mentors share their own experience. They are not licensed school counselors, and neither mentors nor Alongside can guarantee admission to any college.
- Mentors must not write essays, applications or other work for a student to submit as their own. Feedback and coaching are fine; ghost-writing is not.
- Match scores are an estimate based on the answers a student chooses to give. They are not a promise about how helpful a session will be.
4. Booking and paying
During our pilot, you book sessions through Alongside but pay your mentor directly (for example by Venmo or Zelle), after the session. The mentor’s payment details appear on your dashboard once you book. Alongside does not charge students or mentors anything during the pilot and does not take, hold or refund payments, so the payment and refund terms below (Stripe, platform fee, refunds and packages) apply only once online payments start. We’ll tell you before that happens. If there’s a problem with a payment during the pilot, tell us with “Get help” and we’ll help the family and mentor sort it out.
- Sessions are 60 minutes, in Alongside’s own video room. The price on the mentor’s profile is the full price; there is no subscription.
- Free intro calls: each student can book one free 10-minute intro call with each mentor, and up to three intro calls per calendar month. A cancelled intro call doesn’t count toward the limit.
- Packages: some mentors offer several sessions at a discount, paid in full up front. Sessions from a package must take place within 90 days of purchase. You can ask for unused sessions to be refunded at any time, and any sessions still unused after 90 days are refunded automatically to the original payment method.
- Sessions can be booked from 12 hours to 60 days ahead. A time is held for about 30 minutes while you pay; unpaid holds are released.
- Payment is taken in full at booking by our payment processor, Stripe. Alongside never sees or stores full card numbers.
- Alongside keeps a platform fee (currently 20% of the session price); the rest goes to the mentor.
5. Cancelling, rescheduling and refunds
- 24 hours or more before the session: cancel for a full refund, or reschedule to another available time at no charge.
- Less than 24 hours before: cancelling gives a 50% refund.
- If the mentor cancels: full refund.
- If the mentor does not attend: full refund (nothing is owed during the pilot), and we’ll help you rebook with that mentor or choose another one. Report it with “Get help” on your dashboard.
- Late arrivals and no-shows: whoever is waiting waits 15 minutes after the start; after that they can leave and it counts as a no-show. If the student does not attend without cancelling, the session counts and is paid as booked (it is not refunded, and a package session is used). A technical problem is not a no-show: rejoin from the dashboard, or reschedule at no cost.
- Package sessions: cancel 24 hours or more ahead (or if the mentor cancels) and the session goes back to your package. Cancelling less than 24 hours ahead uses the session.
- Free intro calls can be cancelled or rescheduled at no cost.
- If something went wrong (a technical failure, an attendance problem, a conduct concern): report it with “Get help” on your dashboard, up to 30 days after the session. The Alongside team reviews every report and decides on any refund. Mentors are paid 7 days after a session, so reporting within 7 days holds the mentor’s earnings while we review; later reports are reviewed the same way.
- A session is marked complete one hour after it ends unless a problem has been reported. Refunds go back to the original payment method; bank times vary. Sessions end at the scheduled time even if someone joins late.
6. Session rules for everyone
- Keep all contact on Alongside. Do not exchange phone numbers, personal email, social media accounts or outside meeting links, do not follow, friend or message each other on social media, and do not arrange to meet in person. Public posts a mentor links as Highlights on their profile are allowed.
- Session recording. For everyone’s safety, Alongside may record sessions privately. When recording is on, the session page and booking emails say so, and by booking or joining a session you agree to it; a parent or guardian who gives a student permission to use Alongside agrees on the student’s behalf. Recordings are deleted after 30 days, or kept until a reported problem is resolved if that is later. Only Alongside administrators can view a recording, and only to look into a reported problem, a safety concern, or a legal request. Mentors and students can’t download recordings, and no one else may record a session.
- Be respectful. Harassment, discrimination, sexual content, threats, or any attempt to exploit a young person are banned and may be reported to the authorities.
- Sessions are one-on-one between the student and the mentor. Parents and guardians are welcome to be nearby or drop in, and we ask students to join from a shared space at home rather than a closed bedroom. Parents or guardians of students under 18 receive copies of booking emails.
- Report anything that makes you uncomfortable with “Get help” or by emailing alongside.mentors@gmail.com.
7. Additional terms for mentors
- Application and review. Give truthful information about your school and background, and share proof of enrollment or graduation when asked. Alongside may approve, decline or suspend profiles. A blue verified check appears only after you confirm a college email with a code or Alongside has checked your proof of enrollment.
- Code of conduct. You agree to the session rules above, never to contact students outside Alongside, and to report any safety concern to Alongside immediately. New Jersey law requires anyone who suspects a child is being abused or neglected to report it to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (1-877-652-2873, open 24 hours); if a child is in immediate danger, call 911 first.
- Getting paid. Payouts go through Stripe Connect; you agree to Stripe’s Connected Account Agreement and complete Stripe’s identity and bank checks. You receive the session price minus the platform fee. Earnings become eligible 7 days after a completed session and are paid weekly. Earnings are held while a problem report is open. If a problem is reported after you were paid, nothing is taken back automatically: Alongside reviews it first and, if a refund is due, may take back your share of that session or cover the refund itself. Bank disputes (chargebacks) may be reversed from your earnings.
- Independent contractor. You are not an employee of Alongside and are responsible for your own taxes.
- Student answers. You may see the optional “about you” answers of students who book you. Use them only to prepare for their sessions.
8. Reviews and content
Students may rate a session from 1 to 5 stars and add an optional written review, shown on the mentor’s profile with the student’s first name only. Reviews must be honest and must not include personal contact details; Alongside may hide reviews that break these Terms. You keep ownership of what you post (including profile photos) and give Alongside permission to display it on the site.
9. Suspension and closing accounts
We may suspend or close an account that breaks these Terms or puts others at risk. You can ask us to close your account at any time by emailing alongside.mentors@gmail.com; the Privacy Policy explains what we keep.
10. Disclaimers and limits on liability
Alongside is provided “as is”. To the fullest extent the law allows, Alongside is not responsible for advice given by mentors, admission outcomes, or losses beyond the amount you paid for the session in question.
11. Disputes and governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey. Please contact us first so we can try to resolve any problem informally.
12. Changes and contact
We may update these Terms. We will post the new version here with its effective date and email account holders about important changes. Questions: alongside.mentors@gmail.com.