We are comprehensive college planners, and in our day-to-day work, we get to be mentors, coaches, teachers, counselors, and advisors. We’re here to make a positive impact in a young person’s life.”    -Tom Pabin 

Class 101 Lexington’s Story

In 1997, Tom Pabin founded Class 101 in Lexington, KY and began his lifelong journey of empowering students, serving families and inspiring greatness. He has done that by helping students navigate the college planning process and hopefully making college more affordable for families. Tom also grew Class 101 into a national company with 57 locations in 29 states and established the largest college planning franchise in the country. In that time, Class 101 has worked with nearly 10,000 students who have taken more than 31,000 prep tests, attended more than 800 colleges and universities worldwide and have earned $1,117,613,877 in merit scholarships. We are so very proud of the impact we have made. 

But Lexington is the home of Class 101, the Lexington office is the original location, and Tom has been an active college planner for every one of those 26 years. Today, Class 101-Lexington continues its legacy and is currently owned and operated by Tom and his fellow college advisor/partner, Betsy Filchak.     

What does comprehensive college planning look like? 

Class 101-Lexington provides comprehensive college planning working one-on-one with students as early as the freshman year of high school. The frequency of meetings increases as students get older, with seniors meeting every two weeks during their application season. What’s being addressed during these meetings? Everything that would need to be addressed to prepare students for applying to college. This includes:

• Developing a college list
• Visiting colleges 
• Improving grades
• Standardized test prep
• Upgrading the resume
• Crafting college essays 
• Managing applications and deadlines
• Exploring scholarship opportunities
• Pursuing financial aid 
• Transitioning to college

You can see that college planning has become a complex multi-year process, and that’s why working with a Class 101 advisor can certainly help a student maximize their potential. We make college planning simple and help you and your family connect the dots.