Privacy Policy
Thank you for reviewing this Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect personal information at The Art of Applying and what happens with your information.
Your Consent
By using our site, you consent to our privacy policy.
Changes to our Privacy Policy
If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page.
This policy was last modified on May 24, 2018 to be in compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
What Information Do We Collect and How Do We Use Your Information?
We use various third party companies to help us provide various features and services to you.
ScheduleOnce: To register for a Breakthrough Call, you do so via a software we use called ScheduleOnce. ScheduleOnce will collect your name, phone number, and any other information you enter in the “your note” area on the booking form. ScheduleOnce emails notifications of booking details to you, our employees via gmail, and to our company support inbox in Helpscout. ScheduleOnce booking details are kept indefinitely, except as stated below.
ScheduleOnce privacy policy: https://www.scheduleonce.com/legal/application-privacy-policy
Zoom: We use Zoom to conduct Breakthrough Calls, which are 45-90 minute consultation calls, with prospective clients. The Breakthrough Call will be recorded by Zoom and stored in the cloud. We store cloud recordings of Zoom calls for up to seven years. The call recordings are used to check that the quality of Breakthrough Calls is being maintained by the Breakthrough Coach team. The call recordings are also used to make sure that the consultant(s) serving the client have a thorough understanding of the client’s background and application process. People who are being trained as Breakthrough Coaches also listen to call recordings for training purposes.
Zoom privacy policy: https://www.zoom.us/privacy
Ontraport: When you register for our free seminar / webinar via Stealth Seminar or insert your information in the opt-in form on our website, you are added to our CRM system, Ontraport. Ontraport captures your first name, last name, country, date you were added to the mailing list, and areas of interest for graduate study as indicated by you when you put your information in the opt-in form. You will remain on our Ontraport mailing list until you subscribe via an unsubscribe link (found at the bottom of every email we send via Ontraport) or when you email help@theartofapplying.com to request to be unsubscribed from our mailing list. We use Ontraport for email marketing.
Ontraport privacy policy: https://ontraport.com/legal#op-container–22
Note: If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email.
Google Drive: We upload Breakthrough Call recordings to the cloud via our company Google Drive. We store cloud recordings of Breakthrough Calls for up to seven years. The call recordings are used to check that the quality of Breakthrough Calls is being maintained by the Breakthrough Coach team. The call recordings are also used to make sure that the consultant(s) serving the client have a thorough understanding of the client’s background and application process. People who are being trained as Breakthrough Coaches also listen to call recordings for training purposes.
Once you are our paying client, you will have a client folder in Google Drive. Clients upload their essays, resumes, transcripts, and other background information and application material to their client folder in Google Drive. We use the information in your client folder in Google Drive to help you put together your application process. After your engagement with the company ends, we also may anonymize and share for free or by selling the essays, resumes, and other application materials uploaded to your Google Drive client folder. We keep the contents of your client folder in Google Drive for an indefinite period of time, except as stated below.
Google Drive privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en&gl=us
WordPress: We operate our website on WordPress. WordPress may collect your name, email address, and any other information you submit in a comment.
WordPress privacy policy: https://wordpress.org/about/privacy/
Gravity Forms: We use Gravity Forms for the forms on our website. We use this information to provide Breakthrough Calls, to provide services to Clients, and for internal purposes. We keep information submitted via forms for up to seven years.
The most frequently used form on our website is our Breakthrough Call pre-call prep form found on this page: https://theartofapplying.com/breakthrough. That form collects information such as your full name, preferred name, email address, phone number, Skype ID, a photo of yourself, resume, LinkedIn profile, which application season you are applying to, which degree(s) you are interested in applying to, your top 3-4 schools, what you have accomplished so far in your application, where you want to be in your application in the next two months, when you would be ready to begin working with us, your biggest obstacle in your application process, how long you’ve been thinking about applying to graduate school, what resources you are currently using in your application process, questions about your financial situation, who would be helping you in the application process, and who would help you pay for school.
Another frequently used form on our site is our client intake form, which can be found here: https://theartofapplying.com/intake. That form collects your name, preferred name, birthday (excluding year), current age, phone number, LinkedIn profile, email address, mailing address, country of citizenship, current country of residence, official start date for working with us, undergraduate institution, undergraduate major, undergraduate GPA, specific courses you may have taken during your undergraduate career, any additional degrees you may have, schools you plan on applying to, which degree(s) you plan on applying to, four people you will tell if you get accepted to your top schools, four dream internships, three personal facts, if there are any potential “red flags” in your applicant profile (i.e. failing grades, low test scores, legal issues, etc.), current employment status, current profession, number of years of post-college work experience, dream job after graduate school, long-term dream job, resume, any tests you may have taken, how many times you’ve taken any tests, test scores, resources you’ve used in test prep or plan to use in test prep, and any areas of concern in test prep.
Gravity Forms privacy policy: https://www.gravityforms.com/terms-and-conditions/
Zoho Checkout: Zoho Checkout is the software we use in conjunction with Stripe to collect client payments. Zoho Checkout will securely collect your first name, last name, and card billing information for the transaction. We do not store your billing information; it is stored according to Zoho Checkout’s policy.
Zoho Checkout privacy policy: https://www.zoho.com/privacy.html
Stripe: We use Stripe to process credit and debit card payments. We do not store your payment information. Stripe stores your payment / billing information according to their privacy policy.
Stripe privacy policy: https://stripe.com/us/privacy
Paypal: We use Paypal to send invoices to prospective clients and existing clients to make a payment or purchase on their own time. Our Paypal invoices will collect your name, email address, and what items/services you are purchasing. We keep Paypal invoices for up to seven years.
Paypal privacy policy: https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full
Helpscout: Helpscout is software we use for helpdesk ticketing and email management. Form submissions from our website (via Gravity Forms) will be sent to help@theartofapplying.com, and will be stored in Helpscout. Emails sent to kaneisha@theartofapplying.com, help@theartofapplying.com, and billing@theartofapplying.com will end up in Helpscout. Helpscout emails, notes, and other information will be stored for up to seven years.
Helpscout privacy policy: https://www.helpscout.net/company/legal/privacy/
Basecamp: Basecamp is a project management and team communication tool that we use to communicate between company team members, and between company team members and clients. Each of our clients has a client portal, which is a project in Basecamp. We store all messages, pings, and documents uploaded to Basecamp for up to seven years.
Basecamp privacy policy: https://basecamp.com/about/policies/privacy
Gmail: Each employee at The Art of Applying has an email address through Gmail. Gmail stores emails sent between company employees as well as emails sent by the public and/or clients to company employees. Emails may be kept indefinitely except as stated below.
Gmail privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en&gl=us
How do we protect your information?
We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you place an order or enter, submit, access your personal information, or if you expressly consent to one of our representatives recording a telephone call with you.
We offer the use of a secure server. All supplied sensitive/credit information is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology and then encrypted into our Payment gateway providers database only to be accessible by those authorized with special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential. We maintain all telephone call recording files on a secure server that can only be accessed using a password.
After a transaction, your private information (credit cards, social security numbers, financials, etc.) will not be stored on our servers. Your credit card number and social security number will not be part of any recording.
Do we use cookies?
Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computers hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the sites or service providers systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information
We use cookies to help us remember and process the items in your shopping cart, understand and save your preferences for future visits, keep track of advertisements and compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future.
Do we disclose any information to outside parties?
We will not share your information with any other parties without notifying you, except the trusted third parties listed above who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you. These parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others rights, property, or safety. However, non-personally identifiable visitor information and survey information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.
Circumstances may arise where we may decide to sell, buy, merge, or otherwise reorganize our business in the United States or elsewhere, or where we may decide to share, rent, buy, or sell business assets for reorganizing, developing, or expanding our business. It is our policy to seek appropriate protection for information in these types of transactions. If the company assets or our entire company is acquired, then the lists of personally identifiable information and other contact information will likely be one of the assets acquired.
Third party links
Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third party products or services on our website. These third party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites.
European Union / Switzerland Residents Privacy Rights
The European Union enacted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which gives individuals in the EU/EEA and Switzerland the right to correct, update, review, or delete their personally identifiable data. If you would like to make such a request, please contact us at help@theartofapplying.com. The Art of Applying is located in the United States and any data you submit will be transferred to the United States. If you are an European Union resident and you are dissatisfied with how we have managed a complaint, you are entitled to contact your local data protection authority.
Our data retention policy is that members of the EU have control over us deleting your data; in other words, we will keep your data until you tell us to delete it. For tax purposes, we are required to keep the names and other financial and transactional information about anyone who makes a purchase for six years after any transaction. For legal compliance purposes, we are required to keep the files regarding any dispute as long as the dispute is pending.
California Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance
If you are a California resident, under “Shine the Light law” (Cal Civ Code Section 1798.83) you can request the disclosure of certain personal information that we have disclosed to third parties for marketing purposes in the last year. To make a request, contact us at help@theartofapplying.com.
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance
We are in compliance with the requirements of COPPA (Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act), we do not collect any information from anyone under 13 years of age. Our website, products and services are all directed to people who are at least 13 years old or older. Please notify us at help@theartofapplying.com if you are a parent whose child has provided us with personally identifying information, and we will delete such information from our files.
Materials and messages submitted via this website or sent via email
Messages, essays, resumes, and other application materials submitted via the website or via email may be used in future courses, webinars, books, ebooks, videos and other resources at the company’s discretion. These derivative works may be offered online and offline for free or sold. Confidential identifying information of individuals such as name and birth date will be removed from such material.
Advertising Policy
We collect data about your activities on our website, including which content you viewed on our website, the date and time you viewed the content, and/or your location information associated with your IP address. We may use this information to show you relevant advertising for our services (“Retargeting”), via other web services such as Google or Facebook. If you sign up for our list, we may use your email address to show you relevant advertising for our services via such web services. We do not use any financial information for advertising purposes.
Do Not Track is a privacy setting you can change in your website browser, so your activities cannot be tracked from website to website. We do not respond to Do Not Track signals in browsers, because we do not track your activities on other websites.
Contacting Us
If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us using the information below.
Kaneisha Grayson
The Art of Applying
2408 Dove Drive
Austin, TX 78744
USA
kaneisha@theartofapplying.com
512.677.4747
