Choosing a college is all about a bright future, yet the process seems more complicated now than it was 25 years ago. Colleges once regional now recruit nationally; students are deluged by email, text messages and social media contacts from colleges eager to grab their attention.
Thank you for all of your help in the college search and application process. You helped make it exciting and something to look forward to instead of dread the deadline to submit an application. I also feel that going through the application process with your guidance helped me to understand how to make my best self shine through on paper and in person.
– Emma H., student
Students and parents today want guidance from a professional who has firsthand college admissions experience and time to focus on each individual. Ongoing professional development is important to us, as it is to you. Depth of experience matters, especially in today’s quickly-shifting landscape.
Most important of all: students and parents want an advisor who seeks a great path for the individual student, never assuming that one size fits all.
Planning consultations for freshmen and sophomores
Planning consultations are available for students in grades 9 and 10 on an hourly fee basis, ahead of the start of the structured College Advising Program. We focus on curricular and extracurricular choices, summer program suggestions, and provide a broad orientation to the college admission landscape.
These consultations help students and parents understand how best to lay the groundwork for personal growth and development, and for college admission prospects.
College Advising Program for juniors, seniors and transfers
- Initial interview/consultation
Our two-hour meeting with student and parent(s) defines educational priorities and objectives, leading all parties to agree on parameters and realistic paths. With insight gained from experience in college admission offices and over 20 years in private practice, we’ll review academic records, extracurricular activities, test scores and more.What will we discuss in this interview? The student’s dreams and goals. How options are influenced by educational interests, prior academic performance, accomplishments, skills and abilities, financial and geographic considerations.
Together, we’ll establish a framework for the college search at hand.
- College list After the initial interview, when you’ve confirmed your interest in partnering for the College Advising Program, we’ll conduct research and compile a list of colleges most appropriate for your student’s specific interests and abilities. We look far beyond rankings in college guidebooks and surveys, identifying colleges providing a great fit for the individual.
Every student is unique. We’ll consider all possibilities and prepare a focused list of suggestions.
- Follow-up consultation and online portal We’ll present our list of college suggestions and advice about how students can best carry out further research. When we discuss this list, we’ll open an online portal account packed with research, communication and organizing tools for your family’s use throughout the search and application timeframe.
We’ll also provide advice about approaching the application process, identifying the student’s most distinctive interests and accomplishments for emphasis in applications and essays.
- Feedback regarding one completed application We’ll provide feedback for one completed application of the student’s choice with essay(s), typically as senior year begins. Our critique addresses both form and content and helps the student understand how to present as compelling an application as possible.
Supplemental/hourly support for juniors, seniors and transfers
College Advising Program families may add consultations and support on an hourly fee basis for additional application and/or essay critiques, interview/campus visit preparation, summer program suggestions, etc.
Families for whom our College Advising Program isn’t an exact fit may find that a pure hourly fee arrangement is best. This could include analysis of an existing college list, review of a single college application, or a stand-alone college planning consultation.
