When students and parents start thinking about college, it is not uncommon to feel overwhelmed by the complexity and diversity of the U.S. higher education system. There are so many variables and factors to consider, and a myriad of questions come up.
The first goal is reducing this complexity to a manageable number of key decisions that need to be made, and their respective timelines.
Once a set of goals and priorities for the student are understood and agreed upon, we work together to achieve them through the process of High School Planning and later College Planning.
The goal of High School Planning is to align academic and non-academic activities of the student with their college aspirations, and to tune such activities in order to increase student's chances of getting admitted to the colleges and programs of their interest.
It is ideal to start High School Planning while the student is in middle school. That leaves more time and flexibility for adjustments and enhancements of the curriculum. This process helps student and family understand and agree on how best to help them set the stage for success in college admission and future career.
The College Planning process begins with an in-depth assessment of student's interests, desires, and objectives. As part of it, we review academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and other notable accomplishments and factors to arrive to a mutually agreed basis for college search and a draft idea of the college application.
Based on that, we will perform a college search and produce a list of candidate colleges that could potentially fit student's interests and profile. Together, we will prune and prioritize the initial list of candidate colleges to identify a shorter list of those that the student will apply to.
Our assistance with the application process includes helping student position themselves and highlight their accomplishments in a way that maximizes their chances of acceptance. In addition, our consultations may include reviewing college applications and essays, advising on how to improve them, guidance on interview preparation, and other kinds of support for the student.
Our services can be acquired on an hourly basis or in packages. We offer a free initial 30 minute consultation to help you decide what services would fit your unique situation.