OUR SERVICES INCLUDE:
- Identifying “best fit” schools and developing a balanced college list
- Researching and comparing each college’s academic strengths, special programs, and unique opportunities
- Organizing college data into customized, easy-to-use, spreadsheet format
- Reviewing standardized test options and requirements
- Academic, extra-curricular, and summer activity planning
- Brainstorming, outlining, editing, and proofreading essays
- Preparing for campus visits and interviews, and demonstrating interest
- Managing schedules and deadlines throughout the college process
- Developing strong applications that showcase unique interests, talents and strengths
- Organizing admissions activity schedule options for multi-day campus visits
- Providing college recruiting guidance to student athletes
- Assisting with portfolios for visual and performing arts
Our services are offered through a comprehensive package, as stand alone activities, or at an hourly rate.
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COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES
A Comprehensive Package is ideal for families not familiar with college admissions and those seeking management of the complete range of admissions activities. This includes in-depth guidance based on the student’s interests, goals, strengths, and preferences as well as regularly scheduled check-ins. Comprehensive Support is perfect for families seeking soup-to-nuts management and advice.
Every year we work with a limited number of families in order to give comprehensive and personal attention to each student. A complimentary consultation allows both of us to learn about each other and determine whether we are a good fit. We start the journey by discussing goals for college, the student's strengths and learning style, and the characteristics of his or her ideal school. If desired, career exploration and aptitude tools can help to identify potential majors and career directions.
Next steps include academic and extra-curricular activity planning. Unlike some college consultants, we advise students to take courses and explore activities that are meaningful and important to them instead of those they believe will "look good" on a college application. We review the qualifications for admission to selective colleges to ensure thoughtful choices, but we believe that when students follow a curriculum that genuinely interest them, they do their best work and position themselves well for colleges that match their goals. See more about our philosophy on college planning here.
Early in the process we review strategies for standardized testing. There are significant differences between the ACT and SAT. An increasing number of colleges are test-optional (and even test-free!); we consider whether to include them in our admissions strategy.
As we develop a college list, we discuss campus visits, interviews, and outreach to professors, admissions officers, and current students. We encourage families to invest time, resources, and energy in visiting colleges so that every school a student applies to is an excellent fit. We also help students to view the college search as a collaborative, match-making adventure where all parties are striving to find the right partners, rather than an adversarial, judgement-laden process. Our role in developing a college list is extensive: we teach students how to investigate schools, programs, clubs, unique opportunities, faculty, and strategic plans to identify both significant and subtle differences between schools. This scrutiny goes far beyond information sessions and campus tours to help students decide where to apply, and ultimately, which college to attend.
One of our favorite parts of the college application is brainstorming, outlining, editing, and proofreading essays. We guide students to write genuine, beautifully crafted essays that engage the reader, enhance the application, and help admissions committees see each student's best qualities. We also help students organize supplemental essays and personal statements for maximum impact and efficiency.
Time management is essential to college planning, and we develop a customized timeline based on each student's needs. We ensure that deadlines are met well so that students are relaxed, and not panicked, at application time.
For the comprehensive package, we prefer to begin working with students by the beginning of junior year. We are happy to accommodate later requests if the schedule permits.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STAND ALONE SERVICES & TIME SAVERS
Best-Fit College List:
Guidance in identifying best-fit colleges based on the student’s academic profile, interests, activities, strengths, goals, and priorities. Includes student and parent interview and exercises to help determine preferences for college and follow-up in-person meeting to review and discuss targeted schools. A Customized College List Comparison (as described below) is provided. Perfect for families who want to manage the application process themselves, but would like insight and suggestions for best-fit schools.
Customized College List Comparison:
For families creating their own list of colleges who would like comprehensive information on each school, clearly organized in an easy-to-use format. Customized to include categories selected by each family, such as: address, website and admissions contact, campus diversity, campus setting, gender ratio, undergraduate/graduate ratio, SAT & ACT test score ranges, demonstrated interest, academic calendar, percent of undergraduates living on campus, national admit rate, freshman retention rate, green rating, Greek life, major/academic interest, extracurricular activities, athletics, and more.
Senior Rush (5 hours):
For families first seeking advice on or after May 1 of a student's junior year. Services may include essay review, campus visit tips, demonstrated interest, standardized test advice, gap year referrals, or any other activities. Available if time allows.
Customized Campus Visit Planning:
Campus Visit Planning for families planning single or multi-day college campus visits: detailed schedule of options of admissions activities based on the family’s list of colleges and specific travel dates. Customized to include current applicable schedule options for campus tours and information sessions, admissions interviews, lunch with a student, meet a Professor, class audit, overnight, athletic facility tour, department facility tour, and/or other admissions activities unique to each college and as selected by the family. Analysis of options and travel time between colleges to provide a final easy to use step-by-step itinerary. Campus visit tips and guidance included.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
HOURLY SERVICES
Advice on any aspect of college admissions, on a space-available basis. This is appropriate for families who need one-time or very limited guidance. For hourly clients, time is tracked in 15-minute increments. All services performed on behalf of a student are included, such as writing and answering emails, talking on the phone, debriefing after meetings, researching colleges, conducting outreach, reviewing essays, preparing profiles or spreadsheets, preparing for interviews, and meeting in person. We are happy to share timesheets on request.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Policies: While we love working with students face-to-face, we are currently offering all services virtually through a combination of text, email, chat, and Zoom. We've helped students from across the U.S. without a single in-person meeting! A complimentary consultation allows us to learn more about each other and discuss your needs. We ask that appointments be cancelled 24 hours in advance or there is a one-hour charge. Please feel free to request references and speak with other parents and/or students.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES
A Comprehensive Package is ideal for families not familiar with college admissions and those seeking management of the complete range of admissions activities. This includes in-depth guidance based on the student’s interests, goals, strengths, and preferences as well as regularly scheduled check-ins. Comprehensive Support is perfect for families seeking soup-to-nuts management and advice.
Every year we work with a limited number of families in order to give comprehensive and personal attention to each student. A complimentary consultation allows both of us to learn about each other and determine whether we are a good fit. We start the journey by discussing goals for college, the student's strengths and learning style, and the characteristics of his or her ideal school. If desired, career exploration and aptitude tools can help to identify potential majors and career directions.
Next steps include academic and extra-curricular activity planning. Unlike some college consultants, we advise students to take courses and explore activities that are meaningful and important to them instead of those they believe will "look good" on a college application. We review the qualifications for admission to selective colleges to ensure thoughtful choices, but we believe that when students follow a curriculum that genuinely interest them, they do their best work and position themselves well for colleges that match their goals. See more about our philosophy on college planning here.
Early in the process we review strategies for standardized testing. There are significant differences between the ACT and SAT. An increasing number of colleges are test-optional (and even test-free!); we consider whether to include them in our admissions strategy.
As we develop a college list, we discuss campus visits, interviews, and outreach to professors, admissions officers, and current students. We encourage families to invest time, resources, and energy in visiting colleges so that every school a student applies to is an excellent fit. We also help students to view the college search as a collaborative, match-making adventure where all parties are striving to find the right partners, rather than an adversarial, judgement-laden process. Our role in developing a college list is extensive: we teach students how to investigate schools, programs, clubs, unique opportunities, faculty, and strategic plans to identify both significant and subtle differences between schools. This scrutiny goes far beyond information sessions and campus tours to help students decide where to apply, and ultimately, which college to attend.
One of our favorite parts of the college application is brainstorming, outlining, editing, and proofreading essays. We guide students to write genuine, beautifully crafted essays that engage the reader, enhance the application, and help admissions committees see each student's best qualities. We also help students organize supplemental essays and personal statements for maximum impact and efficiency.
Time management is essential to college planning, and we develop a customized timeline based on each student's needs. We ensure that deadlines are met well so that students are relaxed, and not panicked, at application time.
For the comprehensive package, we prefer to begin working with students by the beginning of junior year. We are happy to accommodate later requests if the schedule permits.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STAND ALONE SERVICES & TIME SAVERS
Best-Fit College List:
Guidance in identifying best-fit colleges based on the student’s academic profile, interests, activities, strengths, goals, and priorities. Includes student and parent interview and exercises to help determine preferences for college and follow-up in-person meeting to review and discuss targeted schools. A Customized College List Comparison (as described below) is provided. Perfect for families who want to manage the application process themselves, but would like insight and suggestions for best-fit schools.
Customized College List Comparison:
For families creating their own list of colleges who would like comprehensive information on each school, clearly organized in an easy-to-use format. Customized to include categories selected by each family, such as: address, website and admissions contact, campus diversity, campus setting, gender ratio, undergraduate/graduate ratio, SAT & ACT test score ranges, demonstrated interest, academic calendar, percent of undergraduates living on campus, national admit rate, freshman retention rate, green rating, Greek life, major/academic interest, extracurricular activities, athletics, and more.
Senior Rush (5 hours):
For families first seeking advice on or after May 1 of a student's junior year. Services may include essay review, campus visit tips, demonstrated interest, standardized test advice, gap year referrals, or any other activities. Available if time allows.
Customized Campus Visit Planning:
Campus Visit Planning for families planning single or multi-day college campus visits: detailed schedule of options of admissions activities based on the family’s list of colleges and specific travel dates. Customized to include current applicable schedule options for campus tours and information sessions, admissions interviews, lunch with a student, meet a Professor, class audit, overnight, athletic facility tour, department facility tour, and/or other admissions activities unique to each college and as selected by the family. Analysis of options and travel time between colleges to provide a final easy to use step-by-step itinerary. Campus visit tips and guidance included.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
HOURLY SERVICES
Advice on any aspect of college admissions, on a space-available basis. This is appropriate for families who need one-time or very limited guidance. For hourly clients, time is tracked in 15-minute increments. All services performed on behalf of a student are included, such as writing and answering emails, talking on the phone, debriefing after meetings, researching colleges, conducting outreach, reviewing essays, preparing profiles or spreadsheets, preparing for interviews, and meeting in person. We are happy to share timesheets on request.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Policies: While we love working with students face-to-face, we are currently offering all services virtually through a combination of text, email, chat, and Zoom. We've helped students from across the U.S. without a single in-person meeting! A complimentary consultation allows us to learn more about each other and discuss your needs. We ask that appointments be cancelled 24 hours in advance or there is a one-hour charge. Please feel free to request references and speak with other parents and/or students.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________