General Consultations
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.
High School 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.
College Planning
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.
