A Step-by-Step Process
Exploration Session
To start, I always schedule a free 30-minute phone/Zoom session to talk about how we might work together. The Exploration Session is typically conducted with a parent or guardian only (without the student) because I like to have a frank conversation about your family’s and student’s needs. Meeting the student is an integral part of deciding if I am the best consultant for you, which happens next.
Initial Consultation
After a free Exploration Session, we will typically move forward with a 75-minute initial consultation, during which we will cover a lot of territory – outlining goals and exploring how well specific colleges might fit your needs. This is also an important opportunity for the student and me to meet to see if there is a good fit.
Comprehensive Package
Finally, if all agree that together we make a good team you may choose to move forward with the comprehensive package. This style of working together is not based on an hourly fee. Over many months and years, we will work together to schedule meetings as conveniently as possible and complete important benchmarks and steps in the college application journey based on my custom curriculum and methods. The freedom of the comprehensive package allows you and your family to take ample time to make important decisions, adequately plan for all admission exams, and receive extensive feedback from me throughout the application process.
The comprehensive package includes access to my convenient online platform, which you can use to look up admissions statistics as well as organize personalized calendars and to-do lists. We take advantage of convenient video conferencing, email correspondence, and screencasting sessions in order to accommodate your schedule and needs.
Learn More About My Services
If you would like to learn more about my specific services, visit my Choosing A College, College Entrance Exam Preparation or Help Writing College Application Essays pages, or call me for a free 30-minute phone consultation. I would be happy to discuss your different options and answer any questions you may have about our sessions.
ONLINE SERVICES
I work with students from across the United States and around the world. All my services are available online. Students will find online sessions as convenient and personalized as if we were in the office together.
RECENT POSTS
The routes that students take to get admitted to a highly selective college can vary. Their “vehicle” (i.e. the combination of grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, etc.) will be unique from student to student. One applicant may be “driving” a Prius, another a Ferrari, and yet another a motorcycle.
College admission is not a zero-sum game. Shortly before admission decisions were expected to hit inboxes, the parents of a student I had been working with through the arduous process of applying to college asked to meet with me alone. When they came into my office, they sat down with worried looks on their faces. “We have made a terrible mistake,” they confessed.
If you are concerned about putting together a great application, the colleges understand your worries and are also worried about you. But what they care about is not that you try to dazzle them in your application in the same way that you may have been thinking about just a few weeks ago. Rather, they want you to focus on staying healthy and being the best student you can be.
In between watching another breaking news alert, responding to emails, staying in touch with students, family, and friends through Zoom, and taking the dog for another long walk, I am getting a lot of questions from worried students and families about how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact their college admission journey.