Need help planning for college? We can help with all facets of the college admissions process.
College is a huge investment in a young person’s future, and there are over 4,000 colleges and universities to choose from in the U.S. alone. Determining where and how best to apply, and understanding college costs can be a stressful experience for students and parents alike, especially in uncertain times. We provide personalized guidance to families throughout the college planning and application process. We keep up with changes in the field, and educate families to understand the new realities of college admissions. Our individualized support is designed to minimize family stress and to maximize each student’s opportunities at schools that ‘fit’ them best – academically, socially, and financially.
We help with the following college planning tasks, and more:
Families may choose our comprehensive service package or hourly services. Hourly admissions consulting is billed at $225 per hour. Families with juniors or seniors who need support with several college planning or application-related tasks will find our comprehensive package worthwhile as it effectively provides a discounted rate. For families who feel comfortable managing much of the admissions process themselves, our hourly services may be purchased in ten (10) hour blocks of time. To learn more about these options, please scroll down to find and complete our admissions consulting form to access a complimentary meeting.
Families with applicants to middle and high school: Please contact us for information about our private school admissions consulting.
I’ve spent my adult life and career working in fields that involve supporting children and adolescents. With my undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology and social work from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, I began my career counseling and supporting families and individuals with all sorts of issues, including the adolescent transition to adulthood. I conducted crisis counseling with individuals referred by the courts, provided in-home support to teenage moms, taught parenting classes and spent several years working in local elementary schools as a School Social Worker. While raising my children, I managed the business and human resources needs of Sandweiss Test Prep. When I was eager to return to my career “roots” and to provide direct support to youth and families again, I decided to become a college counselor. After successfully completing courses offered by UCLA and UC-Irvine, I was awarded certification as an Independent Educational Consultant in 2016. Since then, I’ve continued to educate myself. I regularly partake in numerous professional development activities – classes, professional conferences, meetings with admissions reps, numerous college visits each year, and much more.
We understand the excitement and stress involved in the college planning and admissions process. We love getting to know our students and seeing them grow and mature during our time together. We strive to minimize anxiety and make the planning process fun! We begin by exploring students’ academic and social/emotional strengths, needs and wishes, and family’s financial constraints, followed by college research to develop each student’s “best fit” college list. Our goal is to optimize admission opportunities at institutions where students can thrive. We help families and students attend to every detail involved in the application process and provide guidance to help with understanding college costs and completing financial aid forms. Although students and families must do the work, we help to maximize efficiency and to take care of each step in a timely manner in order to meet deadlines.
I am currently a member of four professional organizations: IECA Associate Member, (Independent Educational Consultants Association), HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association), PNACAC (Pacific Northwest Association for College Admissions Counseling), and SACC (Seattle Area College Consultants).
Along with my extensive test preparation experience, I have been assisting students with the college, grad school, or secondary school application process for nearly 20 years. I’ve done plenty of advising regarding the creation of a college list, but my primary area of expertise is in working with students to identify appropriate essay topics for the personal statement and supplemental essays. Once this challenging task is surmounted, I enjoy helping students through the process of creating and revising multiple drafts, so that the final product offers a sincere, insightful window into an applicant’s personality, background, and future goals.
WHEN TO BEGIN
We work with families and students in all high school grades. Most families begin college counseling during the student’s junior year. We’ve learned through experience that, if the student has high aspirations and wishes to apply to colleges with extremely low admission rates, it’s never too early to begin college counseling. Starting early can help any student approach the college planning process in a calm and thoughtful way.
Our focus with younger students is on building a relationship, setting goals, academic course planning, exploring interests and activity planning.
College counseling ramps up in junior year. We develop the college list and and work on tasks geared toward preparing applications. By the summer after junior year, most students are busy writing essays and working on applications they’ll submit early in senior year.
We understand that some students aren’t ready, and families may not wish to plan for college prior to senior year. We are here to help whenever it works for your family to begin.
TEST-OPTIONAL ADMISSIONS
Early in the Covid pandemic, when SATs and ACTs were constantly being cancelled, most colleges and universities decided to offer test-optional admissions so students could apply to college without submitting a test score. Since then, many selective schools have reinstated their testing requirement, while other schools’ admission results appear to indicate that strong test scores may improve a student’s chance of being admitted.
However, many if not most schools are still truly test-optional, and stress that they evaluate applicants equally – with or without an SAT/ACT score. It’s still important for families to understand that if a test score is not submitted, the rest of their application may need to be stronger.
Our guidance and resources can help the student decide whether to test or not. We include free SAT/ACT diagnostic testing along with detailed score reports in our comprehensive counseling package. We can also help with understanding the pros, cons, and time involved in preparing for either test, and/or with developing a test-optional profile and college list.
Complete the form to request an initial, complimentary, 30-minute phone or Zoom consultation to learn how we can best help you achieve your college goals.
