Frequently Asked Questions

We complement your local counselor’s efforts by working one-on-one with your child, customizing a strategic plan of action, which will help your child get into the best college of his or her choice, and meet his or her academic and personal needs. Busy high school counselors simply have too many students to give the kind of individualized attention necessary, particularly in this highly competitive admission environment. Our goal is to help students find college options that will meet their personal and academic needs.

The best time to begin working with us is in the first semester of junior year, although, many begin much later—even into the senior year. Earlier is better so that we can advise students on extra-curricular activities and senior year course choices, as well as strategic planning for testing.

Typically, once the applications have opened, we meet frequently. Most students complete the entire process before the Thanksgiving holidays.

Once students decide where they will apply, we immediately begin systematizing the process. Students begin with essays almost immediately, brainstorming ideas and drafting. Essays are worked and re-worked by students after being carefully read and redlined by our staff. We don’t stop the process until we feel the essay is complete.

This is a question that’s not easily answered. We can say that we help the student and his family streamline the process while strategizing so that students emphasize their strengths throughout the application, on their resumes, and on essays. We work hard to help students come up with the right group of schools—safety, good matches, and reaches—based on their academic profiles, financial constraints, and other factors. Former students have had an excellent track record of getting into many schools and usually their first choice.

We do not provide assistance on need-based scholarships. We do, however, advise students on merit-based scholarship opportunities based on our years of working with students applying to various schools. We have a clear idea of which schools typically offer money to students based on their academic profiles.

We welcome and encourage communication from parents, but we recommend that at this juncture in your student’s academic life, he or she work independently of you. It is important that students own the process of applying to college. It is tremendously satisfying to complete this process without too much parental intervention. However, if at any time parents have questions, we welcome and encourage their calls. Our policy is always to contact parents immediately should a student become unresponsive to work requests or irresponsible in any way.