College Admissions Consulting - Application Strategy

College Early Admissions Program Overview

Many high school seniors try to ease the uncertainty in applying to college by applying early decision. Early decision binds both the student and the college into admittance months earlier than the regular admission decision. If you are certain about a particular university, applying through the early decision program can be very beneficial.

There are two different types of early admittance programs that high school seniors should seriously consider. Approximately 450 colleges (about 2/3 of the nation’s top undergraduate institutions) have early decision or early action plans, and some, such as the University of Miami, have both. Meantime, all of the eight Ivy League Schools offer some form of an early admissions program as well.

Choosing The Right College (Be Honest)

Applying to College

  • Timing: Start Early. Preferably Early In Junior Year (If Not Earlier)
  • Create Options: Investigate Many Schools and Programs; Just Do Not Follow The Pack
  • Research: Learn As Much About The Schools As Possible (visit, talk to students, blogs etc.)
  • Financing: Make Sure You Research Real Costs, Financing and Scholarships
  • Performance: Make Sure You Keep Up High Academic Performance
  • SAT/ACT: Make Sure That You Prepare For The Test(s) and Do As Well As Possible; The Only Objective Part Of Application
  • Recommendations: Ask Early/People Get Busy

Choosing The Right College

  • Identify career interests
  • Identify the different types of college and potential good matches that fit their needs, interests, and goals
  • Begin to explore the benefits and obstacles associated with getting to college
  • Learn basics of admissions process and about various school system
  • Develop Areas Of Academic Interest
  • Realistically Assess Your Credentials
  • Determine What Factors Are Most Important To You
  • Your Academic & Professional Goals
  • Establish Geographic Parameters
  • Determine A Budget (remember college spans four years)

College Admissions: Myth or Reality

  • Marketing Versus Applying
  • Competition Is Stiff
  • Do Not View This As A Process Of Filling Out Forms And Writing Essays, But About Showcasing Your Accomplishments And Potential
  • Make Every Attempt You Can To Learn As Much About The School As Possible; Likewise Have As Many Interactions With Students, Professors, Admissions People, Alumni, Etc.
  • Do Not Be Afraid To Be Creative And Let Your Personality Show
  • Do Not Be Afraid To Interact With Admissions, Send Additional Information, Provide Updates – Just Not Too Much

College Admissions: Timing

  • Timing: Start Early. Preferably Early In Junior Year (If Not Earlier)
  • Create Options: Investigate Many Schools and Programs; Just Do Not Follow The Pack
  • Research: Learn As Much About Schools As Possible (visit, talk to students, blogs etc.)
  • Financing: Make Sure You Research Real Costs, Financing and Scholarships
  • Performance: Make Sure You Keep Up High Academic Performance
  • Information: Get Only From Reliable Sources

College Admissions: Evaluating An Application

  • Grades/Academic Potential - 30%
  • Scores - 20%
  • Extracurricular Activities - 10%
  • Essays - 10%
  • Recommendations - 10%
  • Interview - 10%
  • Other - 10%

College Admissions: Personal Statements

Writing Effective Essays

  • Students will develop visual thinking and imagination
  • Practice writing skills
  • Learn the elements of a good personal statement/essay for college application

Personal Statement

  • Most Schools Require At Least One Admissions Essay; Some Schools Have Very Complicated Admissions Requirements and Multiple Essays
  • This Is One Place Where You Can Show Creativity and Individuality
  • Do Not Be Afraid To Be Creative – But Not So Much That Only You Understand It
  • Make Sure You Provide The Content That They Are Looking For and Answer The Question They Want Answered
  • Remember That The Purpose Of This Essay Is To Learn About You, Your Background, Your Motivations, Your Goals
  • 100% Control Over Content And Quality
  • Very Important Aspect Of The Admissions Process; Do Not Take Lightly – A Poor Essay Will Negatively Impact Your Chances
  • Most Schools Require At Least One Admissions Essay; Some Schools Have Very Complicated Admissions Requirements and Multiple Essays
  • This Is One Place Where You Can Show Creativity and Individuality
  • Do Not Be Afraid To Be Creative – But Not So Much That Only You Understand It
  • Make Sure You Provide The Content That They Are Looking For and Answer The Question They Want Answered
  • Remember That The Purpose Of This Essay Is To Learn About You, Your Background, Your Motivations, Your Goals
  • 100% Control Over Content And Quality
  • Very Important Aspect Of The Admissions Process; Do Not Take Lightly – A Poor Essay Will Negatively Impact Your Chances

College Admissions: Extracurricular Activities

Being Active

  • Schools Like Well Rounded Students
  • Shows Passions And Interests
  • Many Different Ways To Define
  • Schools Especially Look For People Who Excel Or Innovate
  • Leadership Positions Particularly Important
  • Better Not To Over-Extend Oneself Or Spread Too Thin

College Admissions: Recommendations

Third Party Assessments

  • Be Strategic Who You Choose To Write
    • Teachers, Counselors, Alumni, Employers, Mentors
  • Help Them Out As Much As Possible
    • Write Summary Showcasing Work, Goals, Activities, Community Service
  • Ask Early
    • Keep People Updated On Deadlines
    • Do Not Be Afraid To Send Reminders

College Admissions: Financial Aid & Scholarships

  • Learn the different types of financial aid available: grants and scholarships, loans, work-study.
  • Learn the basics of the FAFSA application
  • Identify the information they will need from their parents to complete the FAFSA application.

College Admissions: Support System (Managing The Stress)

  • Advisory process: Does Your School Have A Supportive Advisory System? Are Your Counselors Over-Worked? Alternatives?
  • Teachers: Often The Source Of Good Information And Encouragement
  • Parents: Want The Best But May Not Know A Lot About The Process
  • Friends: Going Through This Together; Sometimes Supportive Sometimes Competitive
  • Mentors: Good For Encouragement And Information

College Admissions: Why Hire A College Admissions Consultant

  • College is one of the largest financial commitments of a lifetime
  • Wide variation in costs among colleges
  • Experts will
    • Identify cost-cutting opportunities, saving time and money
    • Provide important knowledge on scholarships
    • Reduce stress and obtain better outcomes for the whole family

Limitations of Guidance Counselors

  • Guidance Counselors play key, but limited, role in college application process
    • Aren’t trained to deal with complex financial aid & cost-reduction strategies
    • Are reluctant to work with parents on family finances
    • Experts fill this hole

When to Hire a Consultant

  • The earlier the admissions process starts, the more cost-reductions opportunities there are
  • Many college savings options begin up to a decade or more before the student starts college
  • Last minute cost-reduction strategies for high school students include
    • Timely and accurate submission of financial aid application materials
    • Scholarships

*We strongly recommend that you speak to one of our college admissions consultants for a free 20-minute consultation to better formulate your application strategy.

Admissions Consulting Services at a Glance

10+ years of experience. Passionate and established.

Essay & Resume Review

  • Single Essay at $150 (up to 800 words), Mini Pack at $200 (Resume & Essay (800 Words or Less) or 2 Essays of 250 Words Each)
  • Essay Review for all essays & resume for 1 school at $450 or for 2 schools at $800;
  • Each additional school: $350
  • Cost of each set of additional 800 words in the same essay: $50; *3 day rush +$75; Weekend Rush +$100
  • Includes grammar & style review, advice on theme & content, 3 exchanges per essay, 5-7 turn around time
5,000+ Happy Clients. They can't be wrong.

A la Carte Services (Special Topics)

  • Application Strategy - Work with our consultants to devise the most effective application strategy that gets you into your top-choice school. ($150/hr, 2 hrs. minimum)
  • Mock Interview - Work with our consultants to prepare for anticipated questions to be expected during an interview. Appropriate for college, graduate (MBA/JD/Masters' Degrees) and jobs. ($150/hr, 2 hrs. minimum)
  • Case Interview - Case interview questions tend to coalesce around specific topics relating to a firm's outlook, such as operational concerns, government regulation, or its market share in relation to the market's size. Prepare first with our consultants to maximize your chances of landing the assignment. ($150/hr, 2 hrs. minimum)
 

Dedicated Packs

  • Dedicated Pack - Includes Personal Assessment; School Selection; Defining Objectives/Goals; Plan Application Roadmap; Application Assistance; Concise Selection of Profound Experiences; Formation of Compelling Resume; Convincing Essays (Unlimited exchanges/edits); Persuasive Recommendation Letters; Refine your Application; Mock Interviews; Scholarship/Loan Applications; Acceptance and Preparation; Waitlist/Deferral Strategy; Re-application Strategy.
  • 1 School - $1900; 2 Schools - $2800; 3 Schools - $3700; 4 Schools - $4600; 5 Schools - $5400

Elite Packs

  • Elite Pack - In addition to everything included in Dedicated Pack, it includes: Guaranteed to work with our most experienced and successful elite consultants; 7 day per week access to elite consultant via Skype/Zoom/WebEx; Prompt turnaround; Access to the most recent database of essays, recommendations, resumes; Unlimited interview preparation; Exclusive strategy session for getting noticed when visiting school or attending information sessions; Live online sessions via Zoom/WebEx where both parties can annotate any documents and share a whiteboard; Unlimited access to the live Zoom/WebEx online recordings related to your application.
  • 1 School: $4000 - 2 Schools: $5000 - 3 Schools: $6000 - 4 Schools: $7000 - 5 Schools: $8000
 

Special Admissions Packs

  • Rejection Analysis Pack - Includes application review, consultation and guidance with our education expert to identify issues & evaluate weaknesses in rejected applications and plan next steps and additional follow-up analysis
  • Waitlist Strategy Pack - Includes application review, consultation and guidance with our education expert to evaluate weaknesses in a waitlisted application, and make recommendations for interim period, and additional follow-up analysis to dramatically increase chances of acceptance
  • Scholarship Application Review Pack - Our consultants will help you identify specific scholarships to apply for, work with you to identify strengths that correlate with the stated objectives of the scholarship and review the applications to ensure your chance of receiving the scholarship is as high as possible

 

 

Special Admissions Pack Payment

 

Admissions Consulting Registration & Payment

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