CommonApp Essay Assistance

• Constructing a narrative through in-depth conversation(s), then putting pen to paper to develop an outline. From there, essays are critiqued 3-4 times with ample feedback. Once a student has revised their essay to the extent that they are capable, relative to their writing level, then final edits are performed by the college counselor. 

Supplemental Essay Assistance

• See CommonApp Essay description; the only difference here is that we are working on college-specific essays (e.g., “Why NYU?”), rather than one’s personal statement. 

College List Development

• Assisting students in the development of a robust (9-12 schools) and balanced college list (relatively proportional between safeties, matches, and reaches). 

SAT/ACT Study Regimen

• Aiding students in the development of their own individualized study schedule by taking into consideration their extracurricular, work, and family obligations. Students are provided with a schedule, shortlist of quality SAT/ACT materials to purchase, study tips, and time management advice. 

Resume Building

• Supporting students in writing the descriptions of their activities so that they can maximize their self-advocacy. Lastly, students are assisted in the formatting of their resumes so that they have a clean, aesthetically-pleasing document that they’re proud to present to admissions representatives and possible mentors and employers.  

Summer Program Applications

• Helping students find summer program opportunities, whether it be a summer employment program or university-sponsored programs that can sometimes award college credit. Much like college applications, summer program applications often require an essay (albeit a much shorter one), one or two recommendations, and a high school transcript. Consequently, students are supported in every step of the application process, from essay development to transcript submission.  

Scholarship Applications

• Similar to college and summer program applications, third-party scholarships generally require an essay, one or two recommendations, a high school transcript, and test scores. Consequently, students are supported in every step of the application process, from essay development to transcript submission.  

Financial Aid Assistance

• Guiding students through FAFSA and CSS applications so that they can secure all the need-based aid that they possibly qualify for. 

Academic Advisory

• Advising students on choosing courses, core and electives alike, that help make them competitive for their target schools. 

Extracurricular Advising

• Evaluating students’ activities to date and informing them of ways they can potentially make their activity list more competitive from a college admissions standpoint. Students are also encouraged to pursue shadowing and internship opportunities so that they can better identify a career path, along with college and major fit. 

Recommendation Letter Prep

• Informing students of the importance of recommendation letters in the admissions process, along with some context on what constitutes a “good” versus “bad” rec letter. Subsequently, students are provided with a form and corresponding lesson on how to support their teachers in the writing of recommendation letters (without actually playing a role in the writing of the letters). A similar lesson is provided to teachers so that they receive the information they need to write more effective recommendation letters. 

Interview Preparation

• Providing guidance on how to approach these important meetings/conversations, from nonverbal communication signals to how to best answer the likeliest of questions to be asked. In addition, students are assisted in the development of a strong set of three to four questions to ask their interviewer(s). 

College Application Preparation

• While many of the preceding activities serve as the bits and pieces to applications, the application portal itself (whether it is the Common Application, Coalition Application, any individual university’s own application) is where the entire application comes together. Given their unfamiliarity with such platforms, students are guided on how to accurately input all of their information. 

College Selection Decision

• From mid-March through May 1, students engage in conversations with college counselors to determine which school is the best fit for me. When conducting these conversations, we try to help students survey “fit” through the lens of academics, social environment, finances, and location (ease/difficulty of getting home, weather, regional culture, etc.). 

Transitioning to College

• After the selection process, students need to finalize housing plans, secure work-study (case-by-case), and determine how to cover any remaining expenses (case-by-case). No matter the need, we aim to help students successfully navigate their respective tasks so that they experience a relatively seamless transition to college.