College Admissions Services: Personal Coaching
According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the number of college and career counselors at high schools nationwide has not kept pace with skyrocketing enrollments. The average public high school guidance counselor has a caseload of nearly 500 students annually*, making effective individual attention nearly impossible.
Additionally, the number of college applicants is rapidly increasing each year. Last year 24,000 students applied for 6,000 freshman slots at Michigan, 20,000 applied for the 1,600 freshman slots at Stanford, and 23,000 applied for the 2,100 freshman slots at Harvard. The University of California received over 80,000 applications for its competitive campuses. With an estimated applicant increase of 1.4 million students between 1990 and 2009*, not offset by increased university size or number, the applicant pool is only getting more competitive.
Navigating this competitive application process can be overwhelming, adding unneeded stress, worry, and confusion to already busy lives. Our experienced application coaches help make the process easier, helping students remain motivated, on task, and confident. Our one-on-one coaching services give you the help you need, taking you from start to finish in your application process. We help you define your goals as a college applicant and refine your school search. We then take you through the process of filling out your applications, requesting letters of recommendation from teachers and coaches, and managing multiple applications and deadlines. We also guide you through the construction of your perfect personal essay, (brainstorming, topic selection, outline, multiple drafts, and final polishing). We help you practice your interviewing skills and manage the simultaneous demands of schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and applications. We help ensure that the application is a total and cohesive unit that accurately reflects you.
As we see it, our role as admissions advisors is to be an advocate for the student throughout the application process (which can be challenging, and somewhat scary), be an expert source of information (much of which families may not have access to), and, perhaps most importantly, be a bridge between students and parents. Because the process is so intimidating, students and parents often find themselves at odds while working towards the same goals. It can be difficult to get back on the same page and find the most effective way to work together, where students can listen to their parents suggestions and concerns, both parties can feel heard and validated, and students can feel in control. As a middle-man, a college advisor can sometimes say things that, for whatever reason, parents can't. We also believe that the application process is a unique opportunity for self-discovery, probably the first of many in most students' lives. Students must reach deep down inside themselves and ask some very difficult and illuminating questions in order to take steps toward their futures. We aim to help students through this process of gaining self-awareness and help them find the most effective ways to communicate who they are to an admissions committee.
This service is billed hourly so you can develop the program you need, whether that be guidance start to finish in the application process, or just one-on-one help with a specific aspect of the application, such as refining your search, writing the personal statement, or preparing for interviews.
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For a more in-depth look at the personal coaching process, or to answer any additional questions you might have, please visit our FAQ page.