The best time to start working a college consultant depends on your child’s individual
needs but we believe it is always better to start early! During the ninth grade, we will
work to establish a four-year academic plan, identify extracurricular and leadership
opportunities, and discuss summer programs.
If the student and their family are focused on applying to a UC School or other highly
selective colleges it will be important to meet with a consultant as early as grade 9.
Students who want to apply as STEM majors should also receive guidance early in the
process. The consultant will guide the student and their family in how to align the
students extracurriculars with their intended major and assist them with choosing
academic coursework for grades 10-12. Most high schools require students to choose
class for the following year by mid Jan of freshman year.
We do assist students who are rising seniors with the application process, building a college list and writing their essays. High school seniors report less stress when having a college advisor early in the process as well as later in the process. We have several counselors on our staff so we do take high school seniors in the summer and fall of senior year.
If the student has the grades and test scores and is in the top percentile of their high school, along with leadership and top-tier extracurriculars that align with their intended major, they would be in the pool of top applicants. We explain to students that many of these schools have single-digit admit rates. If the student is highly motivated, we will assist them with their application if they have additional target colleges as backups. If the student comes to us in 8th or 9th grade, we will guide them on how to build their profile.
Absolutely, we are UC Experts. Our founder worked at University of California San Diego and has read over 1000 applications. We attend the UC Counselor Conference each year and have major experience assisting students with UC Applications.
Yes! We believe there is a school that best fits every student. Most students will need guidance on where to apply, which colleges are considered targets, and backups. For students with average grades, this is even more important. College consultants can help students focus on their strengths and write statements explaining lower-than-expected grades. In this way, we can provide insight into the student’s transcript and particular profile. Understanding who you are and your struggles show great maturity and personal insight.
Yes we have worked with many students who apply to arts based programs including fine art, architecture, graphic design and related majors. Many of our students are student athletes and play sports I college at various levels including D1,D2,D3 and club sports. We also have an admissions counselor who specializes in working with athletes.
We do not provide test preparation but would be happy to refer to test preparation tutors.
Our students apply for internships and we are happy to assist them with resume preparation, interviews and internship applications.
After the students complete their applications in mid-January, they are encouraged to apply for outside scholarships. We will share a variety of scholarship data bases they can apply for and can assist them with applications and essays.
We are happy to provide referrals to parents seeking financial planning services but this is not our area of expertise. We do, however, educate students and their families about basic financial aid, the cost of colleges including housing and other costs. Our goal is to help families bring down the cost of college and we include financial safety schools on the students college list.
Yes we do prepare students for interviews with colleges. We send them a list of interview questions and then set up a date/time to do a mock interview. All of our students happily report that they felt very comfortable after prepping with us.
We work with students by using college assessment and online inventories that allow students to choose criteria that aligns with their interests. They will choose preferred locations, student life and campus culture, majors, size of school and overall student. In addition we conduct interviews with students to learn more about their needs and interests. We have a data base of colleges with feedback from many of our students who have matriculated in various institutions. After getting some ideas about where they want to attend we help students to plan on campus and virtual tours as well as conducting research on each school to help narrow down their choices.
Our packages include from 6 colleges to 15 colleges. During your initial consultation you will have a chance to ask questions and one of our advisors will offer some guidance on the best fit package for your student depending on his/her goals. STEM major are advised to apply to more schools as well as students applying to selective colleges.
The majority of our consulting is done virtually via Zoom. In-person meetings may be available at select times, upon request.
The number of meetings will vary depending on the program you choose and your unique needs. We meet with students in grades 8 and 9 on an hourly basis and most of these meetings include the parents. Students in grades 10-12 will be on a package with specific tasks and hours dedicated to these goals. We will most likely meet with students twice a month during the junior and senior year.
Yes our counselors meet with students after school, evenings and weekends.
The parents are involved in grades 8, 9 and grade 10. Students in grade 11 and 12 will meet with their counselors and focus on their applications. Parents do not need to be present in these meetings as students will be actively engaged with their advisor. We include parents in the initial meeting, and have another check in meeting before submitting applications in the fall as well as after applications have been submitted in the spring of senior year. We encourage students to take the lead in applying to college, since college is a stepping stone to adult life. We will be in touch with families over email to keep them involved and updated.
1. We do not hire college students to review the college application essays and supplements.
2. We work one-on-one with each client. There are currently no small group meetings at all among our service offerings, with the exception of free public webinars.
3. We work one-on-one to guide clients with resume building year-round.
4. In addition to assisting high schools students we also offer one on one parent
consultations on various admissions topics including building a students profile
early in middle school and freshman year. We have expertise in several areas
including high school advisement, UC Admissions,STEM Majors/ Computer
Science/Engineering, colleges for students with ADD and learning issues, transfer
admissions, artistic programs, athletic support and graduate school advisement.
Fill out our contact form on our website and we will reach out to you to schedule an parent phone call. (Not for students) After our phone call we will set up a parent/student intake meeting either virtual or in person. You can send messages to : collegeprepbygina@gmail.com – or use our contact form. Office- 858-481-6045.