Let’s connect! Please reach out with an email or phone call. I’d love to hear more about your child. Before we begin working together, I like to set up a family meeting to determine if it is a fit. This is a good time for questions and clarification on my philosophy, background and areas of expertise. I like students to attend so they can decide if they would like to work with me. 

Theoretically the ideal time to begin college counseling is during the sophomore year of high school. In some cases, you or your child may not be ready when they are in the 10th grade. In other cases, maybe your child would like more support starting in the 9th grade. While all students end up in the same place – with college applications submitted and choices for different college options – we focus on different things when students start the college counseling process.

Freshman Year

We focus on transitioning into high school and getting a solid footing. We discuss how to be successful in high school. I encourage extracurricular activities and we discuss the options at school and outside of school. In the spring of the 9th grade, I help students pick their classes for sophomore year. We minimize the focus on college and emphasize high school success.

Sophomore Year

When I begin working with sophomores they are typically ready to take on more. They have the high school routine down and they are ready to be more social, dig deeper academically, and increase their involvement in extracurricular activities. Picking classes for junior year and planning summer activities is an important part of the sophomore year. College counseling begins in the spring of sophomore year.

Junior Year

Junior year is academically challenging and extracurricular activities take up a lot of time outside of class. This is a great time for students to get organized and take the steps to plan for college. Steps include researching colleges, visiting college campuses, meeting with admission representatives, starting test prep and creating a strategy for testing are important considerations. We also work on a resume. I create the timeline and make sure we explore the options students want and also be sure to introduce new college choices. Finally, we discuss the cost of college and the investment the family is going to make for the college-bound student. Understanding financial aid is important and before the list of colleges is finalized I want to be sure students and families know more. 

Senior Year

We take advantage of the summer before senior year and work on applications and essays. Students are busy with jobs, internships, sports camps, and other activities, and it is a great time to check off some to-dos before the final year of high school begins. Through the fall college applications will continue to demand a lot time and deadlines will arrive quickly. The list of colleges will be finalized. We focus on deadlines – Early Action, Early Decision, Rolling Admissions while working through all of the details. Students meet with admission representatives and schedule interviews. We talk about financial aid and plan to complete scholarship applications after college applications have been submitted. 

The students I work with are very different from one another. Some have impressive transcripts while others are competitive athletes. Sometimes they are both. Students may have learning disabilities or have struggled while in high school. Each student is on their own path and is looking for different opportunities. Helping each student understand their potential, determine what they want in a college, and realize the number of colleges and programs that exist is part of the work I do for each student. Once we lay the groundwork, the application process begins. That includes essay work, prioritizing application deadlines, requesting letters or recommendation and counselor reports, and understanding standardized test scores and how to use them will be a part of the work.