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Local College Admissions Consultant

Discussion in 'Broadlands Advertisers Forum' started by College Advising, Jun 1, 2013.

  1. College Advising

    College Advising New Member

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    Tip #1: Rising seniors should start their college apps now!
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    Who am I?
    I am a professional college admissions consultant with a Masters degree in higher education and an extensive background in education that includes leading admissions for a top Ivy League university.

    What do I do?
    I assist students with college essays, applications, school selection, curricular/extra-curricular planning, goal setting, and college planning.

    Whom do I work with?
    *I provide age-relevant consultative sessions to parents of any aged-child.
    *I speak to larger groups (PTA, parent groups, corporate speaking engagements, etc.), sharing insights on the college admissions process.
    *I administer more extensive academic and extra-curricular planning work with middle through high schoolers.
    *I offer extensive hands-on application assistance to high school juniors and seniors.

    How does it work?
    I'm happy to assist through a flexible range of options customized to meet the needs of your student. What work we cover, how often we meet (either in person or remotely), and the subsequent cost are all completely tailored to the individual student.

    Email
    Please direct inquiries to college.advising.loudoun [at] gmail .com
     
  2. teacher/mom

    teacher/mom New Member

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    Love this! My daughter is a rising senior at BW and we had our first meeting with College advising last week. I'm thrilled with the personal attention we received. We are just starting this process but I would absolutely recommend this service to anyone with High school students!
     
  3. malmit

    malmit New Member

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    Notice that the original poster/Advertiser is a new member as of June 1st with only 1 post and then the 2nd reply telling people how great this service is just created an account (June 6th) to praise this service. Something just doesn't seem right.
     
  4. teacher/mom

    teacher/mom New Member

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    Yes, this does seem a little strange doesn't it. We've been living in Broadlands for 4 years and although I joined then, I never posted anything. I had trouble with the password on my old account and was not able to resolve it so I opened another account. I honestly just wanted to let people know that we are currently using this college admissions service and are very happy with it, really.
     
  5. cobymom

    cobymom Sheila Ryan

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    I've been monitoring this post for feedback, so I'm glad that somebody who has used the service posted about their experience. I hope to see more feedback; this service is something I'm going to need in the near future and would rather go to a local, reputable provider.
     
  6. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    question for you College Advising- do you assist with finding scholarships that the student might qualify for, and helping to identify great fits for their interests?
     
  7. College Advising

    College Advising New Member

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    My client who posted above lives in Broadlands and recommended that I might try posting in this forum. I let her know that I did and was pleasantly surprised today to receive the forum notification alerting me to her endorsement and kind words. I'm thrilled she is so pleased with the service already and look forward to continuing my work with her student.

    Cobymom, please feel free to reach out at any time: college.advising.loudoun at gmail dot com.

    I also provide support for younger students, depending on your needs. I'm also more than happy to have a quick chat about some of the things you might want to be thinking about now (at no cost).
     
  8. College Advising

    College Advising New Member

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    Hi Redon1,

    I don't advise regarding scholarships or the financial side of the process, though I know there are great consultants who focus specifically on this. These are usually folks who either worked in college financial aid or might have been in admissions offices with a heavy role on the financial side of things. Those are the folks you want look for. And not every admissions office works that way so if you are vetting folks, make sure to ask specific questions.

    As for me, the financial piece does come into play broadly in the overall strategy. For example, understanding that a safety school can be a strategic financial decision. Given that, what schools might be a good fit? And if that's on the table, how do you position your application?

    I do provide guidance on school fit by working with students to identify what they might be looking for and considering interests, academic profile, and desired campus culture, as well as other criteria. This is always taken into account in the context of a smart and comprehensive application plan with the proper ratio of reaches, targets, and safeties.

    The connection between who the student is and what they understand a school to be is what the application is all about, & most importantly we work together to craft and hone that narrative - one which is authentic and sincere. I can't stress that enough. I often speak about strategic application plan, but that does not mean lip service to committees. It means passionately and authentically telling the story of who you are (through multiple metrics) and making the point that you as the applicant have thought very critically about fit. If you hadn't, you wouldn't be here applying.
     
  9. jerseyhokie

    jerseyhokie Member

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    Curious to know what you offer that high school counselors may not offer and what your qualifications are?
     
  10. College Advising

    College Advising New Member

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    Sorry for delay in reply! Back from a family trip to Disney World! :)

    The most important thing that I'm able to do is use my background in college admissions to guide my students in creating the strongest application they can. That may mean what classes you take, extra-currics you do, thinking about possible majors, exploring college fit, writing essays & short answers, how to create an application plan, etc. In my original post above, I highlight some of the specifics we cover. I've been on the other side of the desk, reading those apps, making those decisions, and conversely also developing university marketing strategies to recruit students. So I love being able to use all of that to demystify the process for my students and their parents, as well as show my students how to think about best fit & the make the most compelling case to that institution. In addition to my background in admissions, I've been in various facets of education for a decade, including teaching, tutoring and, for the last few years, in my current role as an admissions consultant with families and at corporate sites. This is important because I must be able to work well with students, be able to get a sense of who each student is, what matters to them, and help them craft an application that speaks to that. I can know the college side of the story, but I also need to be able to impart that knowledge. It is my job to know the student and show the student how to know the institution.

    I'm certainly not here to say the high school counselor doesn't have a place in this. It takes a village! Though in my experience, many have large caseloads and cannot provide the individualized attention or the number of hours I can. Or they may not have the background I have. And honestly, it simply isn't there job to spend the amount of time that I do and work on the details that I do. Lastly, in many high schools, the college process simply starts too late - especially as the nature of college admissions has changed, with more students than ever applying to American universities and colleges. Over the years, I have met parents of senior students and as we talk, there's a lot of "if I only knew earlier"... So - I'd love to help you all know earlier!

    I'm happy to have one- on-one conversations with anyone who may be considering this type of support.
     
  11. College Advising

    College Advising New Member

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  12. dcheels

    dcheels New Member

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    Hey guys - Just an FYI - I have met with the "College Advising" poster above - she is wonderful, hard working, and dedicated to her job. If you are in the market for an individual that can give one-on-one help privately for college preparation, she would be an excellent choice!
     
  13. College Advising

    College Advising New Member

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    Hello all, I've currently got 2 testimonials up on my site with more to come.

    www.collegefitadmit.com

    Again, I offer something as basic as just essay help to something as extensive as soup-to-nuts application planning/applying assistance - and everything in between. I offer free consultations to discuss.
     
  14. mwork

    mwork New Member

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    Just to throw in my 2 cents.... My husband and I met with Dawn for a initial consultation to see what our plan should be to tackle college apps. We were impressed with her insight. She had some valuable points regarding a plan for essay writing for a particular "reach" school my son is interested in. The college application process can be overwhelming when you really sit down and evaluate your list of schools. I found Dawn to be extremely dedicated and knowledgeable to assist in the process step by step.
     
  15. College Advising

    College Advising New Member

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    bump

    Fall is here and I know the stress levels start getting higher for students (and parents!). My job is to mitigate some of that anxiety.

    And thanks, MWork for your kind words above!
     

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