Client Advantages
Preparing and paying for college – can you do it yourself? Will your high school counselor help out? Will the colleges lend some advice? The answers to all of these questions are most likely: Yes Here are the “real” questions:
- How much advice and guidance will you really get?
- From whose perspective is the advice coming?
- Are you sure the answers are correct?
- Can you make the extra time necessary to do the research, understand the process, devise a plan, and stay on track?
- Will you miss any vital steps in the process?
- Can you find the best educational value for your money?
- Should you hire a professional to assist your family with the process?
In a recent USA Today article it was noted that “the number of high school graduates getting help from professional educational consultants is expected to double in the next ten (10) years.” The article went on to say that “The sheer growth in the number of kids graduating from high school with a fairly fixed number of college slots means it’s becoming a challenge to get accepted at the college of your choice and a challenge to get through the process.” In regards to high school guidance counselors, the article stated: “The number of counselors on the job at high schools has not kept pace. The average public school guidance counselor has a caseload of nearly 500 students a year, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.” A parent that was interviewed said: “The counselors at the high school just don’t have the time to spend with your kids, and we are overwhelmed by all the information.”
We have compiled a list of Client Advantages to help your family make a well-informed decision regarding the process and where to turn for answers. Our list includes both services that are “provided” and information that is “shared” with our clients. Please take a few minutes to review the list and get a better feel for what the overall process involves and the true commitment required. Comprehensive List of Client Advantages High School Preparation
- The components of an impressive transcript.
- The qualities that are most important to the institutions and why.
- The activities (both in school and out) that can be most influential when a college is deciding your eligibility for admission.
- How to best “present” your transcript to each institution.
Career Planning - Exciting ideas and proven strategies to help you get started.
- The five (5) essential considerations when searching for your perfect career.
- Information via testing, scoring, and reporting – designed specifically to help the student select a career (area of study) compatible with his/her interests, abilities, and values.
- Unlimited “online” real-time access to the DISCOVER Career Planning and College Selection Software.
- How to effectively narrow your career choices, while at the same time keeping your college selection options open.
- Vital tips on how to incorporate your career (area of study) choice with the ideal college.
ACT™, PSAT®, SAT® I, and SAT® II Subject Tests
- Guidance on which tests to take and when to take them.
- Testing dates and how to register.
- Specific procedures, strategies, and tips for effective preparation and testing.
- Access to the latest (and best) study guides and practice tests.
- What to bring the day of the test.
- How the tests are administered.
- How your test scores are reported.
- Valuable tips for doing your best.
College Search, Selection, and Admission Applications
- Step by step guidance on how to effectively search for the best school.
- How to keep your college selection options open.
- How and when to apply for admissions.
- Specifics on how institutions “score” admission applications.
- What to include and what to avoid on your admission applications.
- The most overlooked and underrated items on the admission application.
- How to gather the real specifics on each institution.
- How to choose your finalists and arrange them in the proper order.
- Vital facts to take into consideration when making your final choice.
- How to evaluate your findings and make your selection.
Private Sector Scholarship Sponsors and Application Procedures
- Private sector scholarship facts and myths.
- Types of scholarships that are actually available.
- Warnings to keep you from falling for a costly scholarship scam.
- Tips for locating scholarships right in your own backyard, including the top sixteen (16) sources that commonly award private sector funding.
- Specific and general private sector scholarship applications for which the student may apply.
- Rules and procedures you must know.
- How to create an effective core application package.
- How and when to write your request letters.
- What to include in your application and what you must avoid.
- How to write a powerful essay.
- Tracking the progress of your applications.
- Acceptance and placement of private sector awards.
The Funding Process
- Facts and myths regarding college funding.
- Top ten (10) funding tips that are a must.
- Proven timeline to keep the family on track throughout the process.
- Flow charts, newsletters, and procedural reminders to keep the family posted on the progress.
- Toll-free telephone access to a live funding professional to answer any questions the family may have during the process.
- The workings of the process and what makes up the funding package.
- Complete listing of assets that are counted and those that are not.
- Guidance and suggestions on the positioning of assets and appropriate funding strategies to most-often enhance financial aid eligibility.
- Professionally produced “College Funding Planning Report,” which evaluates the family’s current financial situation, offers available options and strategies, and projects the amount of institutional funding that may be offered based on each school’s past awards.
- Vital statistics on what percentage of the student’s need an institution historically offers, and what percentage of that funding is typically in the form of gift aid versus self-help aid.
- Additional insight on how to find the best educational value for your money.
- Accurate and timely submission of the required FAFSA.
- Assistance with the CSS/Profile financial aid application.
- Student Aid Report (SAR) evaluation.
- Updating the FAFSA to include base year income figures.
- Completion and submission of any required Verification Forms.
- Assistance in completion of all miscellaneous funding applications that may be required by the institution(s).
- Special Circumstances and how they may apply to your family.
- Evaluation of all Award Letters (offers of funding) to determine if the amount being offered is common for a student with similar qualifications and circumstances.
- Devising and employing an appeal strategy if the funding offered is less than anticipated.
- Evaluation of all revised Award Letter(s).
- Arranging your funding offers in order.
- College’s financial aid distribution procedures and their affect.
- The fifteen (15) mistakes that must be avoided.
Campus Visits
- When to begin your visits.
- How to plan your visits.
- Best time of the week to visit and why.
- Prearranged meetings with the Admissions and Funding Officers, including: what to say, and what not to say.
- The parent’s role in a campus visit.
- Arranging your guided tours.
- The seventeen (17) things to look for during your self-guided tours.
- The twelve (12) vital facts needed to evaluate your visits and compare the colleges.
Visit Contact Us for more information on becoming a client.
|
