SERVICES

COLLEGE LIST PACKAGE
($1,000)

THE ESSAY PACKAGE
($1,000)

Consultation with Student and Family relating to:

• Student's Academic Profile
• Planned college majors and career goals
• Colleges already under consideration
• Financial factors and merit aid scholarship opportunities
• Athletics, fine arts, or other talents
• Personal preferences (climate, geography, prestige)
• Campus culture (Greek life, sports, HBCUs, single-sex)

Research and Create Draft College List

• Choices identified as likely, target, or reach
• Cost of attendance, merit aid ranges, and potential net cost with guidance as to when higher grades or test scores would translate into larger potential merit awards

Discuss and Modify College List

• One 60-minute session to discuss and modify included

Brainstorming and Editing/Polishing Essays -- this package includes  5 hours of consultant time (including time spent with student for in-person or virtual sessions or exchange and review of essay drafts via Google Docs or email)

• Personal Statement
• UT Short Answers
• UC Personal Insight Questions
• Supplemental Essays (Why Us, Why this Major, etc.)
• Honors College Application Supplemental Essays
• Competitive or Merit Scholarship Application Essays

SENIOR APPLICATION PACKAGE
($1,500)

COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE
($3,000)

• Review College List (1 hour)
  

 

• Application Strategy - action plan and time management (1 hour)
  

 

• Essays - brainstorming session (1 hour)

 

• Essay edits (4 hours included)

 

• Application review and submission - one application portal (1 hour)
  

 

• Merit Scholarships and/or FAFSA/CSS (1 hour)

 

• Review of award letters and Decision Day help (1 hour)

This package includes a total of 10 hours of consultant time. Allocated hours set forth above can be swapped around as desired by client in consultation with the Consultant.

Includes everything under the College List Package, the Essay Package, the Senior Application Package, PLUS the following additional services:

• Careers and college majors exploration (career assessments may be billed at additional rates)
  

• Course selection, extracurricular activities and outside interests, summer experiences: creation of Student Story (if applicable -- purchased prior to junior year)
  

• College Resume
  

• Testing strategy (no test prep services are offered)
  

• Recommendations for campus visits
  

• Assistance with preparing for admissions interviews

This package includes a total of up to 25 hours of consultant time: some of this time will be spent directly with the student (in-person or virtual sessions) and some of it will be allocated to consultant research and/or pro-rated to emails, texts, and phone calls to student and/or family. Consultant will notify both the student and parent(s) at certain agreed intervals regarding time remaining under the package.

NOTE: The Package Price is set based on 25 hours of time, so if a student's Custom College List includes more than 10 schools and/or if the student needs significant assistance with essays, the student may need to supplement the hours included in this package by engaging Consultant to provide additional help via hourly rate consultations.

HOURLY CONSULTATIONS
($150 PER HOUR)

SURGE PRICING

• Flexibility to select specific service components to create a Custom Package that best suits the needs of the student and the family
• Ideal for seniors looking for limited assistance with essays
• Can be used to add small increments of time to a package
  

• All hourly services will be $200 per hour if contracted for the following periods (outside of packages):
  • October 15 - November 2
  • December 15 - January 2
• Beginning September 1st of a student's senior year, purchase of the following packages will have the indicated price increase:
  • Senior Application Package: $2,000
  • Comprehensive Package: $4,000
    

INITIAL CONSULTATION

PAYMENT TERMS

• 30-minute complimentary consultation (virtual or telephone)
• We will discuss the student's academic profile and extracurricular activities, any colleges visited or under consideration, college majors or career plans (if known), and the family's general financial goals
  
• I will provide an overview of each of the services offered so that the student and family can evaluate which package plan or hourly options might best suit their needs
  
• Primary purpose is getting to know each other
  

• Installment plans available for packages
  • Minimum down-payment of 20% of package price before beginning services
  • Package plan payments must be completed by August 15th before student's senior year
    
• College List, Essay and Senior Application Packages can be upgraded to Comprehensive Package (with credit for funds paid for the lower-priced package)
  
• Payment Methods:
  • Zelle (preferred)
  • Paypal
  • Venmo (limited to hourly rate engagements)
  • Check

EXPLANATION OF EACH SERVICES COMPONENT

• Career and Major Exploration - If you look here, you will see some of the career interest and college major assessments that I will undertake with the student. These assessments can help a student identify strengths and interests that will prove useful in identifying career interests and possible college majors. Taken as a whole, these tests often paint a cohesive picture of a student's overall path toward professional fulfillment and career satisfaction.
• Courses, Extracurricular Activities and Summer Programs/Jobs - I can assist students in selecting courses, extracurricular activities and summer programs or jobs that align with the student's career interests, planned college major or general interests. Even if the student remains undecided about a major or career path, I can help him shape his extracurricular and summer activities into a compelling and cohesive profile.
• Custom College List- For many families, this is the critical core service provided by college access consultants. The student's Custom College List will tighten or sharpen in focus over time, based on my ongoing conversations with the student and our assessment of priorities of the student and family and the student's academic credentials. The ultimate goal is for the student to have a solid list of 6-10 schools on the Custom College List by the end of junior year. As you can see from my Sample Custom College List, I do provide students and families with detailed projections of expected merit aid (caveat that the amount of detail I can provide will vary depending on the transparency of the colleges in question). My hope is that having personalized financial projections will serve as a useful aid to students as they weigh which schools to apply to in the fall of senior year.
• Financial Aid and Affordability Strategies- Affordability informs most of my discussions with students and families. I believe most students can and should avail themselves of ways to maximize affordability for their undergraduate education, given the likelihood that many of them will pursue postgraduate studies. I've expanded on my philosophy regarding financial affordability here.
• College Resume - A college resume is often submitted as a supplemental item with college applications and can be used in college interviews and discussions with college admissions representatives at college fairs or school visits. I will assist students in creating the content and organization for a college resume, and I will provide them with a selection of templates. I will also assist with finalizing the chosen format to create a polished and professional final product.
• SAT/ACT Timeline and Strategy - I will help students decide when to take the SAT and/or ACT, which of the two tests may be the best fit if the student doesn't want to take both, devise a timeline and decision process regarding whether and when to retake either or both tests, and advise the student on whether and when SAT Subject Tests should be taken (if those tests are required by colleges on the student's Custom College List). I do not offer SAT/ACT test prep services; however, I can refer students to individual tutors or help them review various test prep companies that offer boot-camps or small group sessions.
• Application Strategy & Time Management - I can help students identify whether to submit a early decision application through either ED I or ED II windows, or if no ED application will be submitted, whether and how to take advantage of the early action (EA) and/or rolling admissions policies of other colleges on the student's Custom College List. Many colleges are now "test optional" for purposes of undergraduate admissions, and I can assist students with evaluating whether to take advantage of any test-optional schools on the Custom College List. I will also assist the student in creating a time management system for managing the layered, progressive and strict deadlines associated with college admissions and financial aid/scholarships. This service also includes my assistance in helping students identify the best prospects for the required letters of recommendation.
• CommonApp, Coalition, and ApplyTexas Guidance - I can assist students in navigating the Common Application, Coalition Application and/or ApplyTexas Application. We can complete the basic information screens together, and then I can insure the student understands how to complete the supplemental portions that are specific to each college on the Custom College List. If desired, I can review the final application to insure completeness and flag any inconsistencies or unanswered questions before the student hits submit (note: we may need to discuss a fee adjustment for this service, depending on the number of colleges on the student's application list)
• Essay Brainstorming and Writing Tips - Essays, particularly the Personal Statement Essay that is submitted with every application, can be a critical component of the student's application package. I can devote a session to brainstorming possible topics, helping develop the essay structure and content, and providing the student with writing and editing pointers that will help insure stronger essays.
• Essay Editing - As noted, some students may require more editing assistance than remains available in the hours allocated for the Comprehensive Package. In that case, the student may need to engage my services at my hourly rate.
• FAFSA/CSS Profile Guidance - In addition to this linked presentation with an overall guide to the financial aid process, including the basics of how to complete the FAFSA and CSS forms to apply for financial aid, I can offer more in-depth assistance with navigating and completing these forms. My FAFSA Tips sheet provides answers to some frequently-asked questions and scenarios (divorced parents, adoptive parents, undocumented parents, etc.), but many families may prefer more hands-on guidance.
• Decision Day Guidance - Believe it or not, submitting the applications and meeting the deadlines may not be the most stressful aspect of this process. Making a final choice can throw students and their families into turmoil. I can assist students and families with analyzing financial aid award letters and the academic fit and opportunities for a student at each of his or her admitted schools. As part of this process, we can discuss strategies for negotiating a stronger financial aid package from a preferred school. We will also consider the student's plans for postgraduate studies and how each admitted school will advance the student's expressed career interests.
• Waitlist/Deferral Negotiating Tips - If the student was wait-listed at one of his or her preferred schools, I can assist with the post-decision letter that can be sent to a wait-listed school, analyze the odds and timing of being offered a wait-listed seat, and a strategy for accepting another offer, pending the wait-list decision. I can also assist a student who wishes to defer admission and take a gap year.