Our college counselors come from a wide range of backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common – they want to help students. All of the counselors have studied at American colleges and universities and are familiar with the entire application process. They share a collective purpose of helping students find, prepare for, apply to and pay for the college or university that best fits them. Why do college counselors do it? They love helping students and seeing students reach their goals.

The good news is that colleges and universities are not looking for any one magic skill or number. The bad news is the same. It is tempting for students to focus solely on test scores and grades, but colleges and universities admit the whole student, not just the empirical data about the student. In fact, at many colleges, soft factors, such as community involvement and how a student has conquered adversity, count as much or more than a high GPA or perfect  SAT/ACT score.

Each component in an application is important as college admission committees look for students who will thrive at and contribute to their school. Your standardized tests demonstrate your preparation for the rigors of college. Your high school transcript shows not only your academic interests and strengths, but also how you handle academic challenges. Do you seek them out or hide in the refuge of an easy course load? Admission committees want to see that you have grown academically and as a person. Your admissions essay is an opportunity to explain how you have done so and to highlight your unique interests and personality. Volunteer work, interviews, and extracurricular activities provide a window into what you value. Therefore, it would be a disservice to students to only focus on one aspect of the application process to the detriment of others. Colleges look at the whole picture, which is why it is called a holistic review.

As mentioned above, the most common misconception is that a high enough GPA and good enough test scores will mean that a student can get into any college. While there are some colleges and universities who offer automatic admission based on grades or scores, those may not be the best fit for a particular student. Furthermore, the most selective colleges are flooded with applicants with similar grades and scores, and therefore focus on what else makes a particular applicant a good fit for that institution.

There are thousands of accredited four-year colleges and universities in the United States, each with different strengths and admission requirements. Students need help finding a school that meets their needs and goals, as well as help with the process of getting into those schools. Families need help finding ways to pay for their student’s education.

It varies with the student. We work with students to create a plan of action and schedule that are customized to their college admission goals. College counselors are available via e-mail, phone call, text, or even video-conferencing platforms like Zoom or Skype. We want to work with students and their families in a way that makes them comfortable.

College counselors look at students holistically, just as an admissions officer might. We evaluate their background – grades, test scores, classes taken, volunteer work, extracurricular activities. Then, most importantly, we talk to the students themselves to find out what they want from their college experience. If students are not sure, we suggest ways to discover their preferences, from college visits to alumni events. Once we know more about a student, we can create a list of schools that meet the needs of that individual.

Finding financial aid starts with selecting the right schools since most financial aid comes from the institutions themselves. As part of the narrowing process, we look at the aid available at different schools for each student and family situation. The manner in which each American college or university allocates financial aid varies drastically, so schools that look less expensive on paper are not necessarily so for a particular family. The first and most important part of finding financial aid is finding the right school.

The most important part of the interview is being comfortable and prepared, so that is what our college counselors emphasize. Students need to know to emphasize their strengths and interests without sounding arrogant, or worse, boring. We offer students advice about the most common types of interview questions and how to answer them. We conduct mock interviews, first ourselves and then we will even have colleagues come in to prepare students. Our practice helps students get over their jitters and be prepared to show their best self during the real interview.

Our proudest moment as college counselors is when we find out that our students have been admitted to the colleges or universities that fit them best. Our great accomplishment is helping students decide which college or university to attend, helping them get in, and seeing them embark on their college career.