Working together
to find YOUR FIT
Comprehensive College Consulting & Admissions Insight
Our Team Collaboration Provides Individualized Support with Results
The College Options personalized, student-focused process is grounded in deep college knowledge, a commitment to student growth, and time-tested methods.
For more than 15 years, our team approach to college consulting has merged the personalized attention of a small practice with the resources of a combined 70+ years in education and admissions work. This team concept also extends to consultants who are members of the College Options Network. Working together, our collaboration brings more insight and resources to all of our clients.
“Thank you for helping us through this process with our 3 very different kids. You exposed us to colleges we had not thought of on our own, and your thoughtful approach took a lot of anxiety out of the process.”
— Diane (parent), Wellesley MA
We Help Your Student Find Their Voice
Going beyond simple copy edits, the College Options essay process is designed to bring out our students’ best voices while equipping them with writing skills for success in college. Our unique model capitalizes on our team approach to writing, beginning with oral storytelling through student interview coaching and ending with team input on both the content review and final copy.
What Students Take Away:
1 Metacognitive Development
that creates better understanding of themselves as writers, of their writing process, and of how to apply that knowledge to their future academic and professional work.
2 Writing Skills
from individualized instruction to address the student’s strengths and weaknesses.
3 Self Understanding
from a process heavy on self-analysis.
4 Critical Thinking Skills
5 Confidence & Pride
in their ability to work hard and persevere through a challenging process to produce writing that fully represents who they are.
College Planning Milestones, Tailored To Your Student’s Needs
Personalized Packages
All of our packages are provided virtually and are customized to the client’s needs.
Find the college consulting and application support services you need by exploring our range of packages now.
IDEAL FOR SOPHOMORES
COLLEGE
KNOWLEDGE
ADVISING
Our introductory college advising package is a great way to begin your college search with a focus on the remaining high school years. Clients also gain early access to our parent financial aid and affordability planning workshop.
IDEAL FOR JUNIORS
COMPREHENSIVE
COLLEGE
PLANNING
With an average of 20 meetings over 25 hours, this complete package is customized to your needs and includes our 4-unit parent webinar series. Expect total support as you navigate the college search and admissions process.
RISING SENIORS
TARGETED
COLLEGE
PLANNING
The Comprehensive College Consulting Package, compressed to a 10-hour meeting timeline, with the option to add hourly application and essay support. Clients also have access to our parent financial aid and affordability planning workshop.
ANYTIME
EXPRESS
CONSULT
Do you need advice around a very specific admissions question or a review of the balance of your list for affordable options? We can tailor a 90-minute to 3-hour consult, designed to assist with strategic college planning.
COMMON QUESTIONS
about hiring an independent educational consultant
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We firmly believe in meeting the student’s and family’s needs where they are when they walk through our virtual door. If it is sophomore year, and this is your first child to go to college, then we have a package to get you started, but not too overwhelmed. If you have a rising senior who has just become engaged in the college discussion, we have a more compressed package to help you and your student get on track as quickly as possible without losing opportunities to find good fit. Many of our families begin with us sometime just before, or during, first semester of junior year.
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We are ready for you! We pride ourselves in being equipped to manage most special circumstances in the admissions process, from athletics and the arts, to evaluations of pre-professional programs and assistance to students who are evaluating learning support services in their college search. During our thorough inquiry process, should we determine that we are can’t meet your needs within the College Options Network, we will not hesitate to refer you to a better-fit colleague.
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Great college fit is not reserved for the top 10% of the class. All college bound students should be encouraged to engage in the same level of thoughtful search, which includes academic, social and financial fit. It is equally important for a student who is just finding their academic footing to establish the qualities in a college environment which will enable them to continue to grow and succeed—and graduate in 4 years! We welcome students of all academic profiles, abilities and interests. The variety keeps us engaged and fosters creativity in the work we do with all of our clients.
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Just as with our other specialized knowledge, we treat financial aid education and affordability discussions as an integral part of the college conversation if the family makes this request. There is no additional fee for these services. Alternatively, we also offer some lower cost alternatives to families who would like to access just this financial aid and affordability expertise. Please see our services page for more information.
Affordability Planning
We believe that an awareness of real college costs and the prospect of need or merit-based aid should be the first step and not the last.
Our commitment to helping families understand their financial choices is underscored by our parent workshop offerings and public speaking engagements on this critical piece of the college conversation.
Guiding & Empowering
We have an enthusiasm for helping students find colleges that match both their interests and talents. College Options helps clients discover their best college fit, while empowering them with self-appraisal, advocacy and organizational skills—all of which result in a more successful transition to college.