COLLEGE CONSULTANTS THAT HELP YOU IDENTIFY BEST-FIT SCHOOLS AND MAXIMIZE ADMISSION POTENTIAL
With so many moving parts, the college admissions process is overwhelming and can be quite confusing. A variety of questions may be running through your mind:
• What high school classes should I take to help my admissions chances?
• How can I find the schools that I can afford?
• How do I make sure that I manage my college process properly?
• How do I even begin to start my college search?
• I’ve narrowed down my list of schools, now what?
• How do you go about applying to schools?
• What should I write my essay about?
• Which school should I say yes to?
At Signature College Counseling, we help you answer all these questions and more. We work with you one-on-one to find out what aspects of a school really matter to you and then help you find the schools that are the best fit. Our experienced team will also counsel you on how to optimize your admission chances, starting as early as Freshman year. We create a personalized admissions plan just for you with set milestones so that you are on top of upcoming deadlines and avoid costly mistakes.
The Signature College Counseling team can assist you with
• College search
• Managing your timeline and process
• Application assistance
• Essay guidance
• Interview preparation
• Financial aid applications
• Final selection
Our consultants have worked with over 600 families and counting and invite you to read what they have to say about their experiences. Here is one example of a student from Carmel in Putnam County, New York who we helped find and attend a school that was her best fit. Her name has been changed to maintain his privacy.
A Signature College Counseling Carmel, NY Success Story
Aubrey, who attended Carmel High School in Putnam County, is a diligent, energetic young lady who wanted to major in business. Her transcript was solid with grades being in the 90’s throughout high school with a couple of grades in the 80’s mixed in. Her parents are divorced and it was important that she receive funding to assist her parents in putting her through college. Since her dad attended University of Maryland (UMD), she was highly focused on attending there. Our greatest concern about her focus on UMD is that they are not a school to provide much merit funding and only provide financial aid to the neediest of students, which is not the category Aubrey fit into. Thankfully, she was also very interested in Binghamton University, where the price was right since it was an in-state institution. The challenge here would be getting accepted into their business school, which is highly competitive.
High School and Extracurricular Activities
Aubrey was inducted into the National Honor Society, Italian Honor Society and the Business Honor Society. She enjoyed participating in FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) as well, which is what piqued her interest in a business career. Also an athlete, Aubrey participated in lacrosse throughout high school as well as volleyball on a club level. She kept very busy with her volunteer work promoting cancer awareness and coaching young girls in lacrosse. Aubrey was the treasurer in student government for her junior and senior year and was selected to mentor incoming freshmen with their transition to high school. She also had a passion for Italian, taking it throughout high school, and learned more about Italian culture through the Italian American Club. In addition, Aubrey had a job since 10th grade at various establishments throughout the community. Needless to say, she kept herself very busy!
Quickly Jumping into the College Search
Coming to us at the very beginning of her senior year, we knew we needed to move fast to compile Aubrey a list of schools that fit her needs, socially, academically, financially and emotionally. It was a plus that Aubrey’s grades and test scores were solid. Not over the top, but a 1210 would be submittable at many of the institutions on her list.
Aubrey wanted to stay within driving distance from home and attend a larger university. Since business was her focus, we selected schools that had a valued and expansive business program, as well as were known for providing merit and financial aid to reduce her net cost within the financial boundaries of her parents.
Carefully Selected List of Targeted Colleges
Aubrey’s list had a range of schools that included:
• SUNY Binghamton, a school she was very interested in with an excellent and renowned business program with excellent contacts in the NY area.
• University of Maryland, her dad’s alma mater, with an excellent business program, but most probably not within the financial boundaries that her parents have outlined.
• University at Buffalo, NY’s large D1 school which has a business program that is thriving.
• University of Rhode Island, where we knew she would get plenty of funding and has a solid business program.
• University of Massachusetts Amherst, with the Isenberg School of Business, one of their most selective schools to gain entrance to, and although we believed she would get some funding from them we weren’t sure if she would be accepted into Isenberg.
• University of Delaware, Lerner School of Business and Economics, which has risen in the rankings over the years and is a solid and competitive program. The school has started to provide more funding as the years have gone on so we had some hope that they meet Aubrey’s family’s financial needs
The End Result
Aubrey was thrilled and beside herself when she got accepted into Binghamton’s School of Management! She seemed to have forgotten about University of Maryland and was all in with Binghamton University. She got accepted to many of her schools with funding that would have brought her within range of her financial boundaries but, in the end, Binghamton checked off all of the boxes and we are happy to say that she is thriving there.
If you are looking for help with the college search and admissions process, our consultants are ready to help. Call or email us today to learn more.
