Our College Consultants Work With You One-on-one To Drive The Best Results

The college search and application process, while exciting, has so many moving parts that it can make your head spin! There is so much to consider before you even apply to make sure that each of the schools on your list is a good fit. You need someone who can guide you through the college search process to find colleges that will match you socially, academically, financially and emotionally. That’s where we come in. Our goal is to make this adventure as fun and stress-free as possible. This is an exciting time and we want you to enjoy every aspect of the journey.

• Our team of experienced professionals helps students:
• Identify good college matches
• Manage milestones
• Oversee the application process
• With essay advice
• Prepare for interviews
• Apply for financial aid
• Choose the school they will attend

We invite you to read what students and their families have to say about their experiences in working with Signature College Counseling. Here is one example of a student from Florida in Orange County, New York who we helped find and attend a school that was his best fit. His name has been changed to maintain his privacy.

A Signature College Counseling Monroe, NY Success Story

Brody, who attended Seward High School in Florida, NY, is a reserved, analytical and intellectual young man who had an interest in computer science, but also was exploring a myriad of other majors. He is a voracious reader and thirsted for knowledge wherever he could get it. Unfortunately, his high school offered few rigorous courses, which was frustrating for Brody, and so he sought classes outside of his high school where he could experience greater course rigor that would challenge him. One opportunity he took advantage of was the Harvard Summer School Program where he took the Fundamentals of Particle Physics. He had near perfect grades, as well as test scores, and his goal was to attend a highly selective school. He ultimately became a National Merit Semifinalist and also was awarded the College Board National Hispanic Recognition.

An Impressive High School Activity Resume

Although I wouldn’t say that athletics were Brody’s passion or greatest strength, he enjoyed participating in the Seward soccer and baseball teams. He was elected by his peers to be Class President in both his sophomore and junior years and enjoyed volunteering at his local library helping children with their summer reading. Brody was also the Student Council President, again elected by his peers, charged with running meetings as well as organizing school events, such as pep rallies and dances. He was invited by the district superintendent to be the student representative on the District Advisory Team representing his peers on their views and goals for their high school. Brody also had a passion for music. He played the alto saxophone and had taught himself the guitar and flute. In addition, his love for skiing and snowboarding was evident by being an officer in the school’s ski and snowboard club. Brody was highly interested in our environment and made sure that his household was as green as it could be.

Brody’s College Wish List

It was a requirement for Brody for all the schools on his list to have computer science as a major, but he also considered data analytics and environmental sciences. He wanted schools in any type of environment other than a completely urban campus, like NYU. He would consider schools of all sizes other than a very large school like Penn State. Brody wanted to be within driving distance of home, which essentially made his boundaries in the northeast. Although participating in varsity sports was not even a consideration, he did want to be sure that he could be involved in intramural activities, as well as a focused and innovative student body.

Ideal Schools

Although we definitely included highly selective schools on Brody’s list, we also made sure that we had some safety schools as well. His range of schools included:

• University of Richmond – Smaller liberal arts institution, although located in the south, that pulled from all parts of the country and especially the northeast, which we considered a safety for Brody.
• Lehigh University – A school rooted in STEM with a great focus on engineering but has expanded to various areas in business as well as the humanities. We slated this as a safety school for him as well.
• Johns Hopkins University – Right up Brody’s alley, again rooted in STEM but a university that is trying to expand the public’s view beyond that. This we categorized as a wildcard since it’s one of those schools that is ultra selective, in the Ivy League category.
• MIT – Located in the heart of Cambridge, MA with parts of it being urban, it is the quintessential STEM school that has one of the most selective admissions acceptance rates in the country. Needless to say, this we categorized as a wildcard.
• Dartmouth College – Brody visited this school later in his process and fell in love with every facet of its existence. It is more remote, located in NH, bordering Vermont. Skiing was at its doorstep with a smaller, quaint town surrounding it. Yes, it’s an Ivy League and so we categorized it as a wildcard.

Brody also applied to Harvard, Northeastern and Binghamton, amongst other schools.

The End Result

In the end, Brody applied to Dartmouth College Early Decision, since it was his front runner choice by far. Applying Early Decision means that it is binding, meaning that if Brody got accepted he had to attend. Ultimately, we were so excited that Brody did get accepted to Dartmouth Early Decision and that is where he is today, thriving, learning, exploring amongst a group of students that he has found to be his people at a higher education institution that is everything that he could have ever wanted.

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.