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"While we cannot make a guarantee
that a student will gain acceptance into a specific
college, we do make the commitment to provide our
clients with comprehensive guidance necessary to
improve the chances of college acceptance based on
each student’s unique set of experiences." |
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COLLEGE SELECTION
Higher Ed Strategies, LLC College Planning Services are
designed to help students prepare for the college admissions
process through an assessment of their college aspirations,
high school plan of study, academic record, and
extracurricular activities. We believe that successful
college students select schools that "fit" their
personalities and academic ability while offer challenging
yet realistic opportunities.
We help students develop a comprehensive College Plan that
outlines action items necessary to prepare the student for
college acceptance and success. We recognize the uniqueness
of each student and his or her family and therefore
customize our services to meet each student’s specific
needs. During our initial assessment meeting, we determine
the level of assistance the student may need with each of
the following college selection planning areas:
HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM MAPPING -
ACADEMIC PREPAREDNESS
Students who are planning to apply to college in their
senior year of high school can benefit from early academic
preparedness through High School Curriculum Mapping. It is
important that high school students create a plan of study
that includes courses that colleges and universities look
for when reviewing admissions applications.
Our High School Curriculum Mapping service helps students
identify and map out a high school plan of study that
includes courses that provide a sound foundation for college
success and improve their college admissions options.
Through this service, we help students;
- Create a comprehensive academic portfolio if student
is in 8th grade, freshman or sophomore year;
- Assist with review of high school coursework completed
thus far and offer areas, if any, to modify if student is
in the junior or senior year;
- Consider potential fields of study in college based on
this review;
- Discussion about student interests in regard to
college
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Many students believe that they should be involved in as
many high school and community activities as possible,
including sports. In reality, most admissions offices frown
upon involvement in too many activities as opposed to just a
few that the student might be truly passionate about and/or
excel in. Our review of extracurricular activities helps
students take an inventory of their activities to determine
which ones would best support their desired college
admission outcomes.CREATING THE LONG COLLEGE INTEREST
LIST
Many students know that they want to pursue a college degree
but become very overwhelmed with the search for the right
school. While we do not have an exact formula for choosing
the “right” college, we are able to help students create a
list of colleges that meet the student’s college search
criteria. We consider this the long list of institutions to
which the student will consider visiting and/or submitting
an application.
Once the long list is developed, we help the
student narrow the list to schools to which the student will
apply. We do this by examining the academic record, high
school plan of study, extracurricular activities, and
strengths and weaknesses of the student. During this
process, we help students examine the following areas that
must be considered when creating their college application
list:
- Large school vs. medium school vs. small school
- Public school vs. private school
- Liberal Arts school vs. specialty school
- Religious vs. non-religious
- Local vs. some distance vs. very far
- Same gender vs. co-ed
- Live on campus vs. commute
- Value of internship opportunities
PREPARING FOR THE CAMPUS VISIT
Some would argue that the most important component of the
college search process is the campus visit. It gives
students and their families an opportunity to get a glimpse
into campus life from many facets including academic
facilities, campus housing, dining, student life and
athletic facilities. Additionally, the campus visit can
provide many opportunities for interaction with current
students and testimonials regarding the positive and
negative aspects of attending that particular school.
Since most students visit a campus for part of one day,
there are several ways that one can maximize the time spent
on campus and collect as much information as possible about
the school. We assist students with strategies to make the
most of their campus visits, including advice on how to
navigate Open Houses, what to say in an informational
meeting with an admissions counselor and what to ask on the
campus tour. Some of the areas we consider when reviewing
the campus visit experience include:
- When to visit
- How to personalize your visit
- Overnight visits
- Classroom visits
- Personal visits with coaches, professors and/or
students
- Campus tours
- Open houses
- Meetings with admissions counselors
- Preparation for a formal interview
- Preparation for a one-on-one information session
- Group information sessions
- Role of family visit
We can also offer some strategies to let prospective
colleges know that you are interested and that you would
attend there if accepted.
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