Frequently asked questions:

When should we start the college planning process?
As with all planning, the earlier you start the better.  The ideal time for most families is when your son or daughter is a sophomore or junior in high school, as we have more flexibility with the strategies.  Even earlier is great, if you have the foresight, but for most families starting during their junior year is a fine time-frame.  If you have a senior and you’re just finding our services, please don’t fret, as we can implement many of the strategies to help you, but our time-frame is more limited.  If you have a student athlete that may be eligible to play sports at a college-level, then the earlier we meet the better.

How much do your services cost?
Our services range from $125 to $1395, depending on what the family’s needs are. We go over our services in detail during our free initial consultation and determine what planning would be the most beneficial for your situation. We typically don't take on new clients unless there is a significant reduction to their out of pocket costs. Our services are a fit for most families with income ranging on average from 40k to 300k.

Do clients actually realize the savings you have in the results page of your site?
Absolutely.  The results on the page are from actual clients, with the numbers rounded and the names hidden.  The majority of families we meet with are able to experience significant savings through working with us.  We don’t say this to impress you, rather to impress upon you the value of what our services have to offer.  Don’t you think that contacting us to see if we are able to help your family in a similar manner, is worth thirty minutes of your time?

Are there any common mistakes that you see families make?
Yes, this is a complicated process and because of that most families make mistakes.  We see families make mistakes on financial aid forms that usually cost them thousands in aid and often go unnoticed.  We also see students apply to schools that don’t meet a high percentage of aid and therefore the family receives inadequate financial aid awards.  Some of the mistakes that are the most common and most costly come from business owner because of the supplemental forms that are involved.  These are just a few, but there are many areas in the process where mistakes can happen.

Do you have any geographical restrictions on new clients?
No, we can work with clients anywhere in the country.  We are fortunate to live in the day and age where we can work with a client and their children, without ever having met with them face-to-face.  We do a blend of meetings on the phone, web-based (for example Skype or Webex), or face-to-face, whatever is easier for the client.  There are many times, even with local clients, that we’ll have meetings over the phone or web.  People are busy and this enables us to meet with them on their lunch hour or another time that’s convenient for them.

Will working with you increase my son/daughter’s admissions chances?
Of course it will!  Think of the admissions process like a job application: if you can help a candidate find the right job for their vocation along with a great company fit, you increase their chances of getting hired and loving where they work.  We help students with applications, essays, resumes, refining their school list and much more, and realize admissions is much more than just an application.  We help students create an individualized comprehensive package that helps them stand out from their peers.  All of these steps increase admission chances and create a viable candidate for your son/ daughter’s dream college.

Does sending our child to community college and then to private college reduce our cost?
We have an article about this very topic in the news section.  For most families, the cost to transfer to a private college from a community college is actually more than having initially gone to a private college.  This is simply because a family has more leverage with four year colleges competing for financial aid.  In addition, graduation rates at most community colleges are low and transfer students typically receive lack luster aid awards.  If you are seriously thinking about this, please schedule a time to meet with us and we’ll discuss this more in-depth with you.