High School Academic and Extracurricular Advising

Get personalized advice on best classes to take and how to spend your time after school.

We can address questions like:

• Should I pursue an Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum or an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum?

• Should I stay on the soccer team?

• What volunteer ideas should I pursue?

• How should I spend my summer?

Best Fit College List

College selection based on student profile and student preferences regarding:

• Geography - Northeast, West Coast, Mid West...A school in rural Maine will feel very different than one in Los Angeles, California

• Size - Less than 2000 students, more than 20,000 and everything in between

• Institutional culture - Are school traditions important to you? Do you want a school with a Greek system? What do students do in their free time?

• Academic programs - Liberal Arts v. Professional Programs etc.

• Athletics - Do you want to watch? Do you want to play? What are the big sports on campus?

• Arts - What kind of outlet are you looking for? Conservatory/institute style training or casual and accessible but perhaps less rigorous?

• Probability of admissions - Through an analysis of scores, transcript and activities, we help assess a realistic probability of admission

• Financial Fit - What is your family's budget?

• Other miscellaneous criteria.

Application Process Management

• Teacher recommendations - Who should the student pick? How does the student effectively approach his recommenders?

• Interview - Through coaching and mock interviews,  the student will feel confident during the interview.

• Admission deadline strategy - Janelle will provide guidance on the admission deadline strategy: Early Action, Early Action  Single Choice, Early Decision, Regular Decision, Rolling Admissions.

• Final touches - Janelle will ensure applications are complete and polished before submission.

• Activity lists - How does the student spend his/her time outside of school? We work to describe the student's activities in a meaningful, substantive yet concise way.

• Short answers - Short writing samples can be tricky. They must be direct but powerful.

• Main essay - The essay is the student's opportunity to show the admissions officers 'who they are.' Though you will hear this a thousand times, it's true. This is easier said than done; that's why we're here to help. The essay writing process starts with a strong concept that highlights some of the student's key character and intellectual traits. Then we infuse some creativity and figure out how we're going to tell this story. From there, the essay goes through several revisions until we have a product that is nuanced, purposeful, and clear.

• Supplemental essays - Many universities require additional essays to learn more about certain topics such as why the student wants to attend their institution or why they are picking a particular major. Content for these writing samples should not be redundant and compliment other elements of the application.

• Help make the final decision on where the student will enroll by comparing acceptances and financial aid offers.

• Determine waitlist strategy if appropriate.

• Provide guidance on how to prepare for the first year of college.