Contact Mary Spiegel at spiegelcollege@gmail.com for availability and current fees.
Comprehensive College Planning
Spiegel College Planning offers personalized support and advice to students and families in their college search, application, and admission process. When you engage SCP, we become your college coach, guiding your son or daughter through a meaningful college search, seeking college options that are suitable and a “right fit” for the student, while striving to minimize the stress and anxiety of this process.
To start the process, we talk about goals and interests and review the student’s academic profile and course plans for future years. Looking beyond academics, we advise students on their activities and resume development/leadership. We discuss ideas regarding majors and careers, and help students explore how their aptitudes and interests can inform the college list development. We also guide students’ test plans and confer regarding test preparation to find the right approach for the SAT and ACT.
An important component of the Comprehensive College Planning package is our work together on the list of colleges to research. We help students try to develop a sense of “fit,” and coach the students to research colleges in-depth through online tools as well as effective campus visits. Throughout the year, we revise and adjust the college list together—a very fluid process! Later, with scores and grades in hand, we come to a solid target application list.
During the summer before senior year, we work closely with the student, to help them create a cohesive and compelling application for each college. We have brainstorming sessions for the personal statements and the many supplemental writing prompts, following up with appropriate editing suggestions to help the student produce their best work.
In the fall of senior year, we offer final reviews of applications prior to submission and help students pull together the many pieces of the application process. We also conduct mock interviews to prepare students to articulate their strengths and interests. We provide guidance concerning the confusing maze of Early Decision and Early Action plans, and we guide the student and parents as they discern the best fit among admission options in the winter and spring of senior year, as well as waiting list strategies if needed.
Initial Consultations/Single Sessions
Prospective new client families always begin with an Initial Consultation. Prior to the meeting, we request the student’s academic records, to carefully prepare for the session.
In this meeting, we review the student’s profile, assess the college planning needs, and discuss a preliminary outline of their college search and admission process. This consultation provides the student and family with a thorough counseling session to launch their college planning process. Together we discuss specifics, such as the student’s academic profile; course selection; student activity resume assessment; academic goals including any academic remediation needs or enrichment ideas; summer plans; test planning; college expectations, and more. Our informed perspective regarding “how colleges read the application” provides the framework for this meeting and the student’s goal setting.
There is no obligation on either party to continue after an Initial Consultation. It is an opportunity to be sure of the “fit” between the student and Spiegel College Planning. If the family engages in the Comprehensive College Planning Service within one month, the fee paid for this meeting will apply to that program.
Single Session: In some situations, a family may simply desire one “stand-alone” meeting to address specific issues or concerns.
Some families seek this at the start of high school, to start off on the right footing, and to map out goals and expectations for the high school years. A single meeting can also be a helpful “mid-high school” reflection for a student in grades 10 and 11 and can lead to a better understanding of steps they need to take in order to have more options in their college search.
We generally cover everything listed above in the Initial Consultation, as appropriate, and address specific concerns a parent or student might have.
(Please note that we cannot make list recommendations or advise about admission probabilities to specific colleges in a Single Session or Initial Consultation.)
Important Disclaimer: All independent educational consultants (IECs) offer advisory services only. We make no claims concerning the guarantee of admission to specific colleges or universities. Admission decisions are based on multiple subjective factors and are made solely at the discretion of the colleges and universities. Families who engage our services accept that we are not making guarantees or promises regarding admission decisions.
April 22, 2021 