Few decisions in a young adult’s life are as significant as choosing a college. The college you attend will influence not only the academic and extracurricular interests in which you participate over the coming years, but the people you meet, the values you develop, the career you choose, and the environment in which you pursue your hopes, aspirations and dreams.

Sure, primarily you’re going to college to receive the best education possible. But you may also have thought about other aspects of the college experience. Will you be able to participate in your favorite extracurricular activities? Will you receive the same time on the court or the stage as you did in high school? Will you be challenged to excel personally as well as academically? Will you meet new and interesting people? Will you make friends for life? Will you be happy?

As college counselors, we believe that what makes a school “good” is not so much its name, selectivity, or U.S. News & World Report ranking, but how good a match it is for you. With over 3000 colleges in the United States to choose from and many factors to consider such as - size, location, student body, faculty, academic programs/majors, research opportunities, available activities, student services, “feel” of the campus, cost and availability of financial aid and scholarships, not to mention the major concern of getting admitted – well, it can all be a little overwhelming. Our job is to help you sort through the choices, the statistics, the recommendations of friends and family, and help you figure out what schools make sense for you.

Many high school students are unsure of their goals and aspirations, and that is to be expected. For many of you, the college application process is extremely stressful. Thinking of a college consultant as your personal assistant should alleviate some of that anxiety. Our job in this process is to empower you, so we need to hear your voice. We want you to be confident and take responsibility for your college application process. We’ll be with you every step of the way to help you develop a list of schools (some of which you’ll be sure to get into, and all of which you’ll be thrilled to attend), present yourself on the applications, brainstorm the essays, solicit the recommendations, and manage the details, deadlines and interviews. Our priority is to help you successfully transition from high school to college. We ask that you be open-minded: there is no one perfect college - great education happens in many places. And remember, your attitude about learning and what you do in college is a better predictor of future success and happiness than the college you do finally attend.

To start looking into your options for college (and there are many more than you might think!), you can research schools online, take video tours, and email requests for additional information, brochures and videos. You can find many helpful links on our Resource Tools page.