Northwest College Search offers hourly virtual services to guide students toward college. My goal is to efficiently help a student when and how they need it. I can serve as a resource at any point in these processes. There is no obligation to sign up for more than you need. The range of options includes the following tasks:
Navigating high school (grades 8 through 11)
selecting appropriate courses to stay on track for target colleges
achieving beyond the classroom
pursuing leadership opportunities
learning self-advocacy skills
planning summer activities
creating athletic or artistic plans
Applying to good-fit schools (grade 12)
preparing and refining the basic Common Application (and others like CSU, UC, Coalition, Apply Texas)
helping organize performing arts auditions and tasks
suggestions for assembling the art portfolio (for future art majors) and obtaining critiques
finishing ACT or SAT testing
working extensively on written parts of the application (essays, short answers, etc.)
advising on financial aid paperwork (always FAFSA and often CSS Profile)
Narrowing the field (grades 10 and 11)
roughly identifying a suitable group of colleges, based on an evaluation of interests and strengths
preparing to attend college fairs to become more familiar with schools
planning for appropriate SAT and ACT testing and deciding whether extra preparation will be beneficial
evaluating special talents and considerations, including sports
understanding family circumstances, financial and otherwise, and how they affect college decisions
Deciding where to go (grade 12)
evaluating and comparing financial aid packages (including student loans)
reviewing how schools match personal goals
suggesting how to visit or revisit schools under consideration, if necessary
Developing the college list (grade 11)
evaluating the high school transcript and test scores
researching an initial list of colleges, developed with the student’s interests in mind, including arts or athletics
deciding which schools to apply early action or early decision to, if appropriate
planning for visits to schools on the list, as feasible
refining the college list based on the student’s research
preparing a calendar of deadlines for applications, scholarships, auditions, and so on
continuing work on supplemental materials, including the activities list, headshots or dance shots, videos, etc.