Consultation #1

Getting Started:  What you need to know to be successful in the college admissions process; what you can do now to improve your chances of success; and how college admissions officers would evaluate your application today

List of Services Provided

You’ll receive the following services that set Upstate College Planning Services apart from our competitors:

• Provide you and your family with an experienced college executive’s view on the college admissions process
• Share insider knowledge about the factors that drive college admissions today
• Discuss what’s behind the admissions information that gets communicated to high school guidance offices and independent consultants
• Discuss how colleges and universities develop their admissions priorities, and what implications that has for your application
• Discuss what otherwise unremarkable aspects of your background might appeal to college executives

Plus, you’ll receive all of the following:

• Clarify the importance of grades, test scores, rank in class, jobs, extracurricular activities, interviews, financial resources, and other factors in the application process
• Undertake a thorough review of your current academic and personal profile
• Provide you and your parents with a detailed analysis of where you stand at present in terms of potential college admissions based on your interests, classes, grades, rank in class, test scores, activities, internships, athletic/artistic accomplishments, and your school’s college profile
• Define and discuss the range of colleges and universities to which you might apply today
• If that list is viewed as desirable, discuss ways to ensure that your application portfolio remains strong
• If the list is viewed as undesirable, identify and describe what needs to happen in order to increase the options available to you
• Provide you and your parents with an overview of the college planning process, including timetables for standardized testing, early and regular decision admissions, financial aid, and applications
• Assist you and your parents in developing a customized calendar of tasks and due dates, including an application process schedule
• Offer feedback on your current course schedule, activities, and standardized test results
• Discuss and evaluate alternative methods of test preparation, including self-study, classes, and private tutors
• Review ideas for future extracurricular involvement, summer activities, and academic pursuits, focusing on talents and interests that will strengthen your application
• Encourage you and your parents to think broadly with regard to the college application process, not foreclosing institutions initially due to cost, selectivity, or other factors
• Offer general advice about how to pick the right college
• Help you and your family understand the distinctions among various levels, sectors, and types of colleges
• Set goals for continuing with the UCPS process, if you choose to do so

Contact us now for further information