An Independent Educational Consultant (IECs) is a skilled professional who provides counseling to help students and families choose a school, college, or other program that is a good personal match: one that will foster the student’s academic and social growth. Independent Educational Consultants (IECs) can provide a student and family with individual attention, firsthand knowledge of hundreds of educational opportunities, and the time to explore all of the options. 
With their extensive knowledge of schools and colleges, IECs can broaden the potential choices, and provide vital help in weighing factors such as cost, location and curriculum. With an IEC, your student has the opportunity to explore a wider variety of options and discuss possibilities in a meaningful way. Because they are not tied to any specific school or college, IECs are not burdened with unrelated duties, and are available at the family’s convenience—not just during school hours during the school year.

As you may have heard the public school budgets are in a crunch, and public school counselors are busier than ever.  Most high school counselors do an excellent job, but they have large caseloads including hundreds of students and many duties in addition to college counseling. In contrast, I am able to focus on a small number of students, which allows me to give each student all the individual attention he or she needs.

Also, some of the college application process takes place outside of the normal school hours. I am available to assist parents and students through the process over the summer, on weekends, and during winter.

The earlier in the process, the better. The best college planning starts before or during freshman year of high school. This allows time to flesh out the student’s ideal academic program, delineate interests and lay the foundation for a progression of directed summer and extracurricular activities. Sophomore and junior years are the most popular options. Although we work with seniors, it is best not to wait until 12th grade as more strategic planning can be done in earlier grades. This is one of the main reasons we’ve chosen to work with middle school students and 9th grade students for free. These early years are critical in developing a plan and helping the student along the path.

As a College Consultant, my job and passion is to find the right college and major for each individual student. Every year, I work with students who are in the top 5% of their class and want to attend Ivy League universities, students in the top quarter who go to state private or public universities, students who want to start at community colleges and even students who would prefer trade or vocational schools instead of a ‘typical’ college. Every student needs guidance through this stressful process.