Why Do You Need an Independent College Consultant?
1. “A house may be the most expensive thing most families buy, but college–which is second most expensive–is far more 
important in the long run. College decisions are actually more crucial because they affect the teenager’s future”
College consultants are specialists in helping you make this important investment and decisions.
2. The college application and admissions process is very competitive and challenging. It is NOT the same college process that parents undertook 20 years ago! There are 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States alone and many colleges have acceptance rates of less than 10%!
3. I have identified the challenges of college admissions and I can help you overcome these challenges to make the process easier and the outcome more successful.
CHALLENGE: Family relationships
Many times, families get into a struggle in high school about college admissions. This may be due to normal teenage behavior, rebellion or hormones. It may be because of conflicting priorities between parents and students. Or it could just be because relationships turn into constant nagging about which essays need to be written, which applications are due, and who forgot to submit something. When teenagers hear advice from a third party, they are more likely to believe it and follow through. Yes, this drives parents nuts, but capitalize on it and let the college consultant do the ‘nagging’.
CHALLENGE: Time and Knowledge
Most parents don’t have the time to manage the entire process and know everything that is going on in the college admissions field. Even well-informed parents can’t keep up with new academic programs at Californian colleges, lower acceptance rates at Ivy Leagues, new scholarship opportunities at school colleges, and everything that the student should be doing to get into all of those colleges!
CHALLENGE: College ‘Fit’
There are many reasons families use college consultants, but I believe the most important one is finding a college that truly fits the 
individual student. The value of a college consultant lies in her knowledge in recommending colleges and academic programs that “fit” the individual student as well as their ability to take into consideration outside factors, such as college size and location, parental budget, extracurricular activities, Greek life and campus culture.
Students who matriculate to schools that are a “fit” generally stay at that college and graduate in 4 to 5 years. Students who choose colleges for the wrong reason are at risk for dropping out, transferring (which puts off graduation), and having a poorer college experience. Nationwide, 34% of college students transfer schools at some point before earning a degree. An independent college admissions counselor helps your child select and apply to the appropriate colleges to ensure the right “fit.” Former clients of Brand College Consulting have a transfer rate of only 4%!!
CHALLENGE- Graduating on time
According to federal statistics, only 27% of college students who attend public colleges graduate in four years. Colleges instead use their 6 year graduation rates to help turn focus away from the small 4 year graduation rate numbers.
Unfortunately, we still are not graduating more than half of all students who enter higher education: Texas ranks 35th in the nation with our 6 year grad rate of 48%. If you’re paying for your child’s college like most parents, that difference is another year or two of tuition, and room and board, and books and other miscellaneous expenses. It adds up: with the average public college cost of attendance, parents are looking at an additional $44,000 for that kid who takes 6 years to graduate. If your student is considering private college, the additional two years will cost you an extra $87,000!
How Brand College Consulting can help you save time and money
Students who go through the college process without professional assistance:
- More likely to transfer, which costs application fees and lost time
- More likely to lose credit because of a wrong ‘fit’ at college
- More likely to lose out on scholarship or financial aid because of missed deadlines or lost paperwork
- Less likely to apply to colleges that offer large academic scholarships
- Less likely to get accepted into the college of their choice because of a missed opportunity, or unknown requirement
Students who are clients of Brand College Consulting:
- More likely to stay at chosen college
- More likely to enjoy senior year and college life
- Less likely to return home after a year as a college dropout
- More likely to get large scholarship offers and financial aid awards- The average financial aid and scholarship package for BCC clients is over $31,000.
Case Study of ACTUAL clients of Brand College Consulting
#1- An area high school senior, Stuart*, wanted to study engineering at a large state university. Although in the top quarter of class
rank, since he wasn’t in the top 10% he didn’t know if he could get into UT or A&M. After speaking with Stuart and his parents about their goals and preferences, it was discovered that his parents probably couldn’t afford $20,000/year at UT or A&M and also pay for his two younger brothers to go to college.
We helped Stuart select several other large out-of-state universities that might offer more financial aid and scholarships while encouraging him to prepare for the SAT and ACT. After scoring very well on the ACT, our focus narrowed to universities with large guaranteed academic scholarships. During spring of senior year, Stuart received word that he was accepted into A&M, but even better news came when we found out that one of the large out-of-state universities not only accepted him but offered him FULL TUITION with a value of more than $95,000 over four years!
This family’s return on investment of the $3,000 paid in my services was over $95,000!
#2- A local high school student, Brittany*, was very involved in her school and community. She wanted to be Pre-medical but since she would be the first in her family to graduate from college, she didn’t know much about the process or which colleges to apply to. We guided Brittany and her family through selection of colleges and suggested several visits to help her decide what she liked and didn’t like. This led to a search for a well-regarded small liberal arts college where she could get a great education but wouldn’t feel like a number on a huge campus. After more research and guidance into the right electives, community service, and clubs, Brittany got accepted into one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Brittany also received a Dean’s Scholarship which was a merit-based full-tuition scholarship plus $5,000 stipend, which allowed this college with a total price tag of more than $50,000/year to be feasible at only $12,000/year for the family.
This family’s return on investment of the $2,800 for my services was over $157,000!
* names have been changed to protect identities
Want to find out more or schedule a free 30 minute consultation? Please use the Contact Form to send Jolyn an email.
