Finally growing from adolescence to adulthood, moving toward independence…what an exciting time in your child’s life! But from trying to decide which colleges to consider, to the seemingly endless essay writing, to the long-awaited final decision, the college search process can be overwhelming, for both the parents and the student.
Whether you are looking for a comprehensive package beginning as early as ninth grade or simply help on essay development as a Senior, Atlanta Educational Consultants helps guide students and parents through the process with a full range of services.
Philosophy & Approach
At Atlanta Educational Consultants, we view college advisement and planning as one of the most exciting and critical stages of an adolescent’s social and emotional development. Thus from the initial interview through packing day for college, the student is in the driver’s seat. By taking control of their college admissions plan, students become increasingly self aware, confident, and invested in themselves and in their future.
As each student has an exceptionally unique background story to tell, all of our services are highly individualized. At Atlanta Educational Consultants, students receive the 1:1 attention needed to make each college application paint a rich and in-depth picture of their character, strengths, and passions. College admissions officers want to know “the core” of their applicants beyond transcripts and lists of extracurricular activities. Atlanta Educational Consultants guides students on a journey of self discovery so that this “core” is celebrated and permeates not only through the college admissions process but into how students go about making decisions and living their lives.
Our Services include:
Whether you are looking for a comprehensive package beginning as early as ninth grade to help build the foundation for a successful and well rounded high school experience or simply help on essay development as a Senior, Atlanta Educational Consultants helps guide students and parents through each step of the process with a full range of services.
In Depth Comprehensive Assessment & Records Review
- Personal interviews with parents and student to evaluate goals, interests, previous experiences, unique challenges, and learning style
- Review of educational history to date (evaluation of rigor, GPA, range of educational experiences and diversity of coursework)
- Review of standardized testing scores
- Administration of interest/aptitude testing to help guide selection of colleges and majors
- Identification of unique experiences, traits, and special talents
- Evaluation of study habits and learning style
- Referrals to academic tutors and coaches as needed for remediation and skills building
Course Selection and Student Resume Building
- Recommendations for course selection that matches students’ strengths and interests while meeting all graduation requirements
- Recommendations for extracurricular planning/summer enrichment activities/service opportunities/personal pursuits
- On-going evaluation of high school progress to keep on track
Standardized Test Preparation
- Recommendations to area’s best SAT/ACT tutors
- Guidance on which tests and subtests to take
College Selection: Finding the best fit college
- Creation of a “preferred college profile” – uniquely designed by the student to identify and prioritize what matters most to him/her
- Strategic college visit planning to make the most of on-campus visits
- Compilation of a “best fit” list of colleges uniquely suited to each student and a customized college evaluation grid to help with the decision making process
College Applications: Positioning the student to present the most compelling application materials
- Customized college application plan and timeline using MyCCA to track and organize each step of the application process
- Essay development and student resume preparation
- Admissions interview preparation
College Acceptance:
- Comparison and evaluation of admission packages
- Final decision making assistance
For Students with LD/ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, or Other Special Considerations
Atlanta Educational Consultants offers comprehensive college planning and advisement services designed for students with learning differences and other special considerations. We tailor our traditional advisement services to include a particular emphasis on evaluating the type of on and off campus supports a student will need to meet each student’s academic, social, and emotional needs.
In Depth Comprehensive Assessment & Records Review
- Comprehensive review of the student’s psycho-educational/neuro-psychological evaluations, high school course work , IEP/504 Plans, therapeutic history, high school coursework and any other relevant documents
- Personal interviews with parents and student to evaluate goals, interests, previous experiences, unique challenges, and learning style
- Administration of interest/aptitude testing to help guide selection of colleges and majors
- Identification of unique experiences, traits, and special talents
- Evaluation of study habits and learning style
- Referrals to academic tutors and coaches as needed for remediation and skills building
Course Selection, Skill Building, & Resume Development
- IEP Advocacy
- Self-awareness and self-advocacy skill development
- Recommendations for course selection that matches students’ strengths and interests while meeting all graduation requirements
- Recommendations for extracurricular planning/summer enrichment activities/service opportunities/personal pursuits
- On-going evaluation of high school progress to keep on track
Standardized Test Preparation
- Recommendations to area’s best SAT/ACT tutors
- Guidance on which tests and subtests to take
- Guidance on securing testing accommodations
College Selection: Finding the best fit college
- Creation of a “preferred college profile” – uniquely designed by the student to identify and prioritize what matters most to him/her
- Strategic college visit planning to make the most of on-campus visits
- Guidance in how to evaluate support services offered at each college
- Compilation of a “best fit” list of colleges uniquely suited to each student and a customized college evaluation grid to help with the decision making process
- Compilation of a “best fit” list of colleges uniquely suited to each student and a customized college evaluation grid to help with the decision making process
College Applications: Positioning the student to present the most compelling application materials
- Customized college application plan and timeline using MyCCA to track and organize each step of the application process
- Essay development and student resume preparation
- Admissions interview preparation
College Acceptance:
- Comparison and evaluation of admission packages
- Final decision making assistance
Exploration of Gap Year Experiences
Atlanta Educational Consultants can provide students and family direction and assistance in exploring Gap Year Programs and experiences.
More and more students are opting to step outside the traditional post-secondary trajectory of going straight from the high school campus to the college campus. Instead, these students choose to take advantage of the many Gap Year Programs gaining increasing popularity across the country. The cornerstones of most Gap Year programs are Education, Service, and Personal Growth. Research has shown that Gap Year programs often give students a developmental advantage over traditional college freshman by providing “real life” experiences that promote independence, time for personal reflection to clarify personal goals, and opportunities to pursue individual fields of interest.
College Transition Coaching
How to not only survive the first year of college but to thrive is the focus of college transition coaching. The journey begins with choosing the best fit college for the student. Atlanta Educational Consultants partners with families and their students throughout their high school experience to lay the groundwork for the college admissions process. Once accepted, students are supported in all aspects of the transition including:
- Coursework selection
- Time management & organization
- Stress management
- Accessing support services
- Sustaining motivation
- Self advocacy
- Managing relationships
- Life balance
- Integration into the college culture/ finding one’s “niche”
