FAQ

Just like choosing a college, you should have a good "fit." Your consultant should be easy to talk to, a good listener, knowledgable, and a person you will enjoy spending time with. They should also have some sort of professional credential, like membership to IECA or HECA, so you know they have agreed to adhere to a Code of Ethics.

No. We don't "get you into" any college. We help you find colleges where you have a chance of being admitted, then show you how to present your best self on your application. We do work with some highly-qualified students who apply to reach schools and we help them submit as strong of an application as they can. But with such low admit rates, we focus more on finding match and likely colleges where our students can have a great experience. If you have an Ivy-only college list, we are not the consultants for you.

Yes! We work with community college transfer students, as well as students transferring from 4-year colleges. Whether you want to transfer to UCs or other 4-year universities, including out of state, we can help.

You should tell an interesting story (or a group of theme-related mini stories), about YOURSELF, that shows the qualities you have and the values you hold that will make you successful in college. We have a variety of writing exercises to help you discover the message you want to communicate.

There are 9 UCs and they have varying acceptance rates, from 11% up to 86%. UCs tend to select students who have taken the most challenging courses at their high school and earned mostly A grades, and who rank in the top 9% of their class. They also want students who are leaders, team players, volunteers and show intellectual curiosity.

No. Nearly all the students we work with are public school students who attend schools where their counselor serves hundreds of students. All students should have easy access to their counselor, like private school students do, but public school budgets don't allow for that. Hiring an independent college counselor helps public school students get the personalized experience they deserve. We don't replace high school counselors! You need them, too. But we give you a way to get your questions answered in the summer, at night, and on weekends, when students are actually working on their applications. 

Single meetings with 8th, 9th and 10th graders and their families can be very helpful to ensure students are choosing the right coursework and to get them thinking about their future in a low-key way. We start regular meetings with juniors after our seniors are through their application season, so fall or early spring of junior year is a great time to set up a call with us. 

Of course! There are many great college options for 3.0 students. Don't make the mistake of equating hard to get into with a "good" college. All kinds of colleges can be good colleges for you. We help students develop a list of college criteria that's important to them--size, location, availability of a certain major, social activities that interest you, etc. Then we help you build a college list based on research, not reputation. 

Often people have no idea what college consulting costs. It's similar in cost to a real estate agent, an accountant, or a family therapist (and it may save you from hiring one!). Nationally, complete college planning packages range in price from $4,000-$10,000. We're on the low end of that scale and we have a great return on investment. In 2023, all of the students Candice worked with were offered at least one college scholarship worth more than they paid for services. We are transparent about our prices and they can be found on the Services page.