My clinical specialties include college admission help. I provide services designed to help students present themselves to the college in the most compelling way possible. This involves ensuring a fit between the student and the colleges they are applying to and amplifying that fit to make an admissions department agree that the student would be a great addition to their community. We will design an overall strategy, and my college admissions help services will ensure that your application resonates with them and that you present as an ideal candidate for that community. This will include college admissions essay help, interview training, and a complete action plan regarding other steps.
Given that this is a clinical specialty service, I can provide on-demand services such as check-ins virtually before interviews, last-minute essay help, help with timely thank yous, and fast responses to admissions and other inquiries.
The information below is designed to give you an idea of the college admissions help process, but of course, every client’s needs are unique. We will work to emphasize strengths, show how the student can overcome challenges evident in the application, and deliver a compelling product to the school about the student’s fit.
College Admission Help First Steps
The admission process is akin to a comprehensive and multifaceted performance, so performance psychology methods are a great fit. The goal is for the student to prepare, practice, and present herself or himself to the admissions department and others to be seen as a good fit. Others may include alums, coaches, interviewers, and professors who may be involved in the decision.
First, we will discuss what kind of student admissions is looking for and how the student can present her or himself to gain the best chances to get in. Then, we break down the process into its parts. What specific aspects of the process tap into areas where the student is already strong and where work is needed? These areas include standardized test-taking, interviewing, writing essays, talking more informally with coaches and others, answering college-specific questions, and following up. The result is an initial college admissions help Action Plan.
Assessments and Evaluations
To help accomplish this task, we may do some guided assessments as part of my college admissions help services:
- How did the student do on the required or optional standardized testing?
- How do they come across in interviews or video submissions?
- What about less formal conversation, as might happen with a professor or coach?
- Are there addressable academic challenges – a particular course that needs a higher grade or a challenging course that should be taken?
- Are other interests being pursued so the student shows how well-rounded they are?
College Admission Help Action Plan
The results of the above will guide our college admissions help Action Plan. Remember that just because a metric is deemed a strength does not mean it will not appear on the Action Plan. In many cases, fully developing a strength to stand out may be just as crucial as addressing weaknesses.
The specific college admission help plan we’ll use will be unique to the student and specifically suited to the colleges on their list. I’ve written up an College admission services and some self-help ideas (which you can find elsewhere – such as through supports like Well-respected PrepScholar). The Action plan will list the challenges that need to be overcome and the strengths that need to become clear to the college. It will have specific steps and dates by which you hope to reach these goals.
Modifying the College Admission Help Action Plan
Your college admissions help Action Plan will become a “living” document, meaning that we will update it as time passes and you reach new goals or develop new insights. The college application process is hard to predict at first – the schools the student is interested in may change as visits happen, new accomplishments may change the equation somehow, and for athletes, the coaches who show interest may guide things to a degree. We will make changes as necessary, while at the same time, there may be overarching factors that we want to keep in mind so we do not deviate from the original ideals and goals.
College Admissions Help Ongoing Work
Our work together will center around your plan in the above step. We will tailor each session to what goals or goals you want to work on, keeping in mind the timeframes so we plan accordingly. There will certainly be homework to be done in between sessions, and we will review that when we meet. As mentioned above, we will sometimes change your goals or add new ones as we see how the whole process is going for you.
One way to look at college admissions help is to work backward from the acceptance stage and understand what will happen to get accepted to the schools you are looking at. We’ll work on any of those factors individually, ensuring we are pointed toward getting you to the best place possible and sending a compelling application to each college. Sometimes, our work will be very diverse, working on goals that almost seem unrelated, but that’s because the College admission services process demands that you have addressed many aspects of your accomplishments and potential.
How Therapy Can Be Integrated
The college admissions process is complex and stress-inducing. My college admissions help services are designed to help students present themselves with confidence, clarity, and powerful simplicity. For some students, some extra work is needed for that to happen. There may be difficulties in clarity of expression or organization due to a learning difference or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or intense anxiety may affect confidence. In these cases, we can weave more traditional therapy into your college admission help services. This may mean longer sessions or a more intensive service, but it should subtract from what you receive regarding college admission help.
College Admissions Essay Help
I offer college admissions essay help relative to strategy and content. Crafting a compelling essay is a critical step in the application process. I can help you create an essay that stands out, presents you in a deeply meaningful way, and fits the rest of your strategy for each application. Before we discuss the actual steps, I will help you research each college so you can tailor your essay to explain why you’re a good fit for that specific school. This will be especially important as you write essays that are unique to a school.
College Admissions Essay Help Step One: Understand the Prompt
- Read Carefully: Thoroughly understand what the prompt is asking. Identify key themes or questions. Link it to what you want the admissions committee to understand about you that may not be reflected elsewhere or needs further highlights.
- Reflect on Your Experience: Think about experiences, achievements, or challenges that align with the prompt.
- Personal Stories: Choose a story or experience that highlights your unique qualities and perspectives.
- Show Growth: Reflect on how the experience shaped you, what you learned, and how it impacted your goals.
- Be Authentic: Focus on what makes you unique. Admissions officers want to hear your authentic voice. I can help with that and help you develop a plan to have others who know you well read it.
College Admissions Essay Help Step Two: Create an Outline
- Introduction: Start with a hook that grabs attention. Introduce the main theme or story.
- Body: Develop the story or idea, highlighting your qualities, skills, and how you overcame challenges. Be specific and use vivid details.
- Conclusion: Reflect on the significance of the story or experience. Connect it to your future aspirations and how they align with the college’s values.
- Be Honest and Genuine: Don’t try to impress with big words or complex ideas. Clarity and sincerity are more important.
- Focus on Your Voice: Write in a tone that feels natural to you. This is your chance to let your personality shine, and my college admissions essay help will center on this.
College Admissions Essay Help Step Three: Revise
- Seek Feedback: Share your essay with teachers, friends, or family for constructive feedback.
- Edit for Clarity: Ensure each sentence contributes to the overall message. Cut out unnecessary details.
- Proofread: Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. I suggest hiring an outside consultant who specializes in English grammar and punctuation.
- Consistency: Ensure that your essay aligns with the rest of your application. This will be a central part of the college essay help I can provide.
College Admission Help Service Limitations
College admissions is a complicated process, and parts are outside my scope as a psychologist. I would always suggest a team approach to the college admissions process. Some people are quite good at different parts of the process, but few, if any, are good at it!
I suggest you augment my services with other professionals I can refer you to. For example, suppose you need help writing an essay. In that case, I can help make sure the content matches the overall strategy and approach you are taking regarding being a student-athlete and that it provides the depth needed. Still, I work closely with professional editors who can ensure the grammar is perfect and important principles of writing are followed..
There also may be people in the field who have specific connections at a school or specific connections relative to a major the student is pursuing. Again, I will refer you to those people when I can and tailor my work to fit with what they provide.
Conclusions and My Services
I would be happy to talk to you and design an outline of what I could provide you or your child regarding college admission help. We can go over their goals, the challenges they’ve faced, the strengths that we want to emphasize, and where they are in the process. I’d be happy to provide some advice and tips and describe a plan if you choose to use my services. I can also provide referrals for more specific help. College admissions essay help is usually part of the service and can even be a stand-alone if you have everything else well-covered.
College Admission Service Limitations
College admissions is a complicated process, and parts are outside my scope as a psychologist. I would always suggest a team approach to the college admissions process, Some people are quite good at different parts of the process, but few, if any, are good at it!
College admissions essay help is a good example. Suppose you need help with grammar and punctuation. In that case, I can help ensure the content matches the overall strategy and approach you are taking and provides the depth needed. Still, I work closely with professional editors who can ensure the grammar is perfect and important principles of writing are followed. Then my college admissions essay help can focus on the content, strategy
There also may be people in the field who have specific connections at a school or specific connections relative to a major the student is pursuing. Again, I will refer you to those people when I can and tailor my college admissions help to fit with what they provide.
More information is in my college admission self-help post; College admission services is in another post. I also provide adjunctive treatment that may be helpful to some clients (e.g. ADHD Treatment for adults and adolescents). Please get in touch with me or schedule a consultation to learn more about the college admission help I can provide.
