The following is a college admissions consulting example. Of course, my college admissions services are uniquely tailored to each client, but this example may help you see how I can help. If you have any questions about how hiring a psychologist college admissions consultant might work for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
College Admissions Consulting: Initial Steps
Hannah hopes to attend one of the colleges she visited and loved. These colleges are all realistic but will still be difficult to get into. Everything will have to go well during the interview and application process for her to get in; in other words, she needs to reach her peak performance throughout the process. She comes in looking for college admissions consulting services to help her maximize her strengths and overcome challenges. This way, she can present the most compelling application possible.
Hannah is a lacrosse player who thinks she wants to major in Psychology.
The College Admissions Consulting Plan
We start by defining the goal and designing a treatment plan. The overall goal, of course, is to get into college. More specifically, it can be stated as “connecting strongly with the coach, producing the best application, and having the most favorable interview possible.” While Hannah has a general idea of where she wants to apply, this process will likely lead us to add to her list. As she explores what will make her application as compelling as possible, it may lead to new insights into the schools that will best fit.
Making the Connections
We concentrate on the connections – the conversations with the coach and the potential admissions interview. Hannah has done well in interview situations before, but none has risen to the level of college admission. She can point out some challenges that might crop up. This includes using “um” too much, stumbling when a question is difficult and unexpected, and not knowing exactly how to manage eye contact.
The College Admissions Consulting Action Plan
Before we dive into the actual college admissions consulting work, we need to put together an action plan that has three components:
- A timeline of when everything is due: This may include formal deadlines such as when applications are due when she needs to sign up for interviews, and when she needs to take and potentially retake the SATs. It also may include less formal dates, such as when she should communicate with coaches or professors at the school in her likely major.
- A delineation of responsibilities: With her parents helping, we need to be very clear about exactly who is doing what at each step. This eliminates any confusion about my role and everyone’s responsibilities.
- Back-up plans: We need to be sure we are not focusing so much on her top schools that we do not put enough time into the excellent safety schools and even the “realistic” ones on her list. They may have slightly different application components. Schools are susceptible to feeling that they are a backup.
College Admissions Consulting: The Work
During our treatment, we will teach aspects of peak performance in interview situations. Of course, we will do trial interviews that include questions commonly asked by coaches and during admissions interviews. The role-play is filmed. This way, we can watch it later and work on anything that subtracted from Hannah being as compelling, persuasive, and likable as she truly is.
Working in the Application
Next, we work on the application. How can her description of her sports, extracurriculars, and essays work cohesively to paint a powerful picture? How should this be tweaked for different schools, if possible? And what does this mean for how she should approach and prepare the people doing references for her? We want to tailor each application to the school it is going to as much as possible. We will emphasize her academic strengths, interests, and goals. She’ll also describe how she has overcome barriers and challenges.
The College Essay
Writing a compelling essay is a crucial part of the college application process. My work with Hannah will be to help her refine her ideas, choose a topic that fits with who she is and what the colleges are looking for, and be unique and interesting to the reader. We will then work on effectively structuring the essay to showcase her personality and experiences. When Hannah completes a good draft, I will refer Hannah and her family to a professional proofreader.
The “Optional” Materials
Most of the time, “optional” materials are not really optional. Aside from art portfolios from students applying to be an art major, optional materials often show the school the applicants’ level of interest and effort. Some schools allow students to submit a short video, a supplemental essay, a web page, or a resume. We will keep a list of these items and ensure we are working to prepare for each of them.
Ancillary College Admissions Consultant Work
During our work, I will assist Hannah in creating and refining her resume, highlighting her achievements, extracurricular activities, leadership roles, and community service. I will also help her choose how to select and approach teachers or mentors for strong letters of recommendation. This will include how to help the recommender include the information that best fits how Hannah describes herself to the colleges.
While Hannah is an excellent test-taker and has done well on her SATs, she plans to retake them, and I will provide test preparation resources and strategies to improve her test scores. I will also provide strategies to reduce anxiety and effectively pace herself during the test.
College Admissions Consulting: Later Steps
Some of Hannah’s colleges offer interviews as part of the application process. We will build on our initial work that helped Hannah effectively present herself with more specific tips on what she might be asked, what she wants to cover, and, again, how to present herself confidently and articulately. We will review how to research each school and ensure the interviewer knows she has done so.
Our work will include going over how Hannah will talk to each coach. We want to show that she has done her homework. She’ll cover the facts and topics that the coach can hear and connect well. Hannah will also contact a Psychology professor at each school to ask questions about their department, the requirements, and the opportunities the major presents. There is no guarantee that the professor will inform admissions that she reached out. However, gathering information as she ranks her schools is still important.
As the deadlines approach, we will work on specific deadlines to keep everything organized. This will include applications, financial aid options, and scholarship opportunities.
A Psychologist College Admissions Consultant: Example 2
When you hire a psychologist who is a college admissions consultant like me, you get a combination approach that covers both the usual college admission consultant work and also provides help navigating the stress and anxiety involved in the process. You also get a deeper psychological approach to presenting yourself in a way that resonates with the admissions committee.
In short, a psychologist college admissions consultant guides you on selecting schools that are a good fit, crafting meaningful essays, preparing for interviews, and organizing application materials into a coherent and compelling presentation. Here’s a fictitious example scenario involving how a psychologist works as a college admissions consultant:
College Admissions Consultant Example
Sarah is a high school senior with strong academics and excellent extracurriculars who is unsure how to present herself effectively in her college applications. She also worries a bit about having presentation anxiety during any interviews.
Initial Consultation:
We start by discussing Sarah’s goals and what she wants in a college. We discuss any schools in mind, how visits have gone, and general aspects such as size and location. She has a few schools in mind but has not developed a plan, and she’s worried about her essays and how to stand out in the application process.
We aim to review her list of schools and others and discuss how they align with her academic and personal goals. Then, we’ll add more schools that may be a good fit and collaborate on her essays to highlight her unique strengths and experiences and why they’d make her a perfect fit at those schools.
We realize she would prefer a school that is strong in environmental science and has a strong campus community. She also wants to try to walk on and try to join a rowing team. Finally, she wants to be in a nice college town but not a city, and wants to be close enough to home where it is a drive or a short flight. Together, we will discuss the possibilities and see which ones resonate.
She decides which people will write her references and I help her craft a letter to them that helps frame what she hopes they will say.
Essay Development:
Considering the schools Sarah is interested in, we brainstormed some suitable essay topics. She thinks about moments that have shaped her, what passions drive her, and how she can showcase her personality and achievements. She wants to show the college her deep compassion and connection to others. She hopes to show them how she overcame childhood anxiety and wants to help others do the same.
All of her schools have strong environmental programs in the classroom and the community. They also value students who want to contribute to society after they graduate and who want to support the surrounding community while they are there. Since Sarah is passionate about climate change and has been involved in several related projects, she writes about how one of those experiences influenced her decision to study environmental science.
She adds a section about how she presented the project at a local elementary school and motivated the kids there to volunteer to help, as well as her interactions with them when they did. She describes a poignant moment when a young girl who reminded Sarah of herself came out of her shell and was so happy to be helping.
Application Review and Interview Prep:
Before she submits her application, we review her entire application package. We want to ensure that your application is cohesive, with each component supporting the overall narrative that she hopes to portray, which we’ve determined will resonate with the admissions committees. I give feedback on any areas that need tweaking.
Many of her schools conduct interviews as part of the admission process, so we conduct mock interviews to help her feel confident and prepared. We go over some cognitive behavioral techniques to reduce speech anxiety. I provide tips on how to articulate her thoughts clearly, make a positive impression, and ensure that everything fits with her overall strategy.
Final Steps:
My role as a college admissions consultant does not stop with the application. I support her through the waiting period, including how she will contact the rowing coach, a professor or two, and her admissions counselor. I may also help with decision-making once she starts hearing back from schools.
While Sarah feels confident about her essays and interviews, the work of a college admissions consultant was most valuable in helping her find schools that provide a deep fit and make her feel well-prepared to start her college journey
Conclusions and General Notes
It’s important to note that my college admissions consulting specialty service can vary and is uniquely tailored to each client. The above services may be more emphasized in my overall college admissions service or less depending on the student’s needs. Sometimes, as a college admissions consultant I only do one part of the process, like test and interview preparation or essay design. Other times, I do even more, including mixing in other clinical services.
My blog offers more information about my college admissions consulting services, including information about the admissions counseling process and self-help tips. If you have any questions or want to inquire about my services, please don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation or reach out.
