When we tell people what we do as independent college counselors, they usually have one of three reactions:
- Wow, I wish someone had done that for me when I was in high school.
- Wow, I wish I met you two years ago when my son was going through that.
- Wow, you must have the most rewarding job on the planet.
And we do.
Our work is rewarding in so many ways, and our clients and their parents are usually thrilled beyond words when we have completed our work with them. Here are two comments our counselors have received from clients’ parents over the past few days. This first one is from the father of a student who just received his first college admission – in mid-November:
Thanks for doing what you do. Much appreciated. You are by far the best money I’ve spent on my boy!
This next one came from a mom whose daughter hasn’t yet received a college acceptance – but she’s done submitting ALL of her applications – again, in mid-November.
Thank you so much for your help and guidance. Sarah’s best brainstorming sessions came from time with you and you have been such a wonderful, positive presence and source of support for both of us!
There are two parts to what we do. There’s the substantive part – helping students get through the steps and tasks required to submit college applications. Some people need help with that, and some people don’t. But it’s the emotional part of what we do that can make the difference between family strife and family harmony. This may sound drastic, but by standing in the middle of stressed-out teenagers and their stressed-out parents, we can absorb some of the negative emotion that can add more acrimony at an already-difficult time.
We invite you to read the many success stories on our website, and if you feel like you’d benefit from having one of our counselors guide you and your teen through this process, we invite you to become one of them!