Our Services
Counseling Services
With more than twenty years of experience, Collegewise counselors and tutors are at the forefront of the ever-evolving admissions landscape. We know what your student needs to succeed as they take their next steps towards college and life beyond high school. From standardized testing to early decision programs to the role of social-emotional learning in admissions, Collegewise families are the first to understand the impact of breaking news and how to make the smartest decisions using that information.
We offer a range of services and resources that draw upon data as well as cutting-edge educational best practices to advise your student in crafting a compelling academic and extracurricular narrative.
Get a Free ConsultationComplete Admissions Program - Optimal or Essential
CAP Optimal and Essential are for 11th and 12th grade students
Our Complete Admissions Programs provide students with detailed, expert insight and guide them to develop the personal knowledge needed to complete applications that best reflect their strengths. With extensive counseling around developing a personal profile, customized timelines, and effective essays, students become more compelling applicants and more confident individuals.
Essential and Optimal both include:
Unlimited one-on-one meetings with your college counselor
Access to your counselor via email and phone between meetings
Focus on student strengths to build deep and impactful academic and social profiles
Customized timelines and strategies to strengthen the probability of admission
Intensive college search, including identifying and researching potential college matches and creating a balanced college list
Access to Custom College Plan, an online project management system that allows counselors and students to organize and manage the college application process
Individual brainstorming sessions for personal statements and supplemental essays as well as feedback for improvement
Essential: Full support for up to 8 or 12 American/Canadian college applications
Optimal: Comprehensive support for an unlimited number of applications globally. Thorough application review by the Collegewise Application Committee, a panel of 3-5 Collegewise counselors selected based on the applicant’s educational goals. Also included is selection of personal concierge services, including some, but not all of the following: complete management of summer programs, 10 hours of private tutoring for test prep, mock interviews (often with former admissions officers), and college visit planning
Foundations
Foundations is for 8th-10th grade students
Foundations provides younger students with a roadmap for the coming years, a clearer sense of their academic and life interests, and the tools to get through high school (and beyond) smoothly and successfully. With guidance in academics, extracurriculars, testing, and summer activities, students enter their most crucial high school years prepared and empowered to make the right choices.
All Foundations packages include:
Regular one-on-one meetings with access to your counselor via email and phone between meetings
A specialized assessment created by Gallup® to help students identify strengths and learn to articulate them through a series of carefully curated writing assignments
Guided development of key study skills that help shape their sense of self by encouraging curiosity and initiative
Assistance in planning and selecting courses and activities that lay the foundation for a competitive college application
A timeline for testing on ACT/SAT and subject tests
Access to Custom College Plan, an online project management system that allows counselors and students to organize and manage the college application process
Optional parent homework to follow your student’s progress
Pay As You Go (PAYGO)
Pay As You Go Includes:
Families charged in 10-minute increments for time counselor spends with them in meetings, on the phone, answering questions via email, or reviewing applications
Best for families who want a consultant to help with specific parts of the college application process
Appointments and scheduling subject to counselor availability
Only available in the U.S.
College Essays
Essay Package Includes:
A brainstorming session to help students find their best stories and their strongest personal statement
Two rounds of content feedback
A final proof from our professional editing team
Essay Package Lite Includes:
One round of content feedback on the student’s existing essay
A final proof from our professional editing team
Single School Supplement Essay Package
A brainstorming session for all supplemental essays associated with one school
Two rounds of content feedback
A final proof from our professional editing team
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does my counselor’s college admissions expertise come from?
Collegewise counselors come from a variety of backgrounds. Many are former admissions officers, high school counselors, and graduate degree holders, and each Collegewise counselor goes through a rigorous 40-hour training with a member of our leadership team before starting a counseling practice. Collegewise counselors also take advantage of what we call the “Hive Mind”—we’re constantly asking each other questions and learning from one another’s areas of expertise. While you’ll always interact with one counselor who knows your family best, your student will benefit from the collective experience of more than 60 Collegewise admissions experts.
When is the best time to start a college counseling program?
The best time to start a college counseling program is when you begin to have questions or concerns about the admissions process that you’d like to have addressed by a professional. We begin working with students as early as second semester of eighth grade, so if you’re thinking about hiring a college counselor and your student is an eighth grader or older, you’re in the right place!
What makes Collegewise better than the competition?
Since 1999, over 24,000 families have entrusted us with their students’ college admissions process. Nobody in private counseling helps more kids get into college than we do. Tens of thousands of people read our newsletters, blog, and our book. Even more have heard us speak at conferences, high schools, and community events. We’re proud of our company, our team, and what we stand for. And we come to work every day excited to help our students achieve their goals.
What is your success rate?
At Collegewise, we define a successful college match in three parts: the college must be one that fits the student’s interests and career goals, one that will admit the student, and one that the family can afford. Collegewise counselors work with each of their students to conduct a thoughtful college search and to build a college list that takes into account the criteria listed above. The results of this process are clear: 95% of Collegewise class of 2019 seniors got into one of their top three college choices, and our seniors received a total of over $52 million dollars in total merit aid. Not convinced? Check out our testimonials, which you’ll find on each counselor’s page and throughout the site. You’ll find that our students leave for college more confident and prepared than when they started their college search process, and their younger siblings (and friends) are often next in line to work with our counselors.
Do you work with transfer students?
We do! Collegewise counselors help transfer students find and apply to their best-fit colleges. We can provide a thoughtful and thorough review of all of your college applications, in addition to helping you conduct college research, build your college list, and brainstorm effective essays. You can reach out to your local Collegewise counselor for more information. If you’d prefer to work with a counselor online, you can find a list of our online counselors here.
Can you help my student with college essays?
Absolutely. Students who enroll in our Complete Admissions Programs will brainstorm each of their essays with their counselor and submit each essay for rounds of feedback and revision. We also offer several essay packages for students who only want help with essays. To find out more about our essay programs, please reach out to info@collegewise.com, and we’ll match you with an essay specialist who can help you brainstorm and write compelling college essays.
How do I get started?
Thanks for asking—we love that question! Click here to get in touch with us, and one of our admissions experts will reach out to you within two business days. At that time, you’ll have the chance to articulate your college admissions concerns and goals, and we’ll set you up with the Collegewise counselor who’s the best match for your family.
How and when do I pay for your services?
Families who choose to enroll in our Complete Admissions Programs or Foundations typically pay the full enrollment fee upfront with a credit card or check, although we do offer payment plans for those who would like to spread payments out over the course of a few months. *Pay As You Go clients keep a credit card on file with their Collegewise counselor, who bills them monthly for the time they spend in and out of meetings working with the student on college applications.
*Payment terms do not apply to Singapore-based programs.