June 2008
Dear Parents and Student:
The college
application process can be a daunting one, especially the first time
you go through it. The procedure requires considerable
advanced planning. In June 2001, I retired as the Director of
College Guidance from a respected school with 34 years experience in
teaching (English) and college admissions counseling.
For the past four years, I have been assisting students in local
public (including Wissahickon, Upper Dublin, and CB East) and
private schools and can provide parental references attesting to the
effectiveness of my counseling. Through the Internet, I have also
been able to work with students in various sections of the United
States, as well as Europe and Asia. Last year some of my students
gained early acceptance into Penn (Wharton), Princeton, Brown, NYU
(Stern), Cornell, Rochester, Penn State (Honors Program), and
Rutgers. Regular admissions included Boston University, Carnegie
Mellon, Columbia, U. Michigan, Syracuse, Barnard, Villanova,
Bucknell, Gettysburg, U. Pittsburgh, George Washington, Vanderbilt,
Boston College, Northwestern and U. Colorado.
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A four-year
college education may cost more than $140,000. With an
investment this great, it makes sense to seek professional
advice.
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Save money
by not making poor choices
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Avoid costly
false-starts in choosing the right college and major course
of study
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Discover
ways to improve your son or daughter’s chances of completing
college in four years. (Less than 50% of students graduate
in under 5 years)
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Mistakes,
missed deadlines, and poorly written essays are often
responsible for college rejection letters. |
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Many schools, unfortunately, do
not maintain sufficient staff in the guidance office to provide
necessary one on one counseling to assure entrance into the best
schools commensurate with the student’s ability and academic
record. |
My approach is to
take on a very limited number of students. I begin the process with an
intensive interview with both the parents and student. The student’s
academic history (including SAT scores, class rank/grade point average,
extracurricular activities, volunteer work and personality traits) will
be evaluated in detail.
During the initial
interview the following will be accomplished:
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Develop a timeline listing critical
steps and dates
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Select an initial target list of
schools based on the student’s ability and academic interests
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Discuss the pros and cons of applying
for ‘early decision’ or ‘early action’
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Know what is involved in developing a
comprehensive Activities Sheet
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Learn what is successful (and what is
not) in writing college essays
If you decide to
continue, you will receive the following:
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A computerized pre-formatted Activities
Sheet
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Help in choosing the best essay topics
and suggestions on how to start writing
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Fine tuning of your essays
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Suggestions on how to secure effective
letters of recommendation from teachers, employers, etc.
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Selecting ‘safety’ and ‘reach’ schools
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Developing a realistic list of colleges
to which you will apply
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Deciding which campuses to visit
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Coaching on making a good impression in
the college interview
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Phone and e-mail answers to numerous
questions that will come up during the application process
Unlike most independent college consultants who charge a "pricey flat
fee", * my services are calculated on an hourly basis. The total cost
generally ranges between $300 and $700, depending on the number of
essays a student has to write and how many corrections are needed.
Good luck in your college search. If you wish to set up the initial
interview, please contact me as soon as possible since timing is
critical. If you decide not to proceed at this time, please keep this
letter on file should you elect to seek assistance at a later point.
Virginia Ann Schuler
College Counselor
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