Independent College Counselor

 

TRANSITION PLANNING:

APPLYING FOR COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY & CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE)

As an independent college counselor, I work privately & collaboratively with individuals to help them realize their full educational potentials as they make choices about pursuing their post – secondary educational options, including career exploration & job analysis.

I help students:

• create college / university lists, based on self-study with personal inventory tests, career planning, & occupational outlooks.
• determine appropriate college / university entrance requirements, including whether to take the ACT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, GRE, GMAT, etc., as well as to submit documentation to obtain testing accommodations & learn self-advocacy in order to receive accommodations from the college / university student disabilities center.
• compare financial aid offers after having filed the FAFSA, &, if required, the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE.
• navigate the transition from senior high school to appropriate career technical education (CTE) / Vocational Education (Voc Ed) options.

My college counseling clients range from senior high / secondary school students in large urban public school districts with limited counseling resources, to highly gifted students seeking early college entrance, special education students with learning disabilities (LD) / Asperger’s / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) / AD / HD / twice-exceptional (“2e“), English as a Second Language (ESL), international students, & students in community colleges or universities wishing to transfer to other four-year universities / colleges.

 TRANSFERRING COLLEGES / UNIVERSITIES

As an independent college transfer counselor, I also help students:

• evaluate transcripts to see if coursework is complete in written & oral communication, critical thinking, mathematics / quantitative reasoning, & other undergraduate general education requirements, including foreign language: How many semester / quarter units will you have completed by the time you want to enter your next school? Does your next school have an articulation agreement that will allow you to transfer all or most of your credits, to prevent “credit shrinkage“? Is your Grade Point Average (GPA) competitive for admission to your next school? Did you leave your last school in good academic standing?
• choose a major: In what academic subject have you successfully completed the greatest number of major-specific courses? Does the next university allow transfers into your major or is your major only freshman- or direct-entry? Will the next university allow you to create a customized multi – / inter – disciplinary major? Have you taken job & career assessment tests, or taken a career planning class? How are the next university’s internship / co-op / job placement rates?
• create a list of universities / colleges that will be a better fit for your educational goals & finances.

Professional Member, Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA)

Member, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

Member, Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC)