College Connectors
FAQs
College Counseling, Admissions, and College Planning FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about the college process? We’re here to help. Explore answers to common questions about college admissions, counseling services, application support, essay writing, building a college list, and planning ahead in high school. This section is designed to help students and families feel informed, supported, and confident through every stage of the college journey.
Why should I work with an Independent Educational Consultant at College Connectors?
There are so many reasons! The knowledgeable guidance, the confidence in a proven process, the person who can take the stress out of an overwhelming process. Our professional and knowledgeable counselors care about teenagers and are experts in college admissions who translate their knowledge into a relationship that is thoughtful and student-centered. Our students and their families also tell us they appreciate working with someone who can meet them where they are at. Students and their families are busy and often benefit from individualized support and college search timelines
When should we start working together?
It depends on your goals, and there’s no wrong time to start. We work with students as early as 8th grade through our Early High School Planning program, helping families think ahead about course selection, extracurricular development, and long-term positioning. For many students, sometime during the sophomore or junior year is the sweet spot — giving us enough time to build a strong college list, refine their narrative, and prepare application materials before deadlines arrive. And if you’re already a senior, don’t count yourself out. We offer focused application support designed to make the most of the time you have.
How is working with a private consultant different from my school counselor?
As private consultants, we provide dedicated, individualized attention tailored entirely to your student’s goals, timeline, and strengths. School counselors typically manage hundreds of students and have limited time for this kind of customized, one-on-one support. Also, their work doesn’t usually allow them to visit the number of colleges each year that we do. However, we do not replace the role of a school counselor. They are an integral part of your child’s college admissions process, especially when it comes to providing context about your child’s high school to help college admissions officers evaluate their application. Your student’s high school counselor also plays an important role in their college application work by sending to colleges official high school transcripts and letters of recommendation.
How many times will you meet with my student?
Our comprehensive College Search and Application Support process typically includes 16-24 meetings, depending on the student’s needs. We guide students through a process with milestones built in to celebrate the small wins and progress. We are also available to families throughout the process to answer questions that come up between meetings.
What does the word “fit” mean?
There is no single answer to this question, and we often reframe it as “What is a good school for my student’s needs and wants?” It’s kind of like asking a person, “What is your favorite kind of pizza?” Some people love a pepperoni, others like a supreme. (And then there’s the whole pineapple on pizza debate.) All of this is to say, what is a good-fit school for one student may not be for another student. College Connectors has a proven process that helps families determine what is a strong college fit unique to your student.
How does your team stay current?
We are committed to staying current with the college admissions process. This includes reviewing application requirements each cycle, discussing admissions trends and the impact they have on our students, visiting at least 20 different colleges each year and attending professional conferences and webinars. Our counselors are members of professional organizations that provide ethical standards to IEC processes such as Independent Educational Consultants Association, Higher Education Consultants Association and National Association for College Admissions Counseling. Two of our counselors (out of 277higher education professionals) also hold their Certified Educational Planner credential.
Can’t I find colleges through AI searches?
AI is a remarkable tool but it doesn’t replace the fit that comes from the combination of our college knowledge and the relationship we build with our students. Through our process, our counselors will get to know your student’s personality, academic strengths and goals, and what else is meaningful to them in their college experience.
We help students build their self-awareness and think about aspects of fit they might not have previously considered. These things are irreplaceable as is our knowledge of colleges. AI doesn’t visit about 20 colleges a year, walking their campuses, talking to admissions officers and students, and looking with a trained eye at what each offers to match specific student hopes and needs.
Can I use AI for essays?
Colleges value application essays because they allow them to hear a student’s voice which is why some colleges disallow the use of AI in college essay writing and others limit its use. We find that just as admissions officers can tell when a well-meaning adult’s voice is overshadowing a student’s, they can tell when AI is doing the same. Our work encourages student confidence in their voice and guides them from idea to polished final draft. We have coached hundreds of students around crafting writing where a student’s voice comes through loud and clear. AND because we have built a one on one relationship from the beginning with the student, we often suggest ideas pulled from previous conversations to create effective essays!
Do you specialize in working with a particular kind of student?
We work with high school students at all stages, from freshmen building their academic foundation to seniors finalizing applications. We also support transfer students. College Connectors is headquartered in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, however we work primarily virtually and with students from over 27 states and internationally too. Our students and their families love the flexibility of our virtual work and how we build strong relationships with them. We love these things too!
Do you work with students with ADHD or learning differences?
Families who have teens with ADHD or learning differences may be unsure of how to start the college planning process, what options are available, or what support students might receive in college. Within our process, we take into consideration the unique needs of your child, including accommodations, support at home and at school, and details of their diagnoses to find colleges that provide the appropriate level and types of learning environments where your child will thrive. College Connectors has a long history of specializing in working with students with ADHD and Learning differences. As part of our ongoing professional development, we meet with college accessibility support services and learn techniques to best support students.
The college search process for students with an LD/ADHD is often a dual process: Families must look at all of the academic, social, and financial fit factors as well as the disability services fit. There are many colleges and universities with a wide-range of supports and it is important for students to find the appropriate support for a successful college experience.
How can you help my student athlete?
We help students understand the different options for continuing a sport in college from all levels of varsity play to club and intramural options. We help student athletes understand the recruiting timeline, how to approach coaches, and how athletic involvement strengthens an application. We work closely with students’ recruiting efforts to make sure their academic profile and applications align with their athletic goals. Some of our counselors are also former student-athletes!
My student isn’t happy at her current college. Do you work with transfer students?
Sometimes a student’s initial college selection doesn’t match their expectations. We encourage students to take a full year of courses, in residence, before deciding to transfer. It’s important to know that transferring colleges takes careful research and planning. Depending on the colleges (both the one your student is transferring from and the new college), there could be a large number of transfer options and requirements, which can seem overwhelming.
For those who determine that they need to make a change, we offer assistance with: identifying career and educational goal, developing a list of transfer options, application timelines, and essay development.
If you’re thinking of transferring schools but don’t know which direction to go, we can help you start a fresh college search process to get the ball rolling.
I’m interested in scholarships for my student. How does my student get scholarships?
The financial aid process can be daunting for families who aren’t sure if they should complete the FAFSA, how to find scholarships, or otherwise reduce college costs. Through our work, we help families identify where their child might be awarded a merit scholarship and if they qualify for need based financial aid.
For more information on need-based financial financial aid please go to studentaid.gov
Do you offer ACT or SAT Tutoring?
College Connectors provides college admissions advising services that do not include standardized test preparation tutoring, but we do work with our families to suggest subject and test prep tutors who would be a good fit.
