Question 1

Why do I need a college consultant?

Accepted Answer

High school counselors most often have very limited time to spend with their students and they cannot give the kind of personalized assistance that we can. In addition, many of our clients have parents who did not attend college in the United States and are not familiar with the US college applications procedure. Those parents that did attend college here applied when this was a much simpler and far less competitive process: in 1988, Columbia University, an Ivy League institution, had an acceptance rate of 65%, according to that year's US News and World Report; in 2015 it was 6%.

Today's applicants are considered holistically in college admissions, meaning that students must carefully craft a profile that presents them fully and in their best light. We help make this happen so that your child has the best possible options from which to choose, once those college acceptances have come in.

Question 2

Where have your students been accepted?

Accepted Answer

We have had students accepted into a wide range of the most selective private research universities (including the Ivy League schools and other similarly competitive institutions), top-ranked liberal arts colleges, and the most respected public research universities. Our students are among the brightest young people in the nation, and we are focused on helping them earn admission into those schools that are the most appropriate fit for them academically, socially, and financially.

Question 3

When is the best time to start working with you?

Accepted Answer

Far earlier than most families have begun to think about colleges. We think it is best to start working with an IEC when the student is beginning their last four years before college, whether that is at age 14 or age 7. However, we frequently work with students that come to us as juniors or seniors.

Question 4

How many students do you work with at any given time?

Accepted Answer

At GT College Advising we work with a maximum of ten seniors in any given year. Because of this, we have the time to dedicate to each of them to help them present their best self to their top choice colleges.

Question 5

What kind of service packages do you offer?

Accepted Answer

We offer a comprehensive package that covers until the end of the student's senior year of high school, beginning at any point prior to that. We also offer an hourly package, beginning with a minimum of four hours. Contact us for more information about pricing and packages.

Question 6

Do you also tutor for the SAT or ACT?

Accepted Answer

No, but we can refer you to several well-respected tutoring services.

Question 7

Do you help locate scholarships?

Accepted Answer

Yes, to a certain degree. In our experience, most scholarship money comes from the colleges themselves, rather than from external sources. There are also financial aid policies at many schools that can eliminate any benefit gained from external scholarships. So while we will support the student in the search for external scholarships and can point them to the major national scholarships, our emphasis will be on helping the student apply to those colleges that will offer sufficient financial aid in the form of grants or scholarships to attend.

Question 8

How many hours will you spend on my child in the course of the comprehensive package?

Accepted Answer

This varies by family; we estimate about 40-60 hours.

Question 9

Where are you located?

Accepted Answer

GT College Advising is based in Columbia, MD, but we work with students remotely using any of a variety of video platforms.

Question 10

Do you work with international students?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely; we work with students from around the world.

Question 11

Can I speak with past clients?

Accepted Answer

We respect the confidentiality of our families, but please see our testimonials page to see what past parents and students have said about working with us.

Question 12

Can you guarantee admission to my child's first choice school?

Accepted Answer

No one can guarantee admission to any school, much less the top tier private universities. What we can do is make certain that your child is applying to schools within their reach and that they are presenting the best possible version of themselves to those schools. With that approach, our students have all been extraordinarily successful in the applications process.

Question 13

Do you work with the parents, the student, or both?"

Accepted Answer

Both. The majority of the communication during the senior year is with the students themselves. They are responsible for most of the work: the essays, the applications, the interviews, etc. The college list is a joint process involving input from students and parents. Prior to senior year, much of the consultation process is with the parents as they are involved in the course selection and summer activity planning.
For students that are home schooled, parents are responsible for a great deal of high school documentation: we work one-on-one with parents on the transcript, homeschool profile, course descriptions, and the parents' counselor letter.

Question 14

Do you offer a free consultation before signing up with you?

Accepted Answer

Because this process depends upon a good working relationship, we feel it is important to have an initial 30-minute meeting at no cost and without commitment. During that time we hope to learn more about you and what services you are looking for, while we explain what it is we can do to meet those needs.