PERSONALIZED ADMISSION GUIDANCE - Kindergarten - 12th Grade

For the past 10 years, I have advised families looking for assistance in the admission process for independent schools from kindergarten through 12th grade in the Seattle area. The range of options for schools is both exciting and can be a bit overwhelming. I offer professional advice based on my years of research including meetings and tours with independent school admission directors, teacher relationships, attending school events and feedback from my past client families. 

All families, students and schools are different, and evaluating all the school options and finding the right fit requires time and careful consideration. It is my job to help make the process go smoothly and relieve a bit of your stress. Finding the right school for your child is important and the right school will enrich your student's life and your family's life too.  

I offer my services on an hourly basis and we can be flexible based on your needs.  For example, if you are just starting the process, we will discuss your child's goals and interests both inside and outside of the classroom. We will thoroughly review the range of schools within your child's areas of interest, strengths and passions. My services may include review of your public school options including choice schools, lottery and requesting transfers for cause. 

I am available to advise your family on the application process and assist with list building. We will talk about the do's and don'ts for both parents and student applicants, discuss how to get the most out of the Fall Open House visit, and practice for family and student Zoom and in-person interviews and visit day.  I'll share best practices for securing honest and impactful references and understanding the information used for the teacher evaluation form. We can brainstorm together around essay topics, provide feedback on the drafts with the goal to make sure you are providing the school with a clear picture of your family. We will discuss strategies for all follow-up communication to ensure you are submitting the strongest possible application for your child. 

As an Associate Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, I have access to a large number of consultants that specialize in boarding school, therapeutic school and college and will happily provide referrals to these professionals.

 

PERSONALIZED SCHOOL GUIDANCE FOR RELOCATING FAMILIES

One of the most important and more difficult parts of relocating with children is, of course, understanding all the school options in your new community. Many times the move is on short notice and falls within the middle of a school year. Luckily, the Seattle area is home to many high quality public schools, including many nationally recognized choice programs as well as dual-language options.  Seattle and the Eastside areas are also very accessible to a broad selection of academically challenging secular and faith-based private schools. The goal of our work together is to identify not just one right school or school district, but all the viable options for your children.

As your school consultant, I will spend time getting to know your children's learning styles and interests as well as your educational preferences. I will provide an overview of the educational landscape and help you identify schools that match your children's needs and interests. For public schools, I will also map out neighborhoods based on your search to help you narrow down your home search.

If you are interested in independent schools, I will help you navigate the admissions process, contact schools to inquire about vacancies and organize appointments for your family to visit schools even during the summer months. 

LIFE IN SEATTLE

It is well known that one of the best ways to help your children adjust quickly is to have them get involved with a class, playgroup or sports team soon upon arrival.  I have assisted families in finding everything from a French class for native speakers, to Irish dance classes, chess programs, summer camps, competitive swim team programs and music lessons.  Whether you want information on how to find daycares, playgrounds, toddler classes, youth athletic leagues or summer camps, I am happy to steer you in the right direction. 

NEIGHBORHOOD FINDING YOUR FIT

I am available to partner with your real estate agent, as the process works best if you are making housing and schooling decisions in tandem.  By providing your real estate agent with information on individual schools that meet the needs of your family, you will be able to fully understand your housing and school options. For public schools, I cover the following school districts: Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, Issaquah, Snoqualmie, Lake Washington and Northshore. I can provided limited information on additional districts upon request.

 

U.S. COLLEGE PROCESS 101

In early 2022, I added College Pre-Advising to my services. Several former client families contacted me seeking advice on the college process, as they were feeling overwhelmed and confused with all the conflicting information out there. I added services in this area to focus on demystifying and educating families about college admissions - College Process 101. To date, the families I have consulted with have averaged 1-2 hours of service with children ranging in age from elementary school to high school.

Starting to think about college experience and community verses only focusing on admissions is an ideal way to begin and provide your student time to learn what they really value and what is important to them as part of their college life. As part of our time together, I will provide you a list of current resources from books, podcast, webinars and websites to assist you. College admission is continually evolving and looks very different from what most adults went through years ago. I can not promise there will be no stress, but by understanding the process and what your child does have control over and what they and you can not control should allow for fun during this time too.

Depending on your child’s age, we will think ahead to high school courses and your child’s interests in building their schedule and activities. It is important your child choses to spend their time doing what interests them and not to just check boxes to impress colleges. There are approximately 4,000 colleges in the United States and many excellent options for your student beyond the top 20 colleges that attract all the media attention.

Here is an example of questions asked by families:

How do colleges decide who to admit, what are colleges looking for in extracurriculars, should my child have a defined major when applying to college, does our family background help/hurt us with holistic admissions, if my child does not go the the top public/independent high school in the area will they not get into a top college, if we need financial aid will that hurt our child, how much can my child get in student loans, how do we figure out how much college will cost, what should my child be doing now, what should we be doing now, how many AP’s should my child take, if they don’t take an AP class should they still take an AP test, what about volunteering, clubs, leadership and/or working, how are athletes recruited, is test optional really test optional, when should we visit campuses, what can we do on our own, when it is the time to think about college and do we need to hire a college counselor or can we use the services provided by our high school, what services are provided by the high school?

ScholarMatch College Coach:

I am also a college coach with the San Francisco based non-profit organization ScholarMatch. I am certified by the organization to assist low income high school students that will be the first in their family to attend college. As a volunteer, I will guide the student through the college application process from list development, financial aid process, essay review to college acceptance. I am very proud to be associated with this organization and use my skills and passion as a school consultant to be part of the Destination College team at ScholarMatch to support underserved youth.

Referrals to IECA Professional College Consultants:

As an Associate Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, I am happy to recommend highly qualified, full-service college counselors for your consideration, if you decide you would like additional assistance outside of your high school. These professionals will be invaluable if you need help with list-building, need and merit based aid education, application review and helping to keep your high school student on track with all the application deadlines. This process most commonly begins the summer between 10th (sophomore) and 11th grade (junior) of high school and other counselors will begin working with your student as early as the summer prior to 9th grade year (freshman).