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973.425.0648 info@positionu4college.com |
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FAQs
Parents • High School Students • College Students & Recent Grads
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Parents
1) How can you help my college-bound student?
I offer a background in psychology, career development and marketing, training for certification in college counseling and personal life coaching. I can help your teenager discover who she is and what she is looking for in a college, so she can create the college experience she wants!
2) What do you mean by positioning?
Think of a baseball shortstop - he plays a specific position. To join a team, the most valuable information he can give about himself is his position. It is more useful than saying, "I'm a baseball player," or a "good athlete."
With college, your student must communicate what sets him apart. "Stats" (SAT or GPA) give general data. They are the foundation of the application. Stats signal the admissions people to read on. But stats are only the first cut. Beyond stats, colleges need more specific information about what your child has to offer! Positioning makes him stand out from the crowd.
3) The college process is so intensely competitive today, it is really stressing out my child and her peers. How can you help?
Helping your child identify key strengths and establish his unique point of difference vs. the applicant pool will help "cut through the clutter" in the competitive environment. No one can guarantee acceptance at any college, but participating in a process like this can enhance your child's competitive standing in the college marketplace.
4) My teenager is so busy with schoolwork, sports, and other activities. I don’t know if I can ask him to add yet another obligation to his already hectic, stressful schedule!
Your teenager is busy, too busy to even think! So how can you expect her to suddenly be ready to apply to college, one of the pivotal responsibilities of her life?
If you start early enough, your student only needs to meet with me monthly. This allows self-discovery to fit into her busy schedule in a natural, painless way. It gives her “permission” to pause and reflect, think outside the daily grind, and conceptualize her accomplishments in a “big picture” way.
Taking a long view periodically makes it easier for your student to select potential colleges, and ultimately decide on the best-fit college. Your child’s decision will probably be more authentic and satisfying in the end.
5) I try to get it across to my teenager how important the college process is, but he doesn’t seem to care. Why should I ask my child to go to a coach when he doesn’t show any interest is his own future?
For most students, the college process produces great anxiety, inviting procrastination. It fits under the category of “important” but not “urgent” so it gets blocked out, as more pressing daily crises emerge. As time passes, the college process looms even larger. What appears to be apathy may actually be fear of becoming overwhelmed.
Self-discovery can be enjoyable in a positive in-person context with an insightful, supportive coach who inspires confidence. If the process is broken down into small steps, the task does not become overwhelming. Feeling mastery after each step will help your child actually look forward to the next step. Success breeds success!
6) My relationship with my teenager is already strained, and if I even mention college it causes conflict. How can a coach make it better?
The college process is stressful for both parents and students. Having an outside resource as an objective third party sounding board can alleviate tension. Parents can have confidence that there is a positive plan going forward, so they will feel less tempted to micro manage. Students can feel ownership and confidence in their own inner resources in applying, getting accepted and ultimately deciding on the college that suits them best.
7) Why do I need to hire an outside service, when our high school has assigned a guidance counselor to help my child with college applications?
Your guidance department offers valuable assistance, and your student should utilize available resources. Guidance departments provide access to applicant-college matching software, information fairs and admission road shows. They help students develop college lists and process recommendations and transcripts.
But guidance departments may not have the staff to offer the one-on-one personal time that can lead to self-discovery and help optimally position your student for acceptance at his best-fit college.
Guidance counselors are geared to make sure every student in their often large population secures at least one acceptable college option. They may have to spread themselves thin to ensure, at minimum, a “good-enough” school for everyone, at the expense of not always finding the optimal match for each individual student. It can be helpful to get personal attention from a private source, as well.
8) My student is very computer-literate. Why can’t he just use the high school software and research colleges on the internet?
Your student can—and should! But internet research is only the beginning. Working with an insightful coach can help integrate facts and stats with the “intangibles” to create the “big picture” of who your child really is.
Why should applying to college be an intimidating struggle, with your student hunched over a computer screen late into the night? A coach can guide your child in a relaxed process learning who he is, what he wants, and what he uniquely has to offer colleges. This can ultimately lead to a more authentic choice and place him in a more strategic position to be accepted.
9) “Marketing yourself” sounds a little too phony to appeal to my teenager.
Knowing yourself, what unique strengths you offer, and how to communicate those qualities in an authentic way is what I call effectively “marketing yourself.” It’s honest and it’s real. It helps the college know what your child is truly about and why they should want your child in their student body. It can result in a great match between your child and the school where she will spend four of the most pivotal years of her life.
There’s nothing phony about that!
10) If we hire you, will you guarantee our child gets into his first choice college?
Life holds no guarantees! Any individual can control his effort, but not the outcome. I can help your child on the effort side of the equation, but your child will need to have commitment to this endeavor. I will give an assignment between every session. Your child must put something into this process to get something out of it. I will communicate with you if cooperation becomes an issue.
No one can promise acceptance to any given college. I could never give a guarantee. That would be dishonest and misleading. I recommend you go into it with realistic expectations, based on your child’s skills, motivation and academic performance. You need to be open to the process of self-discovery. Perhaps your child will determine his best-fit school is not among the colleges you may have in mind.
I can tell you that participating enthusiastically in this process can enhance your student’s chances of finding and being accepted at a college that will fit well with his unique skill set, goals, values and personality.
11) If we take our student to an outside service, people might think that you’re writing her essays for her.
It is your child who will have the authorship for this work. This is about your child discovering herself and communicating who she is. This is about your child finding her own voice, and using it. My added value is only offering guidance to help her find that voice.
It would be counterproductive if it became my voice, besides being unethical! No, I’ve already gone to college, and a few grad schools. Now it’s up to your child to do it for herself!
12) When is the best time to start?
The ideal starting time is winter of junior year. This is close enough to application time so that your child will have enough maturity to begin thinking about the future, but early enough to make choices that will positively impact his acceptability to colleges.
It is not too late to start fall of senior year, but more frequent and intensive sessions will be needed to keep on track for college application deadlines.
13) How often should we meet with you and what do your charge?
That depends on when you start and how intensive you want it to be. I offer three college programs, detailed in the Packages & Rates section.
To help you decide what you need and how you can best use my services, I will be happy to provide a FREE ONE-HOUR TELEPHONE CONSULTATION.
The first package is called SENIOR YEAR EXPRESS, starting in August of senior year, with 10 one hour sessions meeting biweekly for $1,000. This package will keep your senior on track for most deadlines, but will not be able to accommodate Div. I sports or Early Decision I.
The second package is called JUNIOR & SENIOR YEAR BASIC, starting in January of junior year, with 15 sessions for $1800. Sessions are once a month Jan-Jun and biweekly Aug-Nov, with July off.
The third package is called JUNIOR & SENIOR YEAR INTENSIVE, starting in January of junior year, with 18 sessions for $2200. Sessions are biweekly Jan-Nov, with July off. This package is similar to the basic, with additional sessions for discussing the college list and application essays in further depth.
14) What if my child needs additional sessions?
Additional sessions for package clients are $100 an hour.
15) Where are your sessions held?
Unless otherwise arranged, local sessions will be conducted at my office, conveniently located off I-287 in Basking Ridge/New Vernon, NJ. See Location & Directions. The kick-off session will include both parent and student, with only student from then on. However, parents are always welcome to join in at the beginning or end of the session for an update.
16) Is it possible for you to come to our house?
Yes, I can come to your house or to a mutually agreed-upon public place that has WiFi. Travel expenses may apply.
17) We don't live in your area. How can we use your services?
We can arrange a program using online conferencing, teleconferencing and email.
18) I think we might need your help to prepare a resume for my child’s summer internships.
If we are already working together on your child’s college application, we probably only need another hour for this, because it involves shifts of emphasis on material that she has already generated. Additional sessions for package clients are $100 an hour.
19) How do you know you can help our family?
I have helped numerous students from NY and NJ with resumes, college and graduate school applications. You are welcome to read testimonials from these students and their parents!
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