College F.A.Q. – Admissions Accomplished

Why should I use a private admissions counselor?

“Practice makes perfect,” but unlike so many other important things in life, you only get one shot at the admissions process. It is beneficial to use private admissions counselors because we have years of experience from which you can benefit.

Admissions professionals provide the individualized attention that guidance counselors cannot. The ratio of guidance counselors to students in the United States is approximately 478:1. Because we limit the number of students we work with each year, we are able to provide the one-on-one attention that applicants need and deserve.

The rates of admission at competitive schools have significantly decreased in recent years due to the swell of qualified applicants. With so many applicants presenting with similar scores and grades, admissions personnel are utilizing supporting materials, such as essays, letters of recommendation, and interviews, to differentiate candidates and to guide their decisions. Students who want to ‘tip’ the scale in their favor can benefit from the professional experience that private admissions counselors offer.

Why should I work with Admissions Accomplished^®?

Our team of MBA and college admissions professionals, expert writers and editors will work with you to ensure your success in the admissions process. The combination of our quality, educational credentials, insider knowledge, experience in education and personalized approach cannot be matched.

Our team includes a former deputy director of admissions at an Ivy League University, authors, editors, and a journalist with over two decades of experience. We all have advanced degrees (MBA, PhD, MA) from schools such as Yale, UVA, USC, Bowdoin, and Vassar and collectively have over 50 years of experience in higher education.

Our clients have unlimited access to us. We will respond to your call day or night seven days per week unless we are with other clients or sleeping! We also never limit the number of hours we will work with you.

There are many “admissions consultants” out there. We strongly encourage you to compare Our Credentials with theirs.

What services do you offer?

Our services are customized to each clients’ needs, however, they generally include:

Creating a practical application process schedule;
Identifying a list of target schools that meet your specific criteria;
An analysis of your strengths and weaknesses and how these can be either exploited or mitigated to improve your chances of successful admission;
Developing and editing application essays and personal statements;
Identifying the best people from whom to request letters of recommendation;
Improving your interviewing skills by conducting mock interviews to prepare you for the typical questions you will be asked by admissions counselors at top-tier schools;
Writing a clear, concise resume that highlights your experiences and strengths;
Helping you choose from the numerous schools that accept you!

What do you do during the initial consultation?

Because we strive to help you gain admissions to the best school for you, we begin the admissions process with an in-depth 1.5-2 hour consultation with student and parent(s) to make an initial assessment and begin a discussion about potential schools. This assessment is conducted by Dr. Sack, a clinical psychologist with twenty years of assessment and educational consulting experience. This provides us with the opportunity to gather information and comprehensively evaluate your academic and extracurricular records, make recommendations based on your strengths and weaknesses, and for you to assess whether you want to work with us.

Can you guarantee that I’ll get into my top choice school? What is your success rate?

Since we are not the people ultimately making the admissions decisions, we cannot provide a guarantee. Based on the success of our previous clients, we think you have an excellent chance. During the assessment process we will give a candid appraisal of your chances of admission at a set of schools.

95% of college clients were accepted to one of their top three schools.

See Our Clients’ Testimonials

See Our College Admissions Accomplishments

When should I begin the counseling process?

Admissions professionals generally disagree about this. We, at Admissions Accomplished^®, will not meet with students before they begin high school and strongly discourage initial consultations prior to the completion of freshman year. There are two central reasons for this. First, by the end of freshman year, students will have a full year of final grades and they and we will have a better idea about how they will perform in high school. Second, and most importantly, it is our goal to make the admissions process less stressful for students. We feel there is no need to burden students with “college pressure” at the age of 14. We would like them to get adjusted to high school before they begin to contemplate college.

Providing the initial consultation at the end of 9th grade is still very early to discuss specific schools. We usually do this during junior year; however, it is the appropriate time to educate students and parents about the factors important in admissions, when and which tests to take, what courses will be most beneficial. It also gives students plenty of time to compensate for any obvious weaknesses.

Are your services confidential? Will you speak with my guidance counselor?

Our services are completely confidential. Neither high school counselors nor college admissions officers will know that you utilized our services unless you tell them or you specifically ask us to speak with them. In our experience, guidance counselors are supportive of independent counselors and often relieved that we can provide a student with the individual attention that they cannot. That said, there are a hand full of counselors who may be offended or feel insulted that you don’t think their services are sufficient. Each counselor is different. We have worked with students in collaboration with guidance counselors and also without their knowledge. It is your decision.

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