Role of the Education Consultant
What is an Education Consultant?
An Education Consultant is someone that has first-hand knowledge of the various private schools and universities, their characteristics, their benefits, and how they function. They have established a professional relationship with school administrators and they have toured hundreds of campuses, spending time meeting with admissions officers, and exploring schools’ living environments.
The consultant is also someone with a deep knowledge of the education industry in general; he or she has experience with students, as an instructor or tutor, and is able to understand a student’s needs and measure their ability. The consultant has valuable experience resulting from years of educational planning with a variety of students.
In all, the Education Consultant should be an expert in their field and be able to meet and advise families about the best educational options for their children.
Our job is to empower students to take responsibility in preparing themselves for higher learning, viewing the process of growth and maturation as a component of our student development plan. Through our guidance, students will improve in and out of the classroom and they will gain confidence in themselves and maximize their abilities. They will learn how to research the rich array of opportunities available to them.
How can an Education Consultant assist me to find the right school?
We believe that choosing a school or university based upon an arbitrary ranking or its popular prestige is misguided and counterproductive. More important to consider, will you be successful there? Will you be happy and satisfied? Bragging means little if you’re bombing out.
Our professional consultants work one-on-one with students to aid them in developing greater self-awareness and help in identifying schools that best fit their unique needs while encouraging them to take greater ownership over this critical period of life transition.
First, an Education Consultant will understand a student’s needs and can help them locate schools that will fit them best; they will match the student with the school’s requirements. For example: Phillips Academy Andover is a top boarding school; MIT is a highly regarded university. They both do a wonderful job of educating young people. Do you as a student have what they’re looking for?
An Education Consultant will already know whether or not highly selective schools and universities like these are an appropriate choice for you, or if the requirements are too demanding; in this case, they will recommend several other schools for you to consider that would be a better option. With increasing numbers of international student enrollees in many of the nation’s top institutions, the application process has become more demanding and much more competitive. This certainly doesn’t make your job any easier when planning your strategy.
There are also so many options to choose from. There are well over 300 boarding schools in the US, and countless private day schools; there are more than 4,500 universities, not counting junior colleges. So to be able to find 8 or 10 schools for your short list to match your requirements takes time and effort—a lot of both. It’s also why you need expert guidance along the way. That’s a major advantage of working together with an Education Consultant.
Consultants create opportunities
Education Consultants have in-depth knowledge from researching various schools, visiting campuses, communicating with admissions people, speaking with students and teachers, and have a broad range of industry resources from which to draw information. They understand the latest industry trends and understand what college admissions people are looking for from incoming students. In this way, they can help students build their personal profile and present themselves as a qualified and unique candidate who can add value to a school community.
To find the right opportunities, the consultant learns as much as possible about the student and family. Consultants help you clarify your educational needs, identify strengths and weaknesses, and consider interests, and future goals. Because a consultant comes to know the student well and has a thorough knowledge of which schools meet the family’s needs, he or she can help facilitate the process of selecting the school in which you, as a student, can be happy and successful.
Consultants have great experience navigating the school application process and helping students present themselves well through their personal statements. These can often be the difference makers in whether or not a student is selected. Through this process, students gain greater understanding of themselves, and possess the essential skills to conduct research and write on a variety of topics. In the end, this not only maximizes the student’s chances for gaining acceptance, it also prepares them well for future success!