Counseling - High School Students
Hourly Rate: $175
We've created a process to help students and families navigate college admissions. We do not have contracts with families, but in order to stay clients, students are expected to follow the process outlined below.
Initial Consultation
College List Review Meeting
In addition to getting to know each other, we spend time explaining the five possible things that make up a college application. With over 1,900 four-year public and private colleges in the United States, colleges vary in their requirements for admission. The five possible requirements are:
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High school transcript
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Standardized test scores (ACT or SAT)
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High school activity list
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Letter(s) of recommendation
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Essay(s)
We also discuss the three different types of colleges in the US (in-state public, out-of-state public, and private) and how the type of college impacts a student’s admissibility and cost of attendance. This session typically lasts 1.5 hours and is attended by both parents and students. After this meeting, we primarily meet one-on-one with students while keeping parents informed. We offer a 50% off discount for this session (does not apply to twins).
Interests & Skills Assessment
We recommend a meeting with a student and parent(s) to review the college list and make any necessary adjustments in the spring/summer. It's important for families to be on the same page throughout the college list process.
Essay Sessions/Editing
Many students are surprised at how different college essays are from what they have written in high school. While not all colleges require students to submit essays, many do. The summer before senior year, TFCC meets individually with students to teach how to write a college essay and to tell their story. At this meeting, we review a student’s college list, required application platforms, and where the student is at in the college application process. While we don’t share essays with parents, we keep parents informed on where their child is in the process. This meeting lasts between 2 and 2.5 hours; it is only for students. Review and editing of essays is an additional service.
Student/Parent Fall Check-In
Students are administered an interest and skills assessment based on Holland’s Theory of Career Development. The results help us understand how a student’s interests align with their skills. This information is important because it can help a student decide on classes to take in high school, activities to engage in, and possible college majors or careers. This session takes an hour and is for students only. Parents are copied on the results of the assessment.
College List Creation
Junior year, we work with students to create a personalized college list that is placed on a proprietary software account. Students and parents are given access to the account. The software offers many resources including acceptance date, deadlines, and the Fiske Guide reports. TFCC color-codes colleges to help in balancing a college list. This session, which is only for students, takes an hour with additional time required for the list creation. Parents are copied on the explanation of the creation of the college list and have access to the student’s software account.
In the fall, we meet with a student and parent(s) to review the college list and the application process. We discuss the upcoming fall timeline and any requirements that a student still needs to take care of.
Additional Benefits
Students and parents receive regular correspondence from TFCC to stay informed on the college process. This includes information on standardized testing, letters of recommendation, senior year checklists, financial aid information, etc. TFCC is always available to meet with students and/or parents when needed in addition to the standard meetings. Some examples: mock interviewing, class selection, and summer plans.