Navigating the college process together to find
the best-fit college for you!
Welcome to Personalized College Consulting
In working with students, my first goal is to support them as they lead the way in discovering the kind of college or university that will best serve their interests, intellect, and growth. Every college has its virtues, and together we seek a number of colleges that possess the right mix of attributes that will work best for every individual student: the best match that will welcome, challenge, and foster your student during these all-important years.
To achieve this goal, I spend time with your student learning all about their academics, test scores, extracurricular activities, hobbies, and interests; and administer a one-hour exercise to discover their optimal college and career path. This exercise serves as a personality assessment and is designed to help match the student’s natural abilities (what they do well) and specific interests (what they love to do) to help us arrive at their best-fit opportunities (where they will naturally thrive).
As we continue to meet, we shape a list of schools to investigate and consider and visit. Your input is important and most welcome. We review the colleges that your student will visit and discuss how to make the most out of college visits, and then review and compare the pros and cons of each school, winnowing down the list to a reasonable number of schools.
We brainstorm essay topics and the essays themselves. I coach, question, and critique the student’s writing, all the while mindful that this is the student’s own application, and therefore all language and ideas are the student’s as well, written in their own voice. We review who will be writing supportive letters of recommendation and how the student may be able to help teachers with those letters. We make sure that all standardized testing is on track and on time. We devise a timeline for each application to maintain a sense of order and avoid unnecessary tension.
Our meetings, which usually last one hour, take place in my Englewood office or via video chat. I am available by email and telephone, Sunday through Thursday, until 8:00 PM, and Friday until noon, and do my best to return your messages quickly.
There is a great school for every student; actually, there are several great schools for each student. The road to finding them, applying to them, gaining admission, and choosing one of them, may be a challenge, but it is a challenge that we can embrace together, and even enjoy along the way. At the end of the process, my hope is that your student will truly feel like an educated consumer, educated about the schools they have chosen to apply to, and possessing a greater understanding and appreciation of self as well.
Let’s begin the conversation ~
Complete the contact form below to schedule a
complimentary 20-minute call with Abbie.
My husband and I are so grateful for Abbie’s consummate professionalism in helping our daughter. We take comfort as parents that she has an adviser, a counselor, a friend to see her through. She feels it, and it is a tribute to Abbie’s skill, experience, and empathy for her clients.
Columbia University
Thank you so much for all of your help with the college process over the last 2 years. And thank you for your help, really, over the last 4 years! I know that I truly could not have navigated the entire process on my own and I really appreciate how easy you made it for me!
NYU
Thank you for all your help with my application and for your guidance throughout the whole process. Your advice and support definitely made it a lot more manageable. Your comments were always so insightful and constructive, and you helped keep me organized and on time.
Barnard
