While attending high school in San Diego certainly has its advantages, the area is not known for a competitive high school landscape. And when it comes time to apply to college, students from San Diego are competing against students from cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Local college consultants are helpful when it comes to finding schools in California, but if you want to consider schools outside of the state, it’s best to work with a team that is familiar with colleges around the country.
Through our work with students from San Diego, we’ve found that most of our clients are open to looking at schools outside of California. They’ve also been dedicated to looking beyond status to find the perfect fit. Rather than creating college lists based on national rankings and reputation, they want to consider all of their options and apply to schools that make sense based on their interests. But finding your dream school is only one small part of the process. It’s just as important, if not more crucial, to put together an application plan and get your resume into top shape. No matter what you’re interested in, we’ll help you put together a profile that will help your college application shine. After that, we’ll work to craft essays that speak to your personality and all that you’ve accomplished during high school.
San Diego College Admissions Counseling: A Look at Our Approach
Timeline: Most of our new clients are under the impression that things need to be ramped up during their junior year. The reality is that every single year of high school is important. We put together a plan that is both exciting to our clients, and will demonstrate growth and commitment. We don’t believe in adding action items to our timeline just for show, instead we streamline how time is spent outside of school and aim for quality over quantity.
Extracurricular Activities:
Not sure what your passions are? We’ll start with a series of exploratory calls.
Identified a few areas of interest, but you’re not sure what to do next? We’ll think outside of the box and collaborate to find creative and exciting outlets.
Example Case Study:
Sophomore Year: A new client comes to us with a general interest in writing. We advise them to enroll in the hardest English classes offered at their high school, and work on weekly writing prompts during our calls. Over time, a new interest emerges: Journalism. We find online classes for them to take, books to read, and challenge them to start writing for the school newspaper. The summer after sophomore year, our client attends a summer program for aspiring high school journalists.
Junior Year: Our client spends the year improving their writing skills and starts a literary magazine at their high school. Relying on what they’ve learned thus far, they pitch their stories to the local newspaper and eventually secure an internship at a magazine for the summer after their Junior year.
Senior Year: In the summer leading up to Senior year, we help our client find Journalism and writing programs that align with their career goals. Their resume shows prolonged dedication to their craft, and they’ve done the work to show competitive schools that they would be an asset to their Journalism programs. By December, they’re done with all of the college applications.
Creating a College List:
After we look at your grades and test scores, we’ll assess academic viability. By the time we start narrowing down your school list, we’ll have a firm grasp on what you’re looking for in a college experience. In addition to academic programs, we’ll find schools that are good cultural and social fits as well. Depending upon what you’re looking for, we’ll find colleges that match your interests.
Essays:
Applying to college means that you’ll be writing countless essays. We create a plan: decide what personality traits we want to showcase, ensure that there’s no overlap or redundancies, and craft supplements that show your dream school you’re already engaging with your areas of interest. We don’t stop editing the work until it’s been approved internally and we’re sure that it’s as strong as possible.
Getting In Touch With A San Diego College Counselor:
Navigating the ever changing landscape of the college application process is hard work. We’ve worked with high school students who’ve come to us at all stages of the process: a high-achieving freshman with lofty goals, rising juniors who need to get on track, and panic stricken seniors who just got deferred early action and need to submit five applications in two weeks. We’ll meet you right where you are in the process and put together a game plan that accounts for all of the things that keep you up at night.
If you want to learn more, contact us here.