College Counseling FAQs

I often get asked some of the questions below while talking to parents and potential new clients. This blog post may answer one of your questions, too. As always, if you have a question not answered here, please contact me directly!

Why hire an independent college consultant?

Families engage with me for many reasons. Stress relief, deadline tracking, personalized guidance, essay help, and for use as a sounding board are some of the top things I hear. 

What happens after the initial consultation? 

If we decide that we are a good fit to work together, I will send you a New Student Questionnaire, a Client Services Agreement, and an Invoice. We will then schedule our first meeting which will be between 1 and 1.5 hours. The first meeting is really fun - after reviewing some housekeeping items I will ask you a million questions about what your goals are, what you want out of college, and what you want your college experience to be like. Subsequent meetings are generally around 50 minutes long, and we will set a schedule during our first meeting.

What kind of packages do you offer?

I offer hourly packages (in a block of 10 or 20 hours) and comprehensive packages. We will discuss what is the best option for your student in our initial consultation. 

How often do you meet with students?

The package you select will determine how often we meet. We will always meet more often as fall approaches, and with it application deadlines.

Do parents sit in on calls with students?

Parents will generally sit in on our first meeting, but after that it is up to each family to decide what is right for them. The process is student-focused and many families find that it is helpful to just have the student on most calls with parents popping in when they have questions. 

Do you work remotely or in-person?

I work with students all over California and the US primarily over Zoom. My goal is to make our sessions feel warm and inclusive, the same as if we were sitting in a room together! I am located in El Dorado Hills, California and if local students would like to come into my office for a session they are welcome.

What about phone and email support?

All of my packages offer unlimited phone and email support.

Have a question not answered here?

Contact me at haleyfriedman1@gmail.com and I will be happy to answer it!