For over 10 years, I’ve been working with high school students on their college application journey, providing both counseling and essay coaching support to them and their families.
While there’s the nuts-and-bolts aspect of the job — drafting the Common Application essay and supplemental essays, creating a realistic college list of “Reaches, Targets and Likelies,” negotiating sports recruitment offers, preparing for interviews, practicing on-the-spot writing drills, establishing a calendar of deadlines – there’s also the less tangible, but equally challenging facet which is the emotional component of working with teenagers on the brink of adulthood.
In addition to the students whom I coach, I’ve personally experienced the application process as the mother of two college graduates. Combined, I toured nearly 70 colleges, oversaw the application process both in the public and private school sector, acted as resident college essay coach and navigated the EA, ED, ED2 and RD options. Helping my own children has helped me with a third skill set which I bring into the mix when working with students: time management and active listening.
To help students curate a college list that reflects their personalities and interests as well as shape a narrative that communicates an aspect of who they are and what’s important to them is always my goal.
While engaging with families and students as their College Coach, I still channel the expertise and insight gained from the two career worlds I inhabited for 25 years: one as a writer, teacher and editor and the other as a marketing, branding and public relations executive. Both help me advise and collaborate with students and their families on the college search journey.
Elizabeth is a member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling and the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling.