At College Solutions, our team has worked in admissions at colleges ranging from Northwestern University, the University of Virginia, American University, the University of California system, the University of Southern California, Stanford, the Claremont Colleges, Swarthmore, and several others. As a result, we leverage our admission expertise to help families get a leg-up in the college admission process and get admitted to great colleges and universities.
Introducing Capstone, the quintessential offering from College Solutions, meticulously designed for families seeking the most personalized and comprehensive college admissions consulting available. Capstone represents the pinnacle of our commitment to excellence, combining unparalleled expertise and bespoke services to ensure your student's journey to college is not only successful but truly exceptional. This elite package is tailored for those looking for the ultimate guidance, support, and insight, embodying the essence of our mission to turn aspirations into achievements. To learn more about our Capstone program, please click here.
Our core packages are the main way we support families in their college admissions journey — as early as middle school and as late as senior year. We also have several additional options for seniors and college transfers, as well as add-on services for additional support. Whether your child is just starting to think about high school curriculum or entering his or her senior year, we’re confident that we have a package that’s right for you and your family.
Our Summit package is for all students, whether you begin working with College Solutions prior to high school or in 12th grade. You will work exclusively with an admissions expert to create an authentic, compelling narrative for your target schools. This flexible package lends itself to the family who wants to pursue the best-fit college from all angles. Prior to 11th grade, students will meet with their counselor up to four times per academic year. As college applications near, students will then meet with the counselor up to six times in 11th grade and up to eight times in 12th grade. Please note that College Solutions begins a new calendar on June 1st each year; unused meetings do not roll over from year to year.
The counselor will provide comprehensive advice on varied aspects of college admissions, including but not limited to the following:
Creation of the student’s college admission narrative (who you are and what you bring to a college)
Aptitude and career testing
A plan for a challenging yet balanced curriculum each year of high school
Personalized academic goals
Comprehensive support to brainstorm, edit, and review 12 college applications and their respective essays, with 5 drafts of a main personal statement and 3 drafts of each additional essay
A text and email reminder system to help stay on task with college applications
Access to proprietary college research portal
Suggestions for teachers to write the most compelling recommendations
A timeline for standardized test preparation with special access to free ACT/SAT diagnostic test(s)
A customized college list, as well as a debriefing of college visits
Invitation to exclusive Rising Senior Essay Workshop
An Early Decision and/or Early Action application strategy
A timeline for application submission
Comprehensive, detailed reviews of your college applications
Preparation for admission interviews
Review of admission offers
Ideas for extracurriculars and summer opportunities that fit your profile
Summer opportunity identification and application support
Scholarship identification and essay support (learn more about all of our Scholarship Support options here)
Transfer guarantee — if a student isn’t satisfied with his/her college after freshman year, College Solutions supports the transfer process at no additional cost
In this package for students in 10th-12th grade, you will work exclusively with an admissions expert who will personally guide you through the college application process. With up to seven meetings, this plan is for the family who wants support through the essentials of the ever-complex, competitive admissions process.
These seven meetings can include any of the following services tailored to fit your individual needs:
Creation of student’s college admission narrative (who you are and what you bring to a college)
Aptitude and career testing
A plan for a challenging yet balanced curriculum each year of high school
Personalized academic goals
Comprehensive support to brainstorm, edit, and review seven college applications and their respective essays, with three drafts of each essay
A text and email reminder system to help stay on task with college applications
Access to proprietary college research portal
Suggestions for teachers to write the most compelling recommendations
A timeline for standardized test preparation with special access to free ACT/SAT diagnostic test(s)
A customized college list, as well as a debriefing of college visits
Invitation to exclusive Rising Senior Workshop
An Early Decision and/or Early Action application strategy
A timeline for application submission
Comprehensive, detailed reviews of your college applications
Preparation for admission interviews
Review of admission offers
As a senior, you will work exclusively with an admissions expert to evaluate your progress thus far and create a path forward to maximize your academic record and resume. Your counselor will provide tailored, fast-track support throughout your senior year within the framework of up to five meetings.
These five meetings can include any of the following services tailored to fit your individual needs:
A text/email reminder system to help stay on task with college applications
Access to proprietary college research portal
Finalizing the college list
Comprehensive support to brainstorm, edit, and review five college applications and their respective essays, with three drafts of each essay
An Early Decision and/or Early Action application strategy
A timeline for application submission
Access to the recording of the Rising Senior Essay Workshop
Comprehensive, detailed reviews of your college applications
Preparation for admission interviews
As a transfer, you will work exclusively with an admissions expert, who will personally guide you through the college application process. Your counselor will provide tailored support and guidance within the framework of one meeting per school and application, with a maximum of five schools.
Services include:
A text/email reminder system to help stay on task with college applications
Identify best-fit transfer schools based on your academic goals and interests
A detailed review of each college application
To view a side-by-side comparison of our core packages, please click here.
For students who may need additional hours with our experts, comprehensive support on more college applications and essays or support with athletic recruitment or crafting a compelling visual or performing arts package, we offer add-ons to our counseling packages.
College Solutions’ Summit package includes a base level of scholarship support from CEO Margaret Bolton Baudinet. This base level of support can be purchased as an add-on service for our other packages. For a higher level of support, all clients can choose from two other plans to fit their scholarship needs. Please visit our scholarship page for more information on our scholarship support packages.
An expert writing coach will provide feedback and revisions for five (additional) college applications. Your existing admission expert will strategize with you on essay topics and structure. This package is solely available as an add-on package.
Work one-on-one with your expert, who will continue to guide you through the college application process in blocks of three hours. Please note: This does not include essay assistance.
Work one-on-one with our athletic recruitment experts to devise a strategy that creates the most athletic opportunities that suit your child's college plan.
Work one-on-one with our visual and performing arts expert, who is a classically trained musician and a former admission official at a highly-regarded American conservatory. He will review your portfolio of work, offer suggestions on colleges, and explain how you should prepare for the application process, with its deadlines, portfolio reviews, and/or auditions.
For seniors who are looking for more targeted support — from an individual or panel review of your complete applications or help to craft compelling college essays — College Solutions offers a set of programs outside of our core packages: Ignite, our signature college essay review program; the Final Review by one of our admissions experts; and the Admissions Committee Review, a program meant to mimic the committee review process found in most college admissions offices.
Ignite is for clients who want focused assistance with essay content creation and would like writing coach feedback to tell their authentic story, stand out to admission readers, get into college, and achieve their dreams. The student can access the proprietary college research and essay online platforms, essay content creation exercises, and an organization system to facilitate the review process and stay on top of deadlines. Essays are submitted online via an essay portal. This package offers an in-depth review of any personal statement (e.g., Common App) or school supplement. Our team of Writing Coaches will focus on helping improve content and clarity. Feedback on essays is detailed and contains suggestions to make an essay more engaging. Students may choose how to use their 10 drafts with writing coach feedback - whether on a few essays or spread out over many essays.
Please note: Ignite is not a proofreading service but a personalized approach to writing a compelling essay. No college list or college planning advice is available in this package, and no meetings with a writing coach are offered. Essay reviews are offered with a two-business-day turnaround. No essay reviews are available on federal holidays or the day after Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day.
While most College Solutions families choose to work with our team of counselors and former college admissions officials for all or most of their student’s high school journey, we understand that sometimes, families just want a little peace of mind at the end of the process. That’s exactly where the College Solutions Review comes in. The Final Review is for current high school seniors finalizing their application materials to submit to colleges and universities. Students will submit three completed applications for review by a College Solutions counselor. In return, students will receive comprehensive notes and actionable recommendations on all application elements to strengthen the application package.
Services include:
Comprehensive notes and actionable recommendations on your Common Application and supplemental applications for three schools
Detailed comments and recommendations on your Common Application personal statement and all supplemental essays for three schools
A summary of your uniqueness and competitiveness based on a detailed assessment of all application materials received and reviewed
Please note: the standard turnaround time for feedback is seven days. A 3-day rush service is available for an additional fee. Adding a 1-hour meeting with the counselor to discuss the strategic feedback is also available for an additional fee. This package is not available after December 15th of a student’s senior year.
Like the Final Review, some families elect for peace of mind at the end of the application journey just prior to application submission. The Admission Committee Review is for current high school seniors finalizing their application materials. It mimics the committee review process found in most college admissions offices, with three College Solutions counselors and former admissions officers reviewing one application in its entirety. Together, our team will provide strategic feedback and actionable recommendations from all points of view.
Services include:
Comprehensive notes and actionable recommendations on your Common Application and supplemental applications for one school from a committee of College Solutions counselors
Detailed comments and recommendations on your Common Application personal statement and all supplemental essays for one school
A summary of your uniqueness and competitiveness based on a detailed assessment of all application materials received and reviewed
Please note: the standard turnaround time for feedback is seven days. A 3-day rush service is available for an additional fee. Adding a 1-hour meeting with one of College Solutions’ counselors to discuss the strategic feedback is also available for an additional fee. This package is unavailable after December 15th of a student’s senior year.
Consumer Notice of Availability of Free Services for Residents of Illinois: General education planning services may be available free of charge from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and may also be offered by other public or not-for-profit entities, such as a public library of institution of higher learning.
Whether you’ve got questions about our packages and add-ons, what sets College Solutions apart, or you’re ready to get to work with our admissions experts to help your student navigate their journey to the perfect college fit, schedule a free consultation so we can get to know your family.
