Frequently Asked Questions:

Why do families use an independent educational consultant?

Families hire independent educational consultants for multiple reasons. For some families, they would like more in-depth support navigating an increasingly complex process, or they may feel they need more direction than a school counselor can provide within their current caseload. Others may be interested in securing additional expertise related to a specific need, such as supporting a student with a learning difference, or finding a school that offers opportunities for a particular area of study or interest.

For admissions support, a college education represents one of the most significant investments you may make during your lifetime. If you take into consideration the personal and professional benefits associated with your educational path, finding a school that is the right fit is a wise investment. There are over 4,000 colleges in the U.S. and the current student to counselor ratio in public schools is approximately 500 to 1. The average school counselor spends about 30-45 minutes per student on college planning activities. In contrast, independent educational advisors focus exclusively on educational advising, bringing their expertise to the table to provide families with the personalized and intensive support needed to navigate a complex and competitive process. Ideally, independent educational consultants fill the much needed space for greater advising support. Our goal is to provide the right level of support through the admissions journey that will ensure a student chooses a school that is the right fit for them.

When should you start working with a consultant?

For students applying to college, ideally, we recommend you start working with your educational advisor in 10th grade. The majority of our work together occurs during junior and senior year. However, starting early allows us to get to know your student and understand their strengths and interests, and it allows us to provide guidance with course selection, areas of development, extra-curricular and summer planning, and early list development. Since we provide targeted assistance as well as comprehensive services, the level of support can vary based on what level of service best meets your specific educational planning needs.

For independent and boarding school students, we work with students of all ages, whether they are seeking a local option or a boarding school.

For students who are not thriving in their current educational environment, the sooner this is identified and interventions are made the better. We can help students and families figure out barriers to learning, and assist them in identifying strengths and talents to use as a spring board for thriving in and out of the classroom. We want to empower students to recognize their strengths, and help families figure out what steps need to be taken to assist their student in continuing to thrive academically and socially. Identifying educational solutions often involves a combination of factors, and our goal is to assist you in this process.

What services do you provide?

Thrive Educational Advising is a full-service educational consulting group.This means that whether you are seeking assistance in the college search process, looking at boarding school for your child, or needing more targeted support with course selection, extracurricular programs, academic support, or essay development, we can assist you. Most of our services are offered both in person or remotely, so geography is not a limitation.

How do you deliver your services?

We work with families and students near and far, and both in person and remotely. During the pandemic even local clients are utilizing videochat services. We communicate via Zoom, email, document sharing, and through phone calls The level of in person support required depends on the services the family is seeking. Thrive advisors are available weekdays, weeknights, and weekends depending on your student’s schedule.

What benefits are there to hiring an IECA consultant?

https://www.iecaonline.com/PDF/IECA_10-ways-IECA-members-are-unique.pdf

Are there any resources that you recommend we use for the college search process?

As educational advisors, we are frequently visiting schools, attending professional conferences, surveying websites, books, and articles to recommend to our students and families. For researching the best ‘fit’, the College Board, and ACT sites are excellent and reliable starting points. The Common Application is also a rich source of information. College Scorecard, from the U.S. Department of Education, offers important cost and outcome comparisons. Khan Academy provides free SAT and ACT test prep in addition to academic content in many fields.

How to afford college understandably concerns our clients. For clarity of process, we urge you to consult studentaid.ed.gov, also from the Department of Ed. This site explains the application process and the realities of aid and loan repayment options. Vermont residents are fortunate to have the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC).

We have compiled a list of frequently used resources for your convenience:

www.fiskeguide.com

www.petersons.com

www.collegeboard.org

www.collegescorecard.ed.gov/

TESTING

www.ACT.org (ACT exams)

www.ETS.org (SAT exams)

www.SSAT.org (Secondary School Admissions Tests)

www.TOEFL.org (Test of English as a Second Language)

APPLICATION

www.commonapp.com (Common College Application)