Stressed about choosing a college, completing applications, or writing your admissions essays? KD has solutions to help students and their families successfully tackle the college admissions process.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is college counseling?
College counseling assists middle and high school students and their families with the college admissions process, including: college selection, application assistance, essay guidance and editing, interview preparation, resumes, career paths and majors, high school course selection, and more. As high school counselors are now tasked with more responsibilities and increased caseloads, an independent counselor can provide additional support for families.
College counseling can take several forms. Our one-on-one college counseling sessions pair students with experienced professionals who can provide guidance for the entire admissions process or for a few specific areas. Group counseling events like the APPLY NOW! Boot Camp are a cost-effective way to get help for the most common parts of the application process.
Regardless of the setting, college counselors provide unbiased advice based on knowledge gained by experience, continuing education, and college research. Our counselors do not write essays or complete application materials for students, nor do we guarantee admission, but we will provide feedback and support along the way.
Choose a program that fits best with your student’s unique needs. Have questions? Sign up for a free consultation to learn more about our program options.
Why should I hire a college counselor?
To put it simply, the college admissions process is a long and confusing journey. It’s nice to have a little help along the way.
Since 1992, we have helped families just like yours navigate this stressful process. College counselors provide expert guidance along the way and can help students and their families choose the best path. The support of a college counseling team can help your student take charge of the process, eliminate costly mistakes, keep your student on track, and maximize a student’s chance of admittance into his or her dream college.
If any of these sound familiar, then you may want to consider working with a college counselor:
- Stressed about finding the right college fit?
- Not sure how to start your college application essays?
- Worried about preparing for college interviews?
- Super-anxious about completing applications?
Many of our families say that working with a college counselor helps maintain family relationships and decreases stress.
How does college admissions consulting work?
The first step is having a quick “get-to-know-you” call with a member of our college counseling team. Here are just a few of the questions your student might hear:
- What activities are you involved in?
- What is your GPA? Does your high school report class rank?
- What classes have you taken in high school?
- Have you taken the national PSAT, SAT, or ACT tests? How did you do?
- What are your college goals?
- Have you thought about possible careers or college majors?
- Where are you in the college admissions process?
Based on your student’s goals, dreams, priorities, and opportunities, we’ll make some recommendations on which of our college counseling programs might be a good fit. Talk it over as a family, and then the real work begins!
How do I choose a counselor?
Sign up for a free consultation with a college counselor to find out if he or she is a good fit for your student.
Ask yourself, “Will my student interact, share, and be openly engaged with the counselor? Will he or she take direction and guidance from this person?”
It’s also important for students to understand the amount of time that is involved in the admissions process. Students will be held accountable for doing the work and meeting deadlines—just like in college and the real world.
What programs does KD offer?
At KD College Prep, we offer three college counseling program options: the Pinnacle™ Program, Select™ Sessions, and APPLY NOW! Boot Camps.
Pinnacle Program (11th and 12th grades)
Our Pinnacle Program is “concierge-style,” one-on-one counseling designed for students who need an expert to guide them through the entire college admissions process from start to finish. Your personalized plan could include a combination of the activities below.
- Exploring college options and building a final, balanced list
- Finding your voice to write your most compelling essays (including several editing and revision sessions)
- Developing a timeline for college admissions application (including Early Action and Early Decision)
- Determining your ideal high school courses, extracurricular pursuits, and summer activities
- Investigating career paths and majors
- Creating an effective resume
- Developing a recommendation letter strategy
- Preparing for quality interviews
- Helping make your final decision
Students meet regularly with a college counselor to get insight, feedback, and encouragement as they work towards their goals. A limited number of students per graduating class are accepted into the Pinnacle Program, so we recommend scheduling a consultation and registering early to secure your spot.
Some students may start as early as March of 10th grade. Learn more about the Pinnacle Program. IMPORTANT NOTE: The PINNACLE Programs for the classes of 2024 and 2025 are now closed. No new students will be accepted at this time.
Select Sessions (10th-12th grades)
Select Sessions allow you to pay by the hour for expert guidance in specific areas with a senior member of the college counseling team. Areas of assistance could include:
- Essay topics and editing
- College research and selection
- Application planning and review
- Interview skills and more
Learn more about Select Sessions.
APPLY NOW! Boot Camps (12th grade)
Boot camps are fast-paced, small group events held periodically during the year for 12th graders. During the 10-hour (4 days, 2.5 hours per day) APPLY NOW! Boot Camp, students will be guided through:
- The Common Application® and ApplyTexas® application
- Writing two edited college essays to be used or adapted for college admissions
- Creating an edited personal resume and activity list to be used with college applications
Learn more about our APPLY NOW! Boot Camps
When should my student start working with a college counselor?
It all depends on the student and what his or her goals are. In a perfect world, students would meet with a counselor in middle school or early in high school to understand the college admissions process and get help selecting high school courses and extracurricular activities. Students would then use 10th and 11th grade to explore colleges and develop a foundation for the application process, leading into a busy 12th grade college application season, which generally begins the July going into 12th grade.
Students who plan on applying to highly-competitive schools or who need more assistance may benefit from starting the process earlier. On the other hand, a well-prepared student may only need finishing touches on a few essays before deadline season during his or her 12th grade year.
No matter where our college counseling students apply, we recommend finishing the application process by October 15th, if at all possible. College deadlines vary and so will students’ timelines, depending on when they start with us.
Our expert advice? It’s almost always best to start early. This process is often much more time consuming than you think. Call to schedule a free consultation with a member of our team so we can offer some recommendations based on your student’s specific situation.
Which schools have accepted KD's former college counseling students?
Our students have earned acceptances into every Ivy League school (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton), Emory, NYU, Duke, Georgetown, UCLA, UC-Berkeley, Carnegie-Mellon, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, University of Arizona Honors College, University of Chicago, Caltech, Michigan, Georgia Tech, SMU, MIT, Vanderbilt, Rice, Davidson, St. John’s, Trinity, the University of Notre Dame, Bowdoin, Texas A&M, University of Texas Engineering Honors, and many more.
How much does it cost?
The price of college counseling at KD College Prep depends on the program and your student’s grade level.
Pricing varies by program:
College counseling is expensive. Is it worth it?
According to educationdata.org, the average cost of a public four-year, in-state college in the U.S. is $25,864 per student per year. Many of our college counseling students obtain outstanding scholarship offers that help them afford the overall cost of college.
College counseling can be well worth it for students who have important goals, need help understanding the process, or want professional guidance to make the most of college and scholarship opportunities.
