Starting Point: Your Student in One Page

• Tell me about your student's current academic profile, including recent grades, course rigor, and any standardized scores you have.
• Walk me through a typical school week for your student, including classes, extracurriculars, and time available for application work.
• Describe the two out-of-class activities that mean the most to your student and why they matter.
• Share an example of a recent achievement or setback that changed how you view their candidacy.
• Which academic areas or majors is your student most drawn to now? Options: STEM/engineering, Life sciences/health, Business/economics, Social sciences, Humanities/arts, Undecided, Other
• Name the school-based supports your student currently uses, such as guidance counselor, teacher mentor, or coach. Options: School counselor, Teacher mentor, Athletic coach, AP/subject tutor, No current supports, Other
• By when would you like a recommended college list finalized so visits and early application decisions fit your timeline? Options: Within 4 weeks, 4 to 8 weeks, Before senior fall, No fixed date

Where the Process Usually Breaks, and Why It Matters

• If you imagine your student submitting applications to their top three choices today, how confident are you that at least one would produce an admission offer? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Unlikely, Almost no chance
• When have you seen your school counselor's input clearly improve a student's outcome, and what changed as a result?
• How much alignment is there in your family between value placed on prestige, net cost, and everyday fit for the student? Options: Strong alignment, Some disagreements, Major disagreements, Not discussed
• Which parts of the application feel most technical or uncertain to you right now? Options: Testing plan, College list fit, Essay development, Recommendation management, Financial aid strategy, Interviews
• Describe a worst-case admissions outcome you fear, and why that scenario would worry you.

Family Priorities and Trade-offs

• What's the one trade-off between cost, program, and location your family will not accept? Options: Unwilling to exceed a budget, Won't prioritize distance over program, Program must come first even if costly, Unsure
• Name the decision-maker(s) for education investments in your household and how past disagreements have been resolved.
• Tell me how financial aid expectations are shaping which colleges you want to consider. Options: Need-based aid critical, Merit scholarships required, Price less important than fit, Unsure
• When you picture a college where your student truly thrives, what three day-to-day elements stand out?
• Rank these priorities for a final choice: cost, academic program strength, campus culture, career outcomes, and proximity to home. Options: Cost, Program strength, Campus culture, Career outcomes, Proximity to home
• If a preferred school looks unaffordable after aid estimates, do you have a maximum yearly net price you would accept? Enter an amount or select 'Unsure'. Options: Under $15,000/year, $15,000–$30,000/year, $30,000–$50,000/year, No fixed cap, Unsure

Timeline, Visits, and Application Logistics

• If application deadlines shift earlier than expected, which deadlines would become a risk to meeting your timeline? Options: Early decision/early action, Regular decision, Scholarship deadlines, None would be at risk, Unsure
• Identify specific weekends or school breaks you are willing to use for campus visits. Options: Fall break, Thanksgiving, Winter break, Spring break, Summer, Weekends only, None feasible
• Estimate how many hours per week your student can realistically commit to application work over the next three months. Options: 0–2 hours, 3–5 hours, 6–10 hours, 10+ hours
• Are there remaining standardized tests your student plans to take, and which ones? Options: SAT, ACT, Subject tests, No further tests planned, Unsure
• Identify other household members who must be looped into deadlines and financial discussions. Options: Both parents, One parent, Student only, Extended family, Other
• If unexpected family obligations appear, which part of the application timeline would you deprioritize? Options: Campus visits, Early applications, Essay polishing, Recommendation follow-ups, None

Risk, Expectations, and Emotional Stakes

• If the admissions outcome does not match your hopes, how will you decide whether the advising investment was worth it? Options: By admissions results, By financial outcome, By student wellbeing and fit, By quality of process and support, Unsure
• Share a moment when the admissions process already felt overwhelming for your family and what made it so.
• List the fears about admissions that come up most in your family conversations. Options: Missing safety schools, Overpaying, Student burnout, Not communicating strengths, Unexpected admissions decisions, Other
• Estimate how often family disagreements about college priorities have delayed decisions in the past year. Options: Never, Occasionally, Often, Most decisions delayed
• When you evaluate advisor recommendations, which past experience would make you skeptical of a new provider?
• What single decision delay would cause you to pause starting advising this cycle? Options: No agreed budget, Student not ready to commit, Parents disagree, Missing key test results, No barrier

Competitive Landscape, Alternatives You're Weighing

• List the advising approaches you are actively considering (for example, school counselor only, independent private counselor, national advising program, or self-guided), and the main reason for each.
• Select any of those options you have already contacted, scheduled, or received materials from. Options: School counselor, Local independent counselor, National advising service, Peer or family recommendation, No one contacted yet
• What would have to be true about your current school counselor for you to stay with them instead of hiring outside support?
• Has anyone in your family proposed handling admissions without outside support, and if so, what was their plan? Options: Yes, full DIY plan, Yes, partial DIY with help, No plan proposed, Unsure
• Point to the option you expect would deliver the strongest admissions results and the option you expect would be strongest on cost. Options: Best admissions: private counselor / school counselor / national program / DIY, Best cost: private counselor / schoo...
• What would need to change in your budget or timing for you to choose a more expensive advising option?

Operational Readiness, Data and School Constraints

• If we agreed to start within four weeks, what three practical barriers would block kickoff?
• Identify who at the school typically handles transcript requests, test report uploads, and recommendation letter submission. Options: School counseling office, Student handles uploads, Parent handles uploads, Combination, Unsure
• Are there permission, privacy, or legal constraints we should know about, such as guardianship, FERPA access, or visa/immigration status? Options: Yes - guardianship or custody, Yes - school disclosure limits, Yes - immigration/visa, No constraints, Unsure
• Estimate how many distinct application platforms your student will need to use, for example Common App plus two institutional portals. Options: 1, 2, 3, More than 3, Unsure
• Does your student have reliable internet, a quiet workspace for writing and interviews, and a device suitable for drafting essays and attending virtual meetings? Options: All available, Missing one, Missing two or more, Unsure
• Which school or district policies could delay transcript release or recommendation letters, and how long are typical holds? Options: District approval required, Counselor workloads cause delay, No special policies, Unsure

Decision Signals and Next Steps

• If we present a clear advising plan that improves admissions odds in six months, what would stop you from agreeing to proceed that week?
• How quickly could you review a proposed scope of work and fee schedule and return a decision? Options: Within 48 hours, Within a week, Within two weeks, Longer than two weeks
• Identify the measurable signals you would use to judge success at the end of the first semester of advising, for example a refined college list or drafted essays. Options: Refined college list, Draft essays in progress, At least one target application ready, Preliminary net cost estimates, Reduced student stress
• Are you prepared to share a recent transcript and current test scores within seven days for a full assessment? Options: Yes, within 7 days, Yes, within 2–4 weeks, No, need longer, Unsure
• Finally, who must approve or sign to move forward with advising, and when are they available to make that decision? Options: Both parents, One parent, Student only, Multiple family approvals needed, Other

• Advising Experience, Live Walkthrough

• Confirm the current state and its cost
• You confirm the stated current state and accept the quantified consequences for time, cost, and decision risk.
• Prepare and deliver a tailored two-scenario walkthrough applying the services to the provided student profile before the follow-up meeting.
• You confirm that the two scenario walkthroughs show how college list development, essay coaching, interview prep, and financial aid strategy map to your student's goals.
• Map services to goals with a target-fit scenario
• Provide the student's academic summary, recent standardized scores, extracurricular highlights, and any family financial constraints.
• Confirm the decision-makers and the target timeline for committing to a trial engagement and full advising engagement.
• You agree that the proposed advising roadmap and acceptance criteria would reduce wasted applications and clarify financial expectations.
• Map services to goals with a financial-aid scenario
• Show the advising workflow and acceptance criteria
• You commit to the next-step trial scope and identify the decision checkpoint and required information for a follow-up proposal.
• Draft a one-page trial engagement scope for college list development with milestones and measurable acceptance criteria and share it before the next meeting.
• Validate alignment with your needs
• Agree next-step trial and decision checkpoints

• Advising Experience, Live Walkthrough
• Advising Experience Deck
• Advising Experience Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Finalize a balanced college list
• Deliver application submission calendar
• Draft and edit college application essays
• Optimize activities resume and short answers
• Prepare interview coaching and mock interviews
• Manage teacher recommendation guidance and requests
• Run net-price and financial aid analysis
• Support completion of federal and institutional aid forms
• Coordinate scholarship search and application support
• Plan campus visit itineraries and question lists
• Counsel on early-admission and waitlist options
• Provide enrollment decision support and comparison

Finalize a balanced college list

• For your current college list spreadsheet or file, how many reach, target, and safety schools are listed now? Options: All three categories present, Only reach/target present, Only target/safety present, None / starting from scratch
• Which colleges on your list require additional profile research (e.g., recent yield shifts, test-optional policies, admission rate changes)?
• What acceptance criteria will confirm the college list is final (for example: minimum 3 target schools, maximum 4 reaches, documented fit reasons for each school)?
• List the documents or artifacts you will provide to finalize the list (e.g., most recent transcript PDF, PSAT/SAT superscore, list of intended major(s), extracurricular resume).

Deliver application submission calendar

• Identify one preferred deadline structure for your student (Early Decision binding, Early Action, Regular Decision, rolling) to use when we draft the calendar. Options: Early Decision (binding), Early Action (nonbinding), Single-Choice Early Action, Regular Decision, Rolling
• Estimate the number of Common Application or Coalition Application accounts you will create and manage for your student. Options: 1, 2, 3+, Undecided
• Which measurable timeline thresholds will validate the submission calendar (for example: all first-round essays due 3 weeks before Early Decision deadline, transcript requests sent 4 weeks prior)?
• Specify any external calendaring constraints we must honor (school counselor blackout dates, AP test weeks, major youth-sports commitments).

Draft and edit college application essays

• Describe how you want essay ownership split between the student and counselor for Common Application personal statement and supplements (student drafts first / counselor outlines first / collaborative). Options: Student drafts first, counselor edits, Counselor provides outline, student writes, Collaborative drafting sessions, Counselor drafts example for student
• Provide the list of essay prompts or schools with supplements you want prioritized for coaching in the first round.
• Attach any existing essay drafts or brainstorming notes you have for the Common App personal statement and supplements.
• Select your preferred edit cadence for each essay (e.g., one substantive rewrite + one polishing pass, iterative drafts until deadline). Options: One substantive + one polish, Iterative unlimited within scheduled time, Single revision only, Custom schedule

Optimize activities resume and short answers

• State any format you require for the activities resume (Common App activities section, single-page PDF, chronological with hours/years). Options: Common App structured fields, Single-page one-column PDF, Chronological list with dates and hours, Other
• Compare your student's current activities resume against the Common App character limits and indicate if trimming is needed. Options: Meets limits, Needs moderate trimming, Needs major rewriting, Not sure — please review
• Provide examples of leadership roles or project artifacts we should highlight in short-answer prompts (e.g., team captain packet, research poster title, nonprofit service hours report).
• Choose one priority for short-answer optimization: impact metrics (hours/awards), narrative cohesion, or tailoring to intended major. Options: Impact metrics, Narrative cohesion, Tailoring to major, Balanced approach

Prepare interview coaching and mock interviews

• Describe which interview formats your student may face and want coached (alumni on-campus, alumni remote video, admissions officer on-campus, blind alumni). Options: Alumni in-person, Alumni video/phone, Admissions officer in-person, Admissions officer video, Blind alumni interview
• Provide the number of mock interview sessions you want included and preferred length per session. Options: 1 x 30min, 2 x 45min, 3 x 60min, Custom
• Attach any interviewer guidelines or past interview feedback (e.g., notes from high school counselor, prior mock feedback) you want us to incorporate.
• Select the focus areas for coaching in mock interviews (content/answers, delivery/body language, question strategy, school-specific talking points). Options: Content/answers, Delivery/body language, Question strategy, School-specific talking points

Manage teacher recommendation guidance and requests

• Who will be the primary contact to request recommendations from your student's teachers and counselors (student, parent, we coordinate with school counselor)? Options: Student requests, Parent requests, We coordinate request, School counselor handles
• Where should recommendation request deadlines be set relative to application deadlines (e.g., 3 weeks prior, 4 weeks prior)? Options: 2 weeks prior, 3 weeks prior, 4 weeks prior, Other
• Provide the names and subjects of the teachers you plan to ask for recommendations and any context we should include in our guidance (AP course, project supervised).
• Assign an owner for tracking submission of each recommendation and indicate how you want evidence recorded (screenshot of submission, confirmation email, school portal status). Options: We track and record confirmations, You/Student track and upload confirmations, School counselor provides confirmations

Run net-price and financial aid analysis

• Indicate which financial documents you will provide for net-price modeling (most recent tax return, FAFSA estimates, parent asset statements).
• Estimate the number of target colleges you want individual net-price projections for (e.g., top 6 preferences). Options: 1-3, 4-6, 7-10, 10+
• Explain how you prefer net-price outputs to be presented (spreadsheet with sticker vs expected cost, side-by-side comparison, narrative summary). Options: Spreadsheet comparison, Side-by-side chart, Narrative summary, All of the above
• Flag any special financial situations we must model (divorced parents, recent change in income, unusual assets, family business). Options: Yes — details to follow, No special situations

Support completion of federal and institutional aid forms

• Provide the FAFSA year or institutional profile year you need help with (for example: FAFSA 2026-27, CSS Profile 2026-27).
• Specify whether you need full-service form completion support (we prepare and review entries) or review-only support. Options: Full-service completion, Review-only, I will complete, please advise
• Attach copies of any prior-year FAFSA submission or institutional aid award letters you want us to reference.
• Choose preferred verification assistance: document checklist only, document collection coordination, or direct form entry under authorization. Options: Checklist only, Collection coordination, Direct entry with authorization

Coordinate scholarship search and application support

• Name the scholarship sources you want prioritized (local community foundations, national merit programs, college-specific scholarships). Options: Local foundations, National programs, College-specific, Employer-sponsored, All of the above
• Mark any scholarship deadlines or rolling timelines you must meet and provide dates if known.
• Provide examples of scholarship essays or short answers we should reuse or adapt from application essays.
• Indicate whether you want active submission support (we submit on your behalf where allowed) or coaching and templates only. Options: Active submission where allowed, Coaching and templates only, Hybrid

Plan campus visit itineraries and question lists

• Schedule a preferred travel window or dates for campus visits and indicate any immovable constraints (school exam weeks, family events).
• Identify the campus visit objectives you care about (academic department meeting, dorm tour, financial aid office appointment, class visit). Options: Academic meeting, Dorm/residential life tour, Financial aid appointment, Class visit, Student life events
• Provide the list of 3-5 campus-specific questions you want included for faculty or admissions interviews (e.g., research opportunities for first-years, typical internship destinations).
• Choose the visit logistics we should plan: self-guided, official admissions tour, department meeting, overnight stay with student host. Options: Self-guided, Official admissions tour, Department meeting, Overnight host

Counsel on early-admission and waitlist options

• Indicate your tolerance for binding commitments if considering Early Decision (willing to commit, prefer nonbinding, undecided). Options: Willing to commit, Prefer nonbinding, Undecided — need counseling
• Detail any institutional yield or waitlist history you want us to consider for specific schools (past admit vs waitlist ratios if known).
• Select the level of advocacy you want if the student is waitlisted (regular check-ins, additional letter-of-interest drafts, campus visit to demonstrate interest). Options: Regular check-ins only, Letter-of-interest assistance, Demonstrative visit coordination, Full advocacy package
• Explain how you want us to advise when an Early Decision offer would conflict with financial concerns (run immediate net-price comparison, seek appeal strategy, decline ED). Options: Immediate net-price run, Appeal strategy guidance, Recommend declining ED, Discuss with family first

Provide enrollment decision support and comparison

• Confirm the deadline by which your family needs a final enrollment decision and deposit for your top-choice schools.
• Which comparison dimensions matter most for your decision (net price after aid, academic fit by major requirements, housing options, internship pipelines)? Options: Net price after aid, Academic fit/major, Housing/residential life, Career/internship outcomes, Proximity to home
• Confirm the acceptance criteria we should use to recommend an enrollment choice (for example: lowest expected four-year cost, best program fit for declared major, best scholarship package).
• Provide any contract or deposit constraints we should track for you (enrollment deposit amount, refund deadline, housing contract date).

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Fee Schedule & Payment Plan
• Payment Authorization & Billing Consent
• Confidentiality Agreement (NDA)
• Student Data Protection Addendum (conditional)
• Change Order & Scope Amendment
• Cancellation & Refund Policy
• Engagement Authorization & Decision-Maker Confirmation

• Post-results Health Check
• First Outcomes Measurement
• Acceptance and Enrollment Finalization (90-day gate)
• Quarterly Ongoing Support Review

• Publish the lessons-learned summary and recommended next-step checklist for future advising engagements.
• Confirm final enrollment deposits to be submitted and capture any outstanding contingencies or hold conditions.
• Ensure evidence for each pass/fail determination is uploaded to the shared workspace for auditability.
• Publish the acceptance decision or remediation plan in the shared workspace, including the pass/fail status for each Advising Scope criterion.
• If remediation is required, create a remediation task list with deadlines and update the shared tracker.
• Record confirmed enrollment deposits and payment receipts in the student's enrollment record in the shared workspace.
• Review open financial aid follow-ups
• Reduce the open financial aid follow-ups count to zero or put each remaining item on a time-bound resolution plan.
• Track appeals pending and maintain or improve the appeals success rate quarter over quarter.
• Have a documented lessons-learned summary stored in the shared workspace for future advising reference.
• Close resolved financial aid follow-up threads and archive their outcomes in the student's file.
• Document appeal outcomes and update the appeals success rate metric in the shared dashboard.
• Confirm receipt of admissions materials
• All admission decisions and award letters are confirmed received and logged in the shared workspace.
• A live shared channel for appeals and financial aid follow-up is active and validated by both parties.
• All urgent blockers with deadlines within 7 days are identified and immediate remediation tasks agreed.
• Upload missing award letters and decision PDFs to the shared workspace for record keeping.
• Create the appeals and financial aid follow-up thread in the shared channel and add the initial checklist of documents required for appeals.
• Document short-term remediation tasks and their deadlines in the shared task tracker.
• Present admissions tally vs Advising Scope targets
• Determine whether the number of offers from target-tier schools and offers meeting prioritized success signals are on track relative to the targets recorded in Advising Scope.
• Agree a prioritized list of remediation actions for financial aid and appeals, with dates for when each will be completed.
• Confirm where each remediation task will be tracked and how progress will be reported between meetings.
• Compile a side-by-side table of each offer versus the family's success signals and upload it to the shared workspace.
• Submit listed financial aid follow-ups and appeals within the documented deadlines, and attach confirmation receipts to the shared channel.
• Schedule any required campus or virtual follow-up meetings to inform final enrollment decisions.
• Restate Advising Scope acceptance criteria
• Produce a documented acceptance decision that records the number of acceptance criteria met as recorded in Advising Scope, or a time-bound remediation plan when criteria are unmet.
• Verify shared communication channel
• Present outcome data against each criterion
• Financial aid package summary
• Review appeals status and outcomes
• Diagnose gaps and root causes
• Identify immediate blockers
• Capture lessons learned and documentation
• Document acceptance decision or remediation required
• Confirm ongoing support channel and escalation path
• Finalize enrollment choices and deposit plan
• Agree corrective actions and timelines
• Agree short-term actions and owners