
Start With Your Story Educational Consulting
The Importance of Telling Your Story
Your college application should do so much more than just document your GPA and standardized test score. It should tell your story. Admissions counselors want to be able to picture a student on their campus and know that they will thrive. Just as important, they want to understand what makes you different from every other application that will cross their desk.
Your personal story can differentiate you beyond your GPA and test scores.
Your story helps you communicate who you are, your values and why you are a good fit for the institutions to which you are applying. Your story can help you engage an admissions officer, establish a connection and ultimately inspire them to advocate on your behalf.
Through Start with Your Story Educational Consulting, I serve as a trusted adviser to help you become more familiar with your gifts and passions. As we work together, you will be an expert at articulating what motivates you, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and how to describe yourself in a way that allows you to become more than another file. These storytelling skills are critical in the college admissions process, but also are life skills that will help you long after college.
Why Work with an Independent
Educational Consultant?

The college admissions process is complicated and stressful for students and families. Choosing a college is one of the most important decisions a student will make, as well as a significant investment for the entire family. At the same time, many high school budgets don’t allow for enough guidance counselors to provide the necessary individual attention, leaving too little time to help students on their college admissions journey.
Independent consultants can supplement the work of guidance counselors by providing students and families with additional attention. And, they are available at the family and student’s convenience – not just during school hours during the school year. This becomes valuable when you need a quick response or guidance.
Additionally, because independent consultants are not tied to any specific institution and because we have a broad range of knowledge about colleges and universities, we can help provide a wide range of options that are a good fit for you.
Independent consultants who are members of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) visit an average of 35 campuses annually to meet with admissions officers and understand what they are looking for in the application process. A school that you’re not familiar with today just might turn out to be the perfect choice for you!
Finally, as the college admissions and financial aid processes becomes more complex, it can be a source of conflict and stress between parents and students. An independent consultant can help keep you organized, motivated and adhering to deadlines throughout the entire process, thereby reducing stress and anxiety for the entire family. For more information on how an independent educational consultant can help navigate the college process, press the button below.
Learn About the IECA
Why Choose Start with Your Story?
My mission is to help you become more familiar with your own strengths and passions so you can find your authentic voice and story. I provide well-informed, objective and honest counsel to help you identify college options that will best nurture and develop those strengths and passions and help you articulate it through a compelling narrative.
This is an exciting time for students and families, but it also can be overwhelming and stressful. That’s just one of the reasons more and more families are looking for assistance from independent college counselors to assist in all aspects of the admissions journey. At Start with Your Story, I invest in you and your success by consulting on the admissions process so you and your family can make great decisions. I am committed to working closely with you to discover and express your personal strengths and passions through your own story and finding the right fit college. But, I offer much more than finding the right college fit.
I have significant training in college admissions and know how applications are evaluated. I’m also an accomplished leadership coach who uses proven techniques to help students identify and articulate their strengths, identity and values. Students need to have clarity of self if they are to find the right fit college, and I am here to assist on that journey. I approach the admissions process with a keen understanding of how to highlight relevant strengths to help you craft your own authentic story and positioning so you can stand out in the competitive college admissions landscape and in life after college.
When to Begin the Process
I am often asked when college counseling services should start. I believe counseling can be most effective and less stressful when families start at the onset of a student’s high school career. I like to start working with students when they are in ninth or tenth grade. This is not to say that a ninth- or tenth-grader will have a final college recommendation list. However, early preparation reduces stress and allows you to better understand who you are and what you value, so you are then better able to focus on the best-fit college opportunities. Also, by starting earlier, you can ensure proper class selection, explore passions, extracurricular and leadership activities and plan appropriately for standardized testing. While I do offer college counseling services for seniors, starting earlier will provide you with more options and opportunities.