Services & Partnering

First, you’re likely shopping around for someone to help with your family’s college process—good idea.

In San Diego county alone there are dozens of independent educational consultants (IECs); it’s also easy to partner for support with an IEC who will “come to you” remotely from Seattle, Boston, Tampa, and even Dubai.

The best place to learn more about IECs is the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).

Please review the service offerings below, and then contact Steve for a complimentary 30-minute Zoom conversation—he’ll do his best to give you an initial map for the process, and to connect you with the right support, even if it’s not consulting/coaching with him.

Setting a Budget to Meet Your Goals

Working together is structured by:

• start-time (e.g., grades 6-10 or 11-12), and

• family budget.

Start Time

Grades 6-10: Consulting to Parents

From Grade 6 through May of a student’s sophomore year, college admissions support is provided through consulting directly to parents—during this time, parents have their own particular needs, challenges to solve, and decisions to make.

Grades 11 & 12: Consulting to Parents and/or Coaching for Students

Steve begins coaching students directly during June prior to their junior year. Young people are developing quickly as they juggle numerous interests and priorities—students benefit by waiting until this time to begin the college admissions process in earnest.

Family Budget for the Admissions Process

Don’t you hate it when a salesperson asks, “So, what’s your budget for this product/service?”

Yeah, me, too—one always feels like they’re fishing for your upper limit of financial reach.

But the reality of affording college is that it likely represents the second biggest expense of your family’s lifetime, with only your mortgage costing more.

As such, strategic financial planning for college should include at least a brief conversation of your budget for the admissions process, which might include:

• application fees (e.g., UC apps are $80 per school)

• SAT/ACT testing and report-sending fees ($68+$43 for the SAT, +$14 per report)

• CSS Profile submittal fees ($25, + $16 each additional school if applying to private colleges)

• and more.

With a DIY budget of less than $100 (see the Resources page), and an investment of time and communication, your family can make a real difference for your student.

For parent consulting and/or student coaching, pricing with most IECs will be $200+ per hour, or will take the form of a “Comprehensive Package” at a cost of $4,000-$8,000+.

There’s a real risk that your family can over-run a set budget for admissions support, so it’s important for you to discuss this and set a figure in advance. An experienced IEC should be able to communicate to you the value you’ll receive across a spectrum of budgets.

Flexible Blocks of Support Time to
Meet Your Needs

Partnering with Positively College is as easy as A-B-C.

But first, you’re invited to begin with a complimentary 30-minute get-acquainted Zoom meeting to discuss your family’s goals and support needs; this meeting occurs without the student to enable a frank discussion of parental questions.

Following the initial meeting, your family may choose an A or B service, followed by C (additional blocks of service time) as needed.

Please note: All services are provided through prepaid, nonrefundable blocks of time, from 2 hours up to 20 hours. As an experienced consultant, Steve will then work according to these allotments, always seeking to meet your priorities for each budgeted allotment.

Service A: Targeted 2-Hour Transformations
(Resume, College List, or Essay)

If you’re not actively working with an IEC and are seeking just 2 hours of directed support on one of three key application tasks, this is the service for you. The structure for these laser-focused packages is:

• 30-minute Zoom with student to review status and assess needs

• 45-minutes of indirect work time for Positively College to review, read, research, and plan

• 45-minute Zoom with student for Positively College to deliver feedback and guidance

A1. Resume/Activities: Students applying to college benefit from a written resume detailing their activities, skills, and accomplishments; this resume provides the basis for completing the “activities” portions of applications

A2. College List: Where to apply? And why?! And to how many schools? And how to achieve a balanced list to enable academic, financial, social, and environmental fit? We’ll answer these questions and more, building from a family-provided starting list made according to family priorities

A3. Essay: During these 2 hours, we’ll tackle one essay, working together so that it communicates powerfully and delivers a clear message that aligns with an entire application theme

Service B: 4-Hour College Launch for Parents & Student

This service begins with a formal training for parents about the full scope and sequence of the college admissions process. It also includes an initial student-centered assessment of their interests, aptitudes, and skills, and a first conversation about building the college list.

Service B includes up to 3 hours of direct meting time, and at least 1 hour of consultant time for research, planning, and writing. All families will complete service B before investing in additional blocks of time.

Service C: Additional Blocks of Support Time

5-hour Block of Support

10-hour Block of Support

15-hour Block of Support (5% off)

20-hour Block of Support (10% off)

All support is provided remotely via Zoom, exclusively by Steve.

Coaching for the Class of 2025 is limited to 10 families.

Contact Steve to get started today!

*Note: A signed consulting/coaching agreement will proceed all consulting and coaching support. In brief, Steve and the family agree that:

• The consultant/coach advises, and the family decides—the family is responsible for all decision making and outcomes

• The student is responsible for doing all work themself and for meeting all deadlines; parents should not be writing essays or completing applications—this is the time for the student to step into independence (with parent and coach support) … and to shine

• There are no guarantees of admission or financial aid offers from any particular college/university