College Consulting Firm Launches New Program to Help High School Seniors Build Skills to Successfully Transition to College Life

Brookline, Massachusetts — Educational Advocates College Consulting, a college admissions consulting firm headquartered in Boston, MA, today announced the launch of a new program aimed at high school seniors who can benefit from understanding the academic expectations of the college setting and establishing goals to ensure they are college ready.

The program, From High School to College: Skills for Graduating Seniors, consists of six to seven sessions, and is ideal for any student who wants to position themselves for academic success during their freshman year.

A separate track is offered with an additional session for neurodiverse students and those with ADHD and/or learning differences. The program is tailored to the student’s needs and to the college to which they are matriculating.

The program was launched by Educational Advocates consultant IldiSzekely, who has extensive experience in teaching, advising, and helping students transition into the rigorous college environment.

“Being admitted to college is just the first step,” Szekely says. “The goal is to persist and graduate. The transition to college can be challenging for all students, especially for students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and executive function challenges. This program helps students understand their learning profile, how to access general academic support and/or accommodations, develop systems for managing time, setting realistic goals, as well as generate useful study skills and habits.”

The fee for the program is $2,400 for six sessions or $2,700 for seven sessions and includes consulting time to personalize the sessions to the student’s profile and the college they will be attending. Session One includes an assessment of the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and executive function skills as well as goal setting. The Session Two helps the student understand their time management, note-taking, and study skills. Session Three introduces the student to what they need to know to be prepared for their first year of college including reviewing a current syllabus, reviewing course expectations, and discussing office hours.

Session Four is a continuation of session three, teaching the student how to navigate the learning management system the college uses and reviewing how to appropriately email professors. The Session Five explores course selections, helping the student determine what a balanced course load looks like and explaining the differences between core and elective courses. Session Six explores the majority of available resources on a college campus such as the Career Center, Counseling resources, and Academic Advising.

The seventh session is appropriate solely for neurodiverse students and those with ADHD and/or learning differences. Students will review documentation guidelines and learn to understand the accommodations they can receive at their college.

Once students arrive on campus, Educational Advocates can continue to support them weekly. A $250 fee includes a one-hour meeting with IldiSzekely as well as her responses to email questions from the student.

“With the launch of this program we’re excited to expand upon our services for high school students to help ease what can be a stressful transition from high school to college life,” says Joan Casey, President and Founder of Educational Advocates. “The sessions explain in-depth what they can expect when taking on a college course load and will assist them with study skills, time management, understanding the accommodations their college is likely to provide, and more.”

The program is designed to be one-on-one between the student and an Educational Advocates college consultant. This is intentional so that the student can adapt to being self-sufficient in college life.

“When our clients go off to college, they don’t have their parents by their side,” explained Szekely. “So a lot of what this program does is instill confidence by showing them how to study efficiently, communicate effectively with professors, choose courses wisely, access campus resources, and learn to be more independent.”

Educational Advocates has been helping students and their parent’s research and find colleges to apply to that meet their academic and financial needs since 2004. Their team of college admissions consultants regularly visits college campuses to meet with school officials and students to research a particular school’s application process, new course offerings, campus culture, and more.

Their services include college admissions consulting, financial aid planning, writing assistance for the personal essay, prospective athlete advising, visual arts and musical performance assistance, and specialized services for students with learning differences and ADHD.

This particular program is the first of its kind in the firm’s nearly 20-year history. “With the success of this specialized program, we hope to introduce more to help prepare our clients for college,” said Casey.

To learn more about the program, visit the website.

About Educational Advocates College Consulting

Educational Advocates is a college admission counseling team that works with high school students to help them make informed choices about their college selection process and create the right college experience for them. Offering consulting services nationwide, they are leaders in the field of college admissions planning. Educational Advocates college consultants regularly visit campuses to stay current on higher education and admissions trends and to speak with students about the school culture.

Their services include college admissions counseling, financial aid consulting, and writing assistance for the personal essay. They work with a wide variety of neurodivergent students including those with learning differences and ADHD. Also assisting prospective college athletes. They offer a free consultation call to anyone interested in exploring their services.