An independent college counselor is someone who assists with some or all aspects of the college or graduate school application process and is a member of a team that helps a student achieve their short and long-term goals. They help a student develop an application that is the best representation of who they are today and to highlight what they hope to accomplish in the future.

An effective independent college counselor supplements the role of the school-based counselor with more flexibility and personalized attention and guidance to help navigate the complexities often associated with the college admissions process.  An independent college counselor can assist with high school course planning, co-curricular exploration, college list development, application reviews, essay writing development and editing, activity list development, career exploration, decision-making exercises, and more.

Over the past 10 years as a school-based college counselor and the previous 9 years as a university administrator, I strengthened my philosophy as an educator to be one that is focused on advocacy, honesty, and strong relationships.

Each student I have worked with over the years is unique and therefore, my approach to serving students is to recognize and value their particular character, strengths, limitations, and goals. There is no prescribed method that I follow in order to best meet the needs of the students and families that I work with each day. Rather, through intuition, my training as a career counselor and academic advisor, and my drive to challenge and support students to be happy, healthy, and successful, I come up with a personalized approach and plan to ensure that each student will move forward in their academic, personal, and professional life in a way that makes them feel confident and empowered.

My practice is comprehensive and I offer students from grades 9 – 12 and in college the opportunity to seek support not just for the college or graduate school admissions process, but also to help make the right decisions to have a meaningful and enjoyable high school, college, and graduate school experience.

For students and families who are seeking test preparation options, I have partnered with test preparation organizations that offer affordable and comprehensive test preparation services for the SAT, ACT, PSAT, Subject Tests, and AP exams to help students with this aspect of the college application process.

For families that are seeking financial assistance planning for college, we provide referrals to certified financial planners who are trained to help understand and navigate the complexities of financing a college education.

As a college counselor and former university administrator, my belief is that a college is a good college when it can meet the students academic, social, emotional, personal, and professional needs. Therefore, that is my goal when working with each student: Find colleges that a student will not only be accepted into but will also thrive in, and eventually graduate from, in 4 years.  

Not all colleges are meant for every student. My role as an independent college counselor is to tap into my extensive knowledge and exposure to the thousands of options out there and narrow it down to a reasonable list based on your student’s declared interests, character, personality, and short- and long-term goals. Taking into consideration all these factors and more, I work diligently to help students create a college list and subsequent application that includes colleges that can help your student to thrive and persist to graduation.

Yes. I have developed relationships with students throughout the U.S. and overseas. Location is not a limitation for me to develop a positive communication plan that helps students and families navigate the college process and complete the applications with ease and much less stress.

The short answer: Whenever your student is ready. 

I am a strong supporter that a student should enjoy their high school experience and focus on that part of their educational journey before diving into the college application process. However, I also know that being knowledgeable and proactive can help alleviate stress for many students and families and I want to support a healthy college counseling process. 

My practice can begin working with students as early as 8th grade to help with course planning and exploring extracurricular activities, yet many families seek out my services at the point when

Dana enjoys speaking to schools and organizations about the college admissions process. Please fill out the contact form or email info@consultwithdana.com to get the ball rolling.