Common Questions about
On My Way College Consulting
Who are the students in the black and white photos across the website?
These On My Way students were asked to select a word or phrase that best described their feelings about leaving high school and going on to college. These are the words they shared.
Why should I hire a college consultant? Isn’t there a counselor at my high school who helps with this?
Absolutely. In fact, your high school college counselor is one of the most important people on your team when applying to college. However, the average student-to-counselor ratio in US schools is 385:1. When working with On My Way, you will get the 1:1 attention you need to find the best colleges, write strong essays, maximize your financial aid and make confident decisions for your future.
Where do meetings take place?
The majority of our consulting is done virtually via Zoom, and we can work with students from anywhere in the world. In-person meetings may be available upon request; we have consultants based in Berkeley, Marin, Seattle and Mountain View.
How many meetings will we have?
The number of meetings varies depending on your program and needs. In 9th and 10th grades, most students need only a few meetings. Our work ramps up in Junior year when we are building the college list, and most students have between three and six meetings. During the application period (summer before Senior year / Fall of Senior year) meetings are more frequent, often biweekly or even weekly. Students who are very independent may opt for fewer meetings - it’s all individualized!
We also offer group workshops throughout the summer to get students started on their application essays.
Contact us to learn more about our individual consulting programs.
Should parents or other adult family members join the meetings?
We encourage students to take the lead, since college is a stepping stone to adult life. We invite supporting adults to attend the first meeting, and then expect to meet with Juniors and Seniors on their own, so they can build agency and ownership in the process.
We keep parents in the loop via email and will always reach out if we have any concerns. Parents are also welcome to contact us separately to talk about cost and aid.
When is the best time to start?
We encourage students to have their first meeting with us in 9th or early 10th grade, as the choices made during these years can play a significant role in the college application process.
Many students also start with us as Juniors, when it’s time to build the college list. We recommend juniors enroll as early as possible. Because we take a limited number of students for each application cycle, we may not have space available for students who wish to start after the middle of their Junior year.
I want financial aid help, but don’t want my student to know the details of our family financial situation. Can we keep these details confidential?
Yes. If you prefer, details of family finances will not be discussed in front of the student. However, a teenager can benefit tremendously from understanding how their college education is financed, so we encourage parents to use this process as an opportunity to teach their student financial skills that will serve them in adulthood.
Do you offer financial planning services?
No. We are not Certified Financial Planners, and we don’t give advice on how to manage money nor how to pay for college. We are happy to provide referrals to parents seeking financial planning services. We do, however, help families understand what each college is likely to cost them, based on actual financial aid practices, and build their college list accordingly.