What is strategic college matching™?
Strategic college matching™ or "positioning" is a process that unites the student's core values, vision and unique attributes, while at the same time it considers what colleges need but aren't getting, and it considers the strengths and weaknesses of the competition in the applicant pool. Positioning aligns the student with the needs of the college by delivering a proposal of value to the college—one that matches the college's unmet needs and at the same time demonstrates the value of what the college offers to the student in exchange.
How is strategic college matching™ different from traditional education consulting?
It is more data-intensive to begin with—College Match Educational Consultants track quantitative data such as admit rates, test scores, geographic and minority representation as well as conduct qualitative interviews with current students, administrators and experts regarding the current "unmet" needs of a particular college to get a clearer picture of each institution in a given year.
How does the strategic college matching™ process work?
College Match Educational Consultants begin by getting to know the student as a person and using these insights to build a unique identity. Then College Match Educational Consultants look at the student's needs and what type of skills and education they require to reach their life's goals. Researching all college/university possibilities, College Match Educational Consultants then conduct our data analysis to determine likely matches. College Match Educational Consultants highlight key strengths to show on your application and help you convey this strength to the admissions committee in an application.
Why do I need this form of assistance for my high school student?
In the US, College Match Educational Consultants have at least 250 colleges at any given time that offer a great education. Being able to adequately research colleges that might provide the best fit is essential to not only getting in but also fitting in to a particular college.
College and graduate school applicants shouldn't be packaged—they are individuals not products.
Unfortunately colleges and graduate schools admit applications not people, and until there's a way for applicants to display their talents fully over time and in-person, they should manage the symbols on their application to offer the best possible value to a college in exchange for admission.
This type of process can misrepresent students' talents.
The goal of a good college consultant is to bring out talents and never to oversell or undersell students. Most of the focus is on extracurricular development such as special talents like music and art or leadership. In most cases, students need to clarify their value, and this process helps them do it more effectively.
Is it expensive?
Not really. When you consider that education is one of the most important life decisions and the second largest investment after a home, it's prudent to get the best advice to help make a wise investment.
Does it give some kids an unfair advantage?
Every student has a unique talent; identifying it and communicating it effectively is essential for college admission. For certain low-income or historically disadvantaged students, strategic matching is an important way of affirming their value to colleges.
This approach focuses too much attention on the wrong things—like competition and marketing.
Our process is about achieving advantage for each person. The focus of our process helps each student obtain the means to achieve their vision of success in life—not just college admissions.
The process is too marketing-oriented.
Since being market-oriented is a reality that effects us all, including colleges, strategic College Matching ™ is a more efficient way of matching the needs of colleges with appropriate students.
Can I do this myself?
Yes. However, the time that it would take to adequately research 5 or 6 schools—100 hours or more—may be better spent on improving your extracurricular and school work profiles.
What is your College Type?
While there are thousands of colleges and universities in the country, they distill into six distinct types based on their educational philosophy. These types include Liberal Arts, National Research, Hybrid, Teacher's Colleges, Specialty, and Polytechnic. Take this quiz to see which one might be a good match for you. Your particular college type will be emailed to you.
For further information please contact:
[email protected]
1-877-658-4400