Every Story is Unique - Even Mine
College choice has become more of a process than in decades past. Parents and students have so much material at their fingertips, but that has also created increased stress and information overload. As with most of my peers in the 1980s, my process was pretty simple. My own story went like this:
1. My parents decided that I would go to a California in-state public university because there were excellent choices within our family budget. I decided that I didn’t want more than a three-hour car drive between my college and home. Unfortunately, neither my parents nor I had any idea that I would be eligible for merit aid at some more expensive schools. We thought that the price was the price because no one was there to help us navigate the process. Part of my mission is to search as many academic, financial, and social options for each student as possible. Many times the college “sticker price” isn’t the price a family will be paying.
2. I was very interested in studying the brain from a biology perspective more than a psychology perspective. Luckily, I found the perfect major: psychobiology. This major was relatively new and had many names at the time, but it is now universally called “neuroscience”.
3. I knew that I would not thrive at a large institution, so by using the best resources available at the time - college guide books and my school counselor - I was able to identify some potential smaller public colleges.
4. I chose to attend the college that had everything I wanted, including a Greek system: University of California, Riverside. I graduated with a B.S. in Psychobiology in 1989.
5. GRADUATE SCHOOL: I attended the University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy for four years. I followed the hospital clinical track and graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in1993. My concentrations were infectious disease, pediatrics, and psychopharmacology.
After graduate school, I completed a year long Clinical Pharmacy postdoctoral residency program at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. I was then employed as a Clinical Pharmacist in two subsequent hospitals, where I was fortunate to serve on many hospital committees and create medical policies that benefitted patient care. In the past twenty years, I have survived seven corporate moves (including one international) with my wonderful husband, raised two terrific children, loved five golden retrievers, and logged countless volunteer hours.
By the time my first child started high school, I decided to learn all that I could about the college admissions process. I spent many hours absorbing everything I could find. I shared every bit of information with many grateful friends. In that time, I realized that I loved researching colleges, gaining first-hand knowledge on tours, and helping guide young people to a college where they will thrive - not just survive.
With my empty nest looming, I decided that I had no desire to return to the medical field. I wanted to create a college admissions counseling business and do it the right way. Although there is no requirement for a college admissions counselor to earn a certificate, I felt that it was a requirement for me in order to serve my clients properly. The University of California system has preeminent graduate level programs to obtain a Certificate in College Admissions Counseling. I decided on the UC Riverside program for a few reasons: it is the only one which requires a counseling ethics class (something I take very seriously), it is one of the most rigorous programs, and it includes students that are already high school guidance counselors. I find this last component important because these professionals have so much experience with students, and they shared their knowledge about the process from an educator’s point of view.
I am a proud Associate Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). This organization is the largest and most recognized organization of independent educational consultants. Please see their website (www.iecaonline.com) to see the vetting process for membership.
I would love to help you navigate through the college process.