FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Our founders have worked in college admissions offices at highly selective institutions; taught expository and personal essay writing at local schools; and  worked as career advisers, helping students navigate the hiring process. Apart from our backgrounds, we take a truly individualized approach, one that includes attending college fairs with students, ensuring they know the right questions to ask; planning your college visits, walking you through the process step-by-step; conducting practice interviews, taping them to provide useful feedback; and searching for scholarships, guiding you through the myriad websites online. These are just a few of the ways in which we can add to the services already being offered by a school-based counselor. Indeed, our aim is to work in concert with school-based counselors to ensure that all students’ needs are being met.

We believe it is critical to tailor the process to the strengths of each individual student while keeping in mind their challenges as well. That is why we spend the beginning of our time getting to know the student and their families.  We believe that working as a team is critical to finding the best fit for every student.

It’s always better to start early! In the summer before high school or in ninth grade, we will work to establish a four-year academic plan, identify extracurricular and leadership opportunities, and discuss summer programs and internships. However, it is never too late.  Many students feel they want to work on their own until the time actually comes to submitting their applications. That is why we offer such a wide selections of services.

• We encourage our students to take advantage of one of our all-inclusive packages since they are comprehensive and provide the most in-depth support.
• We do offer limited hourly options on a case-by-case basis. Contact us directly for more details.

We do offer hourly pricing, however, they vary on the service provided, e.g. curriculum analysis, essay assistance, or the college list.

While our physical offices are located in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, we also work with clients all over the world. Therefore, we are also available to meet online via Zoom and incorporate sharing software to work on personal essays and other projects as well.

Yes, in fact this is one of our specialty areas. We work tirelessly to understand the unique practices of each support services program at colleges and universities throughout the country. We know the questions to ask to ensure that your son or daughter is well-served in college.

Yes! We have a thriving online business in addition to our in-person services. We use Zoom, Google Docs, and other online resources to meet students online and to provide one-on-on services.

We do not. No college counselor can ethically guarantee admission to any school. Since Custom College Consulting, LLC abides by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Code of Ethics,  you can be confident that our company maintains the highest standards of integrity and practice in order to best serve our students. However, we strive to give your son or daughter an understanding of where he or she might receive admission, but we do not have crystal balls. As you know, college admissions changes every year and some colleges can experience huge increases in applications based on a variety of factors.

No, but we have worked with a number of companies and we are happy to make recommendations based on each student’s needs.