Overview of College Admissions Consulting Program
IHL has been advising students on the college admissions process since 2003. Our founder, Mayssoun Bydon, leads our team of expert consultants and personally oversees each client file, even if another consultant is the main point of contact with a student. Mayssoun is involved in all major application strategy decisions.
Over our history, we have advised hundreds of students on their applications and have placed students at every top academic program in the country. We pride ourselves on our ability to tailor our program to the needs, talents and interests of a diverse group of students and families.
With IHL's college admissions consulting program, you get a comprehensive, full-service offering that is designed to guide students and their families through the increasingly complex college application process. We help our students market themselves effectively to admissions committees and maximize the probability of a successful outcome. IHL's consulting team collectively has decades of experience and an established track record of success. Ultimately, our record speaks for itself; we owe our success in this business to the success of our students.
Wherever you are in your academic journey, it's never too early or late to start the consulting process. We advise freshmen and sophomore students on course selection, extracurricular activities and other ways to make the most of their high school experience. With juniors and seniors, we focus on honing personal statements, essays, résumés, and other key elements of the college application. We work with a limited number of students each year.
Elements of our Program
While we have the ability to offer cover-to-cover guidance on every aspect of the application process, our tailor-made services are individually based, designed around the needs and wants of each student.
There are three primary components to our program:
- School Research and Selection
- Our process begins with getting to know as much as we can about a student, including: grades, classes, high school reputation and history of placement, test scores, desired career objectives, target geography, personal/family relationships, interest in social/Greek life, clubs and organizations, athletic opportunities, research opportunities, special needs, transfer opportunities, etc.
- We then work with the student to generate a list of target schools
- Your target list is then divided into "high reach," "average reach" and "low reach" programs, and we help you determine the appropriate order in which to submit applications, including early action/early decision options
- We are intimately familiar with all of the major colleges in the country
- There isn't a program that we haven't encountered and if we are facing something unfamiliar, our team will do whatever homework is needed to get up to speed
- Application Strategy - Our consultants will help you address questions and topics including:
- Whether to take the ACT or the SAT, or both, and when
- Whether to retake the ACT and/or SAT
- Which SAT 2 exams to take and when
- Which AP exams to take and when
- The appropriate tone and content for all communications with schools
- How to appeal to an admissions committee by leveraging particular aspects of the student's background
- Selecting recommenders and soliciting effective letters of recommendation
- Whether and how to utilize connections to a particular school
- How to handle negative information such as a bad grade or a poor academic year
- Interview preparation
- Waitlist strategy and deposit advice
- Peer match
- Obtaining and maximizing scholarships
- Managing communications with alumni and development offices
- Writing Consultation - Our consultants are world-class writers who can advise you on:
- Résumé development
- Common application essays
- School-specific supplemental essays
- Letters of commitment and statements of continuing interest
You can use as much or as little of these services as you need. As with all IHL programs, our application consulting services are completely à la carte. Students can work with us on a single element of the above or utilize us for a comprehensive cover-to-cover service. All work is billed on an hourly basis.
Admissions consulting is available in-person at one of our offices or remotely via Skype, WizIQ or other videoconferencing platforms. We have worked with many students remotely, and have found it to be as effective as in-person consultation.
Other Related Services
If you have any questions about our college admissions consulting program, please do not hesitate to give us a call at (212) 889-8378 or (734) 623-8378. Our Executive Director, Chad Biggert, is always available to answer any questions you may have. To enroll, please click here.
