College Admissions: Complicated and Competitive.
Today's families with high school students can be quickly overwhelmed, frustrated, and even intimidated by the college admissions process. It's complicated and highly competitive. Not only that, it's expensive!
Forbes magazine (Jan 2015) calculated that the average cost of a private four-year college education is $334,000, while the same four year average at a public university is $112,000.
The American School Counselor Association reports that in America's public high schools, the average student-to-counselor ratio is 482 to 1. School counselors are being asked to take on more responsibilities in less time with fewer resources.
A 2015 NACAC report found that the average high school counselor spends an average of 38 minutes with each student over the course of four years in high school.
Colleges are more expensive than ever. Admissions are more competitive than ever. The process is more complicated than ever.
What is the solution?
Get help!
An independent educational consultant will meet with your family, at your convenience, and keep your student on track throughout the process. We help high school students become the best they can be, find the best schools for them, and launch them on to the next phase of their lives.
We've got a package for you.
If you don't see one that meets your needs, let us know and we'll build one that does!
Parents hire private coaches to help their kids improve their baseball swing, their dance skills, their running speed, and their volleyball serve.
We hire interior designers to help our homes look better and graphic designers to help our businesses look better.
Isn't it time to bring on a private coach for your child's academic success?
From 9th grade through 12th grade, students often need a helping hand: preparing for big standardized tests, exploring summer opportunities, choosing classes for the next academic year, targeted tutoring when classwork gets confusing. Whether you need a little help or a lot, we're here for you!
You didn't come this far to only come this far.
Test Prep
ACT or SAT scores can make or break an application.
It’s the most critical test of your high school career - of course you want to be well-prepared! Our test prep tutoring is dynamic, focused, and effective! We get results, and we have fun doing it.
Essays
The average college applicant writes an average of 15 essays. (yikes!) When you’ve got school, sports, activities, and more going on, it’s hard to figure out what you need to write, for whom, by when… and you want them to be GOOD essays, too! We help you build a manageable timeline so you know what to write and by when. Brainstorming, encouraging, guiding, and editing - we’re with you all the way! (YOU do the writing!)
Testimonials
It's hard to know what to expect when you think about hiring a college coach. Preparing a child for college is a big deal! You want someone experienced, someone you can trust. These clients share their experiences in the hopes that you better understand how Savvy Strategies can help your family.
College Admissions Coaching
As a parent, I appreciated having someone else make sure my daughter hit submission deadlines. Applying at multiple colleges requires keeping an eye on several things at once—and it was invaluable to have the sanity of Kristie's timelines to help us make sense and manage it all.
I cannot say enough about her assistance with essays. From helping my daughter brainstorm ideas, to editing (and cutting and cutting) and giving positive reinforcement—it was probably my favorite component of these services—and well worth every penny. (And I know we got LOTS of value for our dollar some days! HA!). The writing day was also great—forced focus!!
I can’t state this strongly enough: Kristie's expertise has preserved our collective sanity and made the process so much less daunting! Thank you thank you thank you. I look forward to throwing kid #2 her way in the near future!!
Columbia MO parent, Class of 2018
ACT Prep
"Miss Kristie was a smart choice for our son as a tutor for improving his ACT score. She meet with us prior to individual tutoring and shared her expertise in college preparation and why raising his ACT score by just a couple of points would be beneficial. She then worked with our son in the subjects of which he demonstrated the most need and was able to quickly target the areas that he would benefit from direct instruction very quickly, saving us time and money. He was able to successfully increase his score overall, but specifically he increased his lowest subtest score by 10 points! This positive outcome has opened more doors for financial scholarships and exciting future opportunities. We are all glad we chose Kristie to assist us!"
Columbia MO parent, Class of 2018
Service Academy Application
"Teenage boys generally don’t want their parents overly involved in their business and subsequently, it was a great relief to have Kristie available as a confidant and consultant. She knows teens and she gets things done. With a tireless energy and insightful optimism, she is an expert at motivating young people toward their goals, or helping them to define goals if uncertain. Kristie is also extremely knowledgeable and resourceful regarding all aspects of the college admission process and timelines.
When our son became serious about pursuing a service academy appointment, we encouraged him to seek Kristie’s advice and she was immediately engaged alongside him in this endeavor. He had great trust in her guidance. By the early spring of his senior year he had choices, receiving acceptance, with scholarships, to all six schools he applied, including appointments to two service academies. Kristie’s competent leadership, steadfast commitment and reassuring calm contributed significantly to his success. Confident and at ease with the future, our family was able to enjoy precious time together as the high school years came to a close with excitement for our son's new beginnings."
Columbia MO parent - Class of 2015
College Admissions Coaching
"Kristie was key in getting us off dead center. Until we began working with her, my son was somewhat paralyzed by the process. So many unanswered questions!
Having a “3rd party” at the helm, he was not only able to take immediate steps but with enthusiasm I’d not witnessed before.
The relationship we have with Kristie has provided a sane, methodical, painless and even enjoyable college application process! I highly recommend her (and have done so to many already) and I’m certain he does, as well.”
Columbia MO parent - Class of 2018
College Admissions Coaching
Kristie was wonderful with my daughter. She was able to lead us through the college admissions process with ease. Kristie was able to take a lot of pressure and stress off of me as a parent in finding the best place for my daughter for college. And - my daughter was able to get into her reach school, which was her first choice. I thank Kristie for the help she gave us in accomplishing that goal!
Baltimore MD parent - Class of 2019
College Admissions Coaching
Miss Kristie of Savvy Strategies supported and gave me a lot of advice in the process of choosing the right school for me, writing college essays, preparing for alumni interview, and even getting ready for the ACT test. But also, I learned how to keep calm and believe in myself even when there are harsh obstacles keeping me from achieving my goal. Thanks to her, I could found and got into the ideal school that perfectly matches my needs. I have learned a lot about what matters in my life. I am truly thankful to Miss Kristie for teaching me the lessons of how to succeed not only in preparing for college but also in being resilient in my life!
Student, Columbia MO Class of 2019
ACT Prep
Our son needed help preparing for the ACT. On previous tries, he had failed to reach his desired goal, especially with English and Reading.
In just a few lessons with Kristie, he was able to attain the scores he needed to apply for his degree program. She made the ACT material more understandable, and provided great tips for studying, and test taking, in general. Thank you Kristie!
Parent, Columbia MO Class of 2019
ACT Prep
Kristie is amazing! She helped me improve my ACT score significantly, all while having a good time!
Student, Columbia MO Class of 2020
It's time.
Are you ready?
