Collegian College Planning Success Stories

These are real life examples of situations of how Collegian College Planning has helped our clients. 

Joey wanted to attend a highly selective, mid sized school in an urban environment (Northwestern) that is known for being difficult for local kids to be accepted into. Collegian suggested applying to an alternative school which was equally selective, well known, similar size and strength in his academic areas of interest and also in an urban environment. Joey was accepted to the alternative school into the Honors Program vs. he was not accepted at Northwestern. What was the difference? Collegian knew the types of kids that the second school looked for, particularly well rounded students with strong community service background and interest. Joey’s resume was a perfect match for this school and thus he was accepted AND was offered a significant scholarship. Joey would not have applied to this school if it hadn’t been for the knowledge Collegian provided about what different schools look for and are a good fit for a student’s unique background. 

Tommy was accepted and planned to attend a private school. Collegian College Planning filed his Financial Aid forms through CSS on his behalf to ensure everything was done correctly. The family was happy when notified that they received a small financial aid award. However, when Peter saw the amount he knew that something wasn’t right. Based on his knowledge and experience with this school, he knew that given the financial numbers provided they should have received a higher award. Upon investigation with the Financial Aid office, it was discovered that the University had valued their home at double the appraised value. They came up with the number with faulty research methods that did not capture the nuances of their neighborhood housing market. Upon providing a home appraisal, the family received an additional $8,600/ year in financial aid. Without Peter’s counsel, the family would have had no idea they should have received more money and would have been happy with the amount the school originally offered.

Anna knew she wanted to study business at a large, selective, preferably out of state, public university but her parents could not afford to pay the $70,000 price tag of her preferred school. She was not interested in attending her in-state option, although it had an acclaimed business school with a price point they could afford. Her top choice, University of Michigan, accepted her but offered zero financial aid or scholarship money leaving her with a net price of around $70,000. Fortunately, Peter recommended she apply to another large, midwestern university that had a top ranked business school and offered tuition discounts. She was accepted into the Honors Program at this school and offered a scholarship resulting in a cost of attendance 40% lower than the University of Michigan and similar to her instate option. Peter’s expertise and knowledge of the amount of money different schools give in aid and scholarship money allowed Anna the option of a similar school at a significantly lower cost.