College Quest

the academic institute, inc.

Preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s challenges

Our consulting begins with understanding who you are.

Educational Consulting & The College Quest

COLLEGE ADVISING

* Do What You Are…a modified Myer’s Briggs personality style leading to possible career explorations, job shadows, college majors and list of colleges

* Student resume, personal statement, and essay development

* Application preparation and managing the college Virtual tours and the college selection process

* Special talent presentations and college trips

* Learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, Health impairments Special needs and the colleges

EDUCATIONAL PLANNING

* Academic advising and Problem Solving

* Transition Planning and Enhancing the Transcript

* SAT and ACT practice tests and preparation

COLLEGE ADVISING

As the number of college choices has expanded, the process of selecting and applying to colleges has grown in both complexity and scope. The ultimate goal for the students is not just “getting in to college”, but finding the best fit for a rewarding post-secondary experience. At The Academic Institute, Inc., we provide students and their families with guidance and encouragement through all the stages of their college quest. As a team, the director, the registrar and the college coach initiate a journey, a process of self-discovery. Students and their families receive guidance as the students are coached to discover their strengths and talents, come to realize their challenges and individual learning styles and articulate the features of a college environment that are moist suitable for them to be successful. Then as the students match this self-awareness with post-secondary choices, they are guided through the college application process and supported through the decision, registration and college enrollment.

INITIAL CONSULTATION

Get acquainted meeting, parent in-take information, educational history and school records, student in-take

PARENT ROLE AND EXPECTATIONS

Communication expectations, preferred style of involvement, agreement on fees and services. Students often prefer coaching on a weekly basis and parent update meeting with the director, college coach and student every three months

DO WHAT YOU ARE…PERSONALITY STYLE

A modified Myer’s Brigg’s computerized personality review is provided, the initial college list of majors and job shadow experiences is developed, and a follow-up of a formal Myer’s Briggs is available

INITIAL COLLEGE VISITS AND COLLEGE LISTS

The student is provided with an initial college list of 25-30 matched colleges, the college coach joins the student at the computer for virtual tours and illuminated discussions and creates a “drive by” college visit and a “fly to” college visit, informal and exploratory visits, formal interview opportunities, over night and classroom visits discussed The student is coached to narrow down this original list through the virtual and real life tours, discussions with parents, teachers and friends

SAT/ACT EVALUATION AND PLANNING

Practice tests, preparation plan, target dates, registration and consideration of SAT II Subject tests

ACTIVITY RESUME

School, church and community involvement, talents, athletics and employment history, future goals

Consider a talent resume for athletics, music, performance

PERSONAL STATEMENT

Mini-autobiography, significant life experiences that have impacted school history, very useful for state schools

ESSAY DEVELOPMENT

Consider the three essays requested by the Common Application for private schools, cautious planning of the essay to ensure the student’s voice is maintained, essay is edited for typos and grammar but not content

TEACHER RECOMMENDATION AND SECONDARY SCHOOL REPORT

Selection and preparation of forms and envelopes for teachers and guidance office, positive approaches for requesting this information

APPLICATIONS

Selecting the application, electronic and hard-copy, college coach edits types, parent review, individual high school procedures and deadlines, choices for enhancing the application, cover letters and application follow-up

PROCESSING THE ACCEPTANCE

Managing the myriad of choices, selecting campus housing replying to every college, orientation and registration choices, orchestrating campus advising

LEARNING DOCUMENTATION, AS NEEDED

Update id documentation is over three years old, update 504 plan, RFB&D or computer scanning, assess waivers and substitutions, advocacy evaluation, personal learning statement to accompany documentation

EDUCATIONAL CONSULTING

As a parent of a high potential student who learns differently, do you sometimes feel exhausted by being the only inspiration and motivation for your child’s success? Are you frustrated in your efforts to encourage your son or daughter to recognize his/her strengths and talents? Are you daunted by the need to find the most appropriate educational choices and opportunities available to him/her? Are you fatigued by your child’s struggle for emancipation? Are you confused about how to effectively help you son or daughter succeed in school?

If you think you might be able to benefit from the services of a team, a consultant to support you and an academic coach for your child, we are prepared to help you.

Students develop their autonomy and independence through the “drip approach”, little steps at a time. Similar to the idea behind driver’s education, students benefit from extensive practice with transitional skills before they actually “go solo”. Our empowerment approach discards the “chauffeur” model for the “training wheels” model. Because we understand that a student’s emancipation work effects everyone around that student, we believe parents should be supported through their own process of “letting go”. This makes the transition a smooth one for everyone involved.

Although we work with a wide variety of students, we specialize in:

* The over-achiever experiencing burnout

* The late bloomer underachiever

* The discouraged student

* The student who learns differently…the creatively challenged student

We serve as a companion for this frustrating and yet very exciting journey…the road to self-empowered and resilient adulthood.

One of the most challenging and rewarding endeavors is inspiring students to realize their potential and to treasure their individuality

EDUCATIONAL AND COLLEGE CONSULTANT PROFILE

SHERRILL O’SHAUGHNESSY-ALEXANDER

Sherrill is a former elementary and high school teacher and founder of the Academic Institute, Inc. Since 1980, she has been a driving force in the educational community of the greater Seattle area and a frequent speaker both locally and nationally. In 2003, she received the Shawn Marie Berry Distinguished Service to Youth Award by the Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling.

Sherrill’s expertise is assisting students and their families to successfully prepare for the transition from high school to college and to make informed educational decisions. She regularly visits and assesses colleges to keep up-to-date on special programs and services for a wide range of students.

THE ACADEMIC INSTITUTE, INC TEAM

Sherrill creates a college team to support the students and their parents. Melinda Frank, our registrar, works with Sherrill and specially selected professional tutors to personally coach each COLLEGE QUEST student. As a result, our college team has the benefit of think tank approach to advising and supporting each family.

PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION

Sherrill is a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), a national professional association for established consultants.

Keeping informed is important to us, at THE ACADEMIC INSTITUTE, INC. In addition to involvement with the internet list-serves and our professional readings, we are active participants in many regional and national associations, including:

* HECA- Higher Educational Consultants Association

* NACAC- National Association for College Admission Counseling

* PNACAC-Pacific Northwest Association of NACAC

* RMACAC- Rocky Mountain Association of NACAC

* WACAC- Western Association of NACAC

* LDA- Learning Disability Association

* CHADD- Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder

* AHEAD- Association of Higher Education and Disability

* WAPED- Washington Association of Post-Secondary Educators of Disability

Collaboration is important to us. We are grateful for the many educators and professionals, both locally and nationally, who share our mission of empowering students to make successful transitions. We appreciate their availability as resources for the benefit of our students and their families. In order to provide personalized recommendations for the families we work with, we continue to update our list of resources.

REGISTRATION FORMS AND FEES

EDUCATIONAL AND COLLEGE CONSULTATIONS ARE RATED AT $75.00 PER HOUR AND PRE-BILLED MONTHLY. Every effort will be made to provide prior approved rescheduling, but missed sessions will not be refunded.

Students and their families enrolling in our COLLEGE QUEST program at the end of the junior year or during the senior year are invited to take advantage of our comprehensive plan.

The comprehensive plan includes research, materials, unlimited in-person meetings and emails for both students and their parents. Consulting is enlisted through a payment of $2500.00. The first payment is due at the signing of the Service agreement and the final payment is due one month from the initial registration. These payments are divided into equal payments of $1250.00 each.

NOTE:

Students enrolled full-time in our school, are provided the College Quest services as a part of their school tuition.

REGISTRATION FORMS

* Parent intake form

* Student Information form

* Consent for Exchange of Information

* Educational Consulting Service Form

* Credit card Payment Authorization

College Quest