How Does Our Service Work?

Our College Planning Franchise Addresses an Unmet Demand

It doesn’t take long for word to spread among high school students about the great results that come from working with our Class 101 college planning franchise. After a free initial consultation at the Class 101 office, our counselors meet one-on-one with college-bound students every 2-5 weeks, typically after school or on weekends, depending on the time of year and the grade level of the student. Parents are not present at the individual counseling sessions, although we are in constant communication with them about their child’s progress.

We advocate starting the college application process as early as possible in high school, and definitely by a student’s junior year. “Choosing a college is a long but rewarding process. It takes time to find which college is the best fit for you. The sooner you complete your application (including transcripts, test scores, personal essay and so on) the sooner you will receive a decision and your merit scholarship award. This provides you more time to investigate and weigh your options,” says Michael Joseph, vice president of enrollment management at Valparaiso University in a New York Times blog post.

One-On-One Meetings Result in Savings, Success & Less Stress

The typical high school counselor doesn’t have the bandwidth to adequately guide a student through the college application process. According to a 2009 U.S. Department of Education survey, public school students receive an average of just 45 minutes of college admissions advice from their guidance counselors. This is a minuscule percentage of the time truly needed to navigate a process that is challenging for even the most informed and organized parents. Class 101 students receive individualized attention focused on their particular talents, needs, and goals.

“High schools have guidance counselors, not college counselors. Guidance counselors are working with students on their classes, social skills and family issues such as divorce, which all take away from college preparatory time,” says Class 101 Founder Tom Pabin. “It’s a numbers problem. They don’t have enough time to work with these kids — the top 10 maybe — but the other kids don’t get looked at or they get treated casually. We all know that casualness causes casualties. It’s what people don’t know that ends up killing them on financial aid.”

At each session, we work with students on setting goals and ensuring they are meeting all critical deadlines — from scholarship applications to submitting financial aid forms. We take the stress of the college application process off parents and become a trusted mentor to students who are often more likely to listen to the expert guidance of a Class 101 counselor than to Mom or Dad.