A Clear Plan

in Just One Session

90-minute sessions for educational advising or college counseling

Schedule Your Strategy Session
College admissions counselor Barbara Rifkind wearing a white button down and blue pants sitting on a brown velvet couch-drop-shadow

Sometimes what's most useful is a single, focused conversation.

This 90-minute strategy meeting is built around your family's specific situation — a chance to step back, talk through what's on your mind, and come away with real clarity about where things stand and what to do next.

This conversation can be a complete service on its own, or a starting point for working together further.

Schedule Your Strategy Session

“Barbara was an incredible guide through the increasingly complex matrix that is college apps and decision making. I had two kids negotiating this process at once and she helped them prioritize, calendarize, edit, and analyze through each step.”

Maca, parent, Boston University + Trinity College

Black man and black woman sitting on a couch smiling at a laptop-drop-shadow

Session Details

Each 90-minute session is shaped around what matters most to your family. Topics often include:

  • The admissions landscape, and what it means for your student

  • How a decision like choosing a high school fits into the bigger picture ahead

  • Support for international families or families with international educational backgrounds who want to better understand the US college admissions process

  • Specific questions about particular colleges or programs

  • Course selection

  • Summer planning

  • Extracurricular activities

  • SAT/ACT/IB planning

  • Majors and career paths

  • A general check-in, to see how things are tracking


$750

Schedule Your Strategy Session

FAQ

Questions Families Often Bring Me

  • These strategy sessions are designed for those who may not need an ongoing engagement, just clarity on a specific question or decision. In one focused 90-minute video call, we’ll tackle your most pressing concerns, whether that's getting oriented to the admissions process, evaluating a specific opportunity, or getting a gut-check on a major decision. You’ll walk away with a concrete plan of action.

  • The complimentary meeting is a chance for us to get acquainted — to talk about your family's situation in general terms and explore whether working together makes sense. The strategy session goes further: it's a working meeting with a specific agenda, focused on the questions and decisions your family is actually facing. Families who want answers to a specific set of questions often find the strategy session is a good place to start.

  • Come with whatever's on your mind — a specific question, a few different concerns, or just a general sense of "where do we go from here?" We'll use the time to focus on what matters most to you.

  • You'll leave with a clear sense of next steps. Some families take it from there on their own; others choose to continue working together.

Barbara Rifkind wearing a blue sweater holding a mug and sitting at a table in front of wooden shelves-drop-shadow

Clarity is Within Reach

The difference between uncertainty and a clear next step on the path to college admission can be a 90-minute session. Families are often pleasantly surprised by how much we can accomplish in a focused working session.

Schedule Your Strategy Session