Embarking on a big educational change can be daunting. Whether you (or your child) are applying for college, boarding school or a day school, there are dozens of forms to fill out, interviews to set up, essays to write and more. It’s enough to make any parent’s head spin.
Enter Katie Garrett. As the founder and president of Garrett Educational Consulting, she helps hundreds of kids and their families work through the often overwhelming process of exploring, selecting and applying to schools. Katie and her team help remind students of their deadlines, show them how to use the required portals, review admissions essays and much more.
“We partner with students and their families as they navigate the process, and we empower them to take control of their own educational futures,” Katie says.
You might need an educational consultant if you or your child is:
Applying to boarding school
Think boarding school might be an option for your child but unsure where to start? An educational consultant like Katie can help.
“There are so many different types of boarding schools — ones for kids with learning challenges, arts-based schools, athletic-based schools … An educational consultant can help you narrow them down based on your students’ academic, social and athletic needs,” Katie says. “An educational consultant can also help you prep for school visits and interviews, and some can even administer the FSAT, the standardized test required for boarding school admissions.”
And it’s never too early to seek help.
“If you know you’re going to do boarding school in high school and it’s the end of your seventh-grade year, it’s time to lay the groundwork,” Katie says. “There are even some junior boarding schools that start in fifth grade and others that have a post-grad program that allows an extra year for academics and athletics after the school has graduated.”
Katie says it’s important to make sure your educational consultant has spent time on the campuses and is keeping up with the administrative changes at each school.
“You’ll want to use an educational consultant who is part of professional organizations, like being a Certified Educational Planner,” Katie says. “That means they’ll have the highest level of knowledge and experience possible.”
Applying to a day school
Did you know that if you want your child to attend a day school for kindergarten, you’ll need to start making plans as early as spring of their three-year-old year?
“You need to think about these things well in advance. The entry points for most day schools are Kindergarten, sixth and ninth grade,” Katie says. “So if you’re planning to start as a freshman, you’ll need to start the process in spring of your seventh-grade year.”
Katie recommends going to informational sessions and open houses even earlier.
“Even though applications won’t open until later, if you feel like day school is your path, go ahead and get your head wrapped around it,” she says. “Especially when it comes to testing, because it fills up fast. For example, there are some tests required by day school admissions that you can only take once a quarter.
An educational consultant can help keep you or your student on track with admissions deadlines, materials and more.
Applying to college
Applying to college isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days of paper applications signed, sealed and delivered through the mail. And it’s typically not something you can decide in spring of your senior year.
“Not to sound to doomsday-ish, but it starts so much earlier than you’d think. We have people who come at the beginning of their junior year and think they’re early, but I typically fill up early in sophomore year,” she says. “While the actual college process may not start until junior year, there are things we can do that lead up to that: course selection, helping with extracurriculars, encouraging good study skills, time management and building relationships with your teachers.”
Katie says her team also does assessments with younger kids so they can get to know themselves better as a student and a learner.
“We also help them create their resume starting freshman year, which helps with applying to jobs,” Katie says.
Her team also assists students in college applications, essays, testing diagnostics, teacher recommendations … the list goes on.
“We kind of do everything,” Katie says. “We make sure everything is on track and empower the students that this is their process, but we’re here to help guide, support and assist where necessary.”
Need an educational reset
Many parents realize their student’s current school situation isn’t working. But then what?
“If your child is struggling academically or socially in their current educational environment, you can use an educational consultant to try and talk through what the options are,” Katie says. “We could bring in additional support to help them stay where they are or find another school in the area that would fit their educational, social and emotional needs better or make a switch to boarding school.”
Educational resets aren’t just for middle and high schoolers.
“It can and does often happen in college — a student realizes it wasn’t the right fit and panics. But we can help families work through the options and the relevant admissions process to find something else that works,” Katie says.
Many students also realize they need specialized guidance around their social, emotional and mental health.
“There are educational consultants who specialize in therapeutic placement, and we can help you connect to the right people,” Katie says.
The bottom line
An educational consultant is a partner and a guide for students and their families.
“Even though admissions paperwork, school visits and testing are brand-new to you, we’ve done it all before, — often,” Katie says. “We can use that knowledge to assist and support students and their families as they navigate these big educational decisions.”
Want to know more? Contact Garrett Educational Consulting here.
Garrett Educational Consulting
Garrett Educational Consulting provides comprehensive application support to students going through the college admissions and boarding school admission process. Learn more about their services by clicking HERE.
425-A S. Sharon Amity Road | Charlotte, NC 28211
980.677.0311
info@garretteducationalconsulting.com
