College Planning & Admissions Process

  • Strategic Planning: IECA member consultants can guide your family through the entire college admissions process, starting early to craft a strategic approach that includes selecting high school courses, extracurricular activities, research and summer opportunities, and standardized tests that align with your child’s goals. 
  • Application Guidance: An IECA college consultant helps students present their best selves on applications. They also help identify "best fit" colleges that match academic interests, financial considerations, and personal preferences. 
  • Navigating Financial Aid & Scholarships: IECA college consultants have experience with the financial aid process and can help families identify scholarship opportunities, explain financial aid forms (like the FAFSA), and determine how to manage the costs of higher education. 

K-12 School Search & Selection

  • Tailored Recommendations: An IECA member consultant can help identify the right school for your child based on their academic strengths, interests, learning style, and personality. Whether you’re looking for K-12 private schools, online schools, or specialized programs (e.g., schools for gifted students or those with learning differences), they can guide you through the options. 
  • Assessment of Fit: Beyond grades and test scores, an IECA school consultant considers the school environment, culture, and ethos to ensure a good fit for your child, reducing the risk of frustration or mismatches. 

Navigating Special Educational Needs

  • Advocacy & Support: For children with learning differences, disabilities, or special educational needs, an IECA member consultant can help families understand the resources available, advocate for appropriate accommodations, and help select schools or programs that can support the child’s specific needs. 
  • Creating an Individualized Plan: IECA members who specialize in learning differences/neurodiversity can assist in developing an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan, or recommend schools with specialized programs or environments that support diverse learners. 

Tutoring & Test Prep

  • Coordinating Support: An IECA member consultant can help connect your child with tutoring services, test prep programs, or specialized academic support to enhance performance in key subjects or standardized tests like the SAT or ACT. 
  • Assessing Testing Needs: Some IECA member consultants provide test prep guidance themselves or recommend resources for standardized testing to help students achieve their best scores. 

Career Exploration & Gap Year Planning

  • Identifying Interests & Strengths: If your child is unsure about their career path or what they want to study in college, an IECA member consultant can assist in identifying their strengths, interests, and potential career paths. This can help in choosing the right college major or vocational programs. 
  • Gap Year Planning: If your child is considering taking a gap year, an IECA member consultant with expertise in gap years can provide advice on structuring that year—whether through travel, internships, volunteering, or academic pursuits—ensuring it's productive and beneficial. 

Educational Coaching & Student Support

  • Building Confidence & Independence: An IECA member consultant serves as a coach, helping students develop critical thinking skills, study habits, and independence. This support can be especially helpful in preparing for the challenges of high school or college life. 
  • Managing Stress & Expectations: IECA member consultants help students manage stress, expectations, and the pressures of academic achievement and admissions. They help students and families sort through the thousands of college, school, and program options available to identify those that best match your child's unique strengths, interests, and needs, and provide guidance through the application criteria, deadlines, and process for each one.

Planning for Transitions

  • Elementary to Middle School, Middle to High School: If your child is transitioning to a new level of education (e.g., moving from elementary to middle school, or high school to college), an IECA member consultant can help your family plan for these transitions, ensuring your child is ready academically, socially, and emotionally. 
  • Supporting College Transitions: Once your child has been admitted to college, an IECA college consultant can continue to assist with transition planning, helping your child adjust to new academic demands and independent living. 

Expertise & Objectivity

  • Unbiased Guidance: Because they are not affiliated with any specific school or program, IECA members offer unbiased help in evaluating the pros and cons of every option.
  • Experienced Navigators: IECA member consultants are well-versed in the latest trends in education, admissions requirements, and standardized testing, so they provide up-to-date, accurate guidance based on your child's needs. With their extensive knowledge of the thousands of options available, IECA members can broaden students' potential choices and provide vital help in weighing factors such as cost, location, and curriculum.

Personalized, One-on-One Attention

  • Personalized, One-on-One Attention: The current student-to-counselor ratio in many public schools is nearly 400:1. The average student-to-IECA member ratio is 24:1. Because they are not tied to any specific college, school, or program, IECA member consultants are not burdened with unrelated duties, and are available at the family’s convenience—not just during school hours during the academic year. 
  • Expertise in Complex Situations: If you’re facing a complex issue, like transferring schools, applying for a highly competitive college, or managing special needs, an IECA member's expertise can make a significant difference.