We work with students across the US with wide ranging interests and goals. Some examples include:

• Students applying to highly selective schools like Yale, Northwestern, Duke, Brown, and Pomona.
• Students looking for big schools with big school spirit like UW-Madison, Clemson, UT-Austin, and UC-Berkeley.
• Students interested in liberal arts schools like Muhlengberg, Middlebury, and Carleton.
• Students who want to attend a school with a focus on engineering like Purdue, WPI, Carnegie Mellon, and Case Western Reserve.
• Student athletes looking to play D3 sports at schools such as Illinois Wesleyan, Amherst College, and Johns Hopkins.
• Neurodivergent students searching for schools with strong support systems like Syracuse University, Marquette, and University of Maryland.
• And many, many more!

Our college counseling team brings decades of combined experience across higher education and secondary schools. They have served as:

• Admissions directors and officers at universities nationwide
• Directors of college counseling at leading independent schools
• School counselors and educational consultants
• Leaders in professional organizations such as IECA, HECA, NACAC, and WACAC

Their expertise and collaboration ensure that every Galin student benefits from the full team’s collective knowledge and insight.

Learn more about our team.

Our college counselors support students and their families throughout their entire high school experience. Below is a sample timeline that details areas college counselors focus on each year.

Freshman Year

• Mapping Out a Four-Year Plan: Counselors help students plan high school classes through senior year to balance their course load.
• Exploring Extracurriculars: Counselors can help students identify activities that they might be interested in committing to for several years.
• Summer Planning: Counselors support students as they consider options like classes, jobs, or camps to build their activities list.
• Exploring academic strengths/interests and how that can translate to potential majors in college

Sophomore Year

• Testing: Counselors make recommendations for test prep based on diagnostic results and each student’s goals.
• Junior Year Planning: Counselors help students update their four-year plan and choose junior-year courses.
• Planning College Visits: Counselors help families plan initial, informal visits to different types of colleges.
• Enhancing Extracurriculars: Counselors work with students to determine which extracurriculars to pursue in more depth and other opportunities to explore.
• Summer Planning: Counselors support students as they consider options like classes, jobs, programs, or camps to build their activities list.
• Exploring academic strengths/interests and how that can translate to potential majors in college

Junior Year

• Supporting Academics: Counselors help students understand how to prioritize grades as junior year is often the most challenging.
• Conducting College Research: Counselors help students build a preliminary college list.
• Refreshing Testing Plan: Counselors provide ongoing guidance about a student’s testing plan.
• Academic Pathways/Majors: Counselors will help students determine what majors or academic pathways they will present in their applications. 
• Planning College Visits: Counselors help families plan college visits, including class sit-ins or campus interviews if possible.
• Summer Planning: Counselors coach students to engage in focused activities to build their profile.
• Drafting College Essays, Supplemental Essays, and Activities Lists: Counselors and essay coaches help students start working on their personal essay and activities sheet for applications.

Senior Year

• Completing Application Materials: Counselors support students as they complete supplemental essays, resumes, and portfolios.
• Discussing Teacher Recommendations: Counselors coach students through the recommendation process.
• Application Deadline Consideration: Counselors advise on Early Decision or Early Action applications deadlines.
• Reviewing Applications: Counselors work with students to review their final applications before submission.
• Advising students and families on final college selection.

Give us a call! Our knowledgeable team will get to know you and your student and answer any questions you have. We can then advise you on services that best fit your goals!