COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSULTING SERVICES Premium Package: $5,000 Our premium, full service college consulting package provide full support throughout the entire college admissions process. The package costs the same price whether a student starts in the middle of 10 th grade and works with us for two years, or they start during senior year and we work together for a very intensive six months. The Premium Package includes unlimited in-person meetings that take place in our office on the Post Road in Darien for Local Clients, or unlimited phone/skype calls for Distance Clients. Whether you are overseas or in a different state and work with us through Skype, or a Fairfield County student who meets us in person, you will benefit from our college admissions counseling program. We take you through the process from start to finish, with a focus on finding a good fit, applying strategically and helping you to stand out among other applicants. We try to reduce the stress for both student and parent, and help students find autonomy while also trying to have some fun in the process. We use College Planner Pro, an online college planning program designed to meet the needs of college consultants and their clients. The system provides an organized and efficient process for a consultant, student, and parents to share information and research colleges. We are certified to administer the Strong Interest Inventory test and offer it to each student. The test can often be a useful tool to help them identify areas of interest for potential majors and careers. The test has been around for over 80 years and has developed some excellent correlations matching the interests of individuals with college majors and careers. Mini Package: $950 The focus of the Mini Package is on developing a list of colleges to apply to, and an early discussion of application strategy and things to do in the process. The Mini Package includes one in-take meeting, where we review the student s grades, testing, and interests. We discuss colleges that are a good match, as well as the timeline for admissions, and things the student can do to increase his chances of success. After the meeting, we develop a list of about 20 colleges, with likelihood of acceptance ratings, and email this to the student. We then have one follow up call within 30 days of the in-take meeting.
This package is good for families who only want limited help, or it works as a first step before moving to the Premium Package discussed above. Families can start with the Mini Package and upgrade to the full-service offering if they want the additional services and attention. The $950 fee for the Mini Package will be deducted from the Premium Package total cost. Early Guidance Services 7 th 10 th Grade Students Only: $250 We also offer an Early Guidance meeting whereby younger students and parents can get an early start on college admissions prep. This package offers a one- time meeting plus one phone follow up. We review transcripts and testing, and discuss future plans with the student. We talk about course selection, summer opportunities and activities, all with an eye towards college admissions. We also discuss a timeline and take an early look at which colleges might be under consideration. International We have an active international presence and are able to conquer time-difference challenges across the globe. We generally conduct our meetings through Skype or FaceTime, and augment the process by using our Guided Path online college planning program. As a result, we are able to work with families around the world. In the last five years, we ve worked with students from nearly 20 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Dominican Republic, England, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates. Why Darien Academic Advisors: Founded in 2005, Darien Academy Advisors offers a highly personalized approach to college admissions. We are experienced educational consultants having worked with hundreds of students, who are with you every step of the way as you embark on this life-changing journey. If you are working on an application or essay at night or over the weekend and have a question, we are available by email or phone to help. Unlike many consultants, we make ourselves available to meet or Skype with families on weekends and evenings. This is a busy time for all involved and our approach is to structure the process to be as easy as possible for both parent and student.
During the busy period of the application & essay phase, we customarily answer all email inquiries and questions the same night you ask it, so you get the answer you need, when you need it. DAA has offices at 975 Boston Post Road in the heart of Darien, Connecticut and has a satellite business location for meetings in Morristown, New Jersey. DAA also regularly works with families all over the country, as well as the world. In the last five years, we ve worked with students from nearly 20 states and nearly 20 countries. Free Informational Meeting: Families who are interested in working with DAA can schedule a 15 20 minute initial meeting to learn about our services. The focus of this meeting is to introduce ourselves, talk about the services offered, and answer any specific questions or concerns the family might have. This is not a consultation but an informational meeting about college consulting services, so there is no need to bring or send transcripts since we will go over those at the first intake meeting. To schedule this informational meeting, you can email us at info@darienacademicadvisors.com Biography: Kristin M. White is the director of Darien Academic Advisors, LLC (DAA), a fullservice, educational consulting business she founded in 2005. She is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and a member of the IECA Outreach Committee. She is also a member of the New England Association of College Admissions Counselors. Kristin visits many colleges and boarding schools each year, and regularly attends professional development meetings and conferences. Kristin has worked with many high achieving and ambitious students, including an internationally known violinist who has played at Carnegie Hall and throughout Europe, an award-winning author, a Morehead Scholar, several young math prodigies, an internationally ranked teen golfer, a few Ivy League hockey recruits, a young filmmaker and a determined teen actress. She also works with many wonderful regular kids and those who need inspiration, encouragement and focus to make it through the school search and application process. Kristin has also attended the Harvard Institute on College Admissions and other yearly consultant conferences and school tours. She has over ten years of experience in secondary school placement and college consulting. Kristin is the author of It s the Student, Not the College: The Secrets of Succeeding at Any School - Without Going Broke or Crazy, published by The Experiment in April
2015. She is also the author of The Complete Gap Year Guide, published by Jossey Bass in September of 2009. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and has an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. It was at Georgetown where Kristin first became passionate about helping students set goals and achieve dreams where she was a director of a nonprofit which helped advise and place high-achieving minority students at boarding schools and colleges throughout the northeast. Kristin lives in Darien, CT, is married to Michael White, and has three children in elementary and pre-schools. Michael White is the Co-Director of Darien Academic Advisors and specializes in working with international students and student-athletes. Before joining DAA, Michael focused on his passion-area of writing. He was a Senior Columnist at Dow Jones, writing for its Dow Jones Banking Intelligence (DJBI) product. He penned analysis based opinions and commentaries on companies, strategic opportunities, trends, business strategies, and transactions within the U.S. financial sector. Aside from bylining his DJBI columns, Michael regularly had many of his pieces picked up by other publications within the Dow Jones family, including the European edition of The Wall Street Journal. Before that, he spent a decade as an investment banker, first at Merrill Lynch and then at Bank of America (BAC), where he specialized in M&A and raising capital for U.S.-based financial institutions. Michael got his MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, and his AB in Economics from Amherst College. While at Amherst, Michael was a two-sport athlete, playing both football and basketball. Testimonials: We never expected to be in this wonderful position. Thank you for all your help. We will certainly recommend you to anyone who is embarking on this journey. Your fee is worth every penny! This is an important, life-changing experience for my son and I didn t want to risk enrolling him in the wrong college. We would never have known about the schools you suggested. I saw his eyes light up on campus and we knew this is the right school for him. I m pleased to report that Selena was accepted at Georgetown. I want to thank you for all your help. I thought that her writing was so good that she wouldn t need you for essay review, but that turned out to be the most important part of what you helped us with. We received great news from Tulane! Shannon was accepted off the waiting list and will be attending in the fall. I have you to thank for recommending Tulane in the first
place, and your tireless efforts in supporting my daughter through what was a very stressful and difficult process. The process ultimate success is a credit to your service and support. You never did not have time for me and for that I am very grateful. Jensen will be attending University of Miami this fall. We are so happy with the choice and we never would have thought about the school if it weren t for you. Thank you for all the time you spent with us. It was nice to know you were just a phone call away whenever I had a question about anything. Contact Information: Website: Email: Skype: www.darienacademicadvisors.com info@darienacademicadvisors.com kristin.white91 Phone: (203) 202-8082 Main Office: 975 Post Road Darien, CT 06820 New Jersey Location: 27 Elm Street Morristown, NJ