Frequently Asked Questions

The national average student to counselor ratio at public high schools is 400-to-1!

Most guidance counselors simply have too many students to offer the individual attention required for managing the complex college application process. And, they often have many more responsibilities than college counseling.

At Brightline, we offer objective, 1-on-1 professional advice to help students navigate this most important process.

Look for “independent educational consultants” (IECs) who are members of IECA and/or HECA. These counselors are fully vetted and demonstrate the highest standards in education, training, ethics, and experience.

Colleagues in these associations act as a resource for one another, sharing what they know freely and regularly.

IECs who earn a certificate in college counseling are committed to taking their professional competency to the next level through a series of seven post-graduate courses and developmental experience.

Finally, look for an IEC who places their students at schools you can relate to, who continually is visiting new colleges and who is regularly attending professional development conferences to stay knowledgable and up-to-date.

There are many benefits to working with a college consultant! Some are:

• 1:1 support custom-tailored to each student

• Firsthand knowledge of specific campus culture and environment based on personal visiting experience

• Expert knowledge of nuances of the college admissions process, including new rules, laws, and best practices

• Unique perspective and ideas when it comes to finding best-fit colleges for your child, based on a wealth of information including financial aid, scholarships, campus activities, and more

• Someone to cheer your student on through the tedious process and keep them on track of deadlines, application components, etc.

• A listening ear for questions and concerns, on a constant basis

Like in many things, it depends!

A high test score can add another valuable data point to a student’s application. It can validate academic preparation and high grades or add context to a student who may have gotten off to a slow start in high school and who has a GPA not reflective of their current capabilities.

On the other hand, what may seem like a high score to you may not be so impressive once one understands the gaming that can occur at this step.

Furthermore, most merit-based scholarships still utilize standardized test scores.

As such, we typically recommend that students plan to take these standardized tests. Later, we will decide whether to submit them or not.

True, an IEC such as Brightline Admissions comes with some expense. However, their advice net of this expense may end up saving thousands. By engaging an IEC early in the search process, they can carefully shape your college list to aim for schools with lower tuitions and higher financial aid packages. At final decision time, their insight and guidance may help you recoup well more than what you paid your IEC.

A family not qualifying for need-based financial aid, can easily spend over $200k over four years. And that presumes a student graduates in four years. Regrettably, it is common to see a student taking five or even six years to graduate, and that is if the student graduates at all.

There is were having an IEC carefully learn about your student is key. By knowing their strengths, aptitudes, interests, a well-experienced IEC can better match your student to campus environments which will increase the probability of getting a great fit right from the start, which in turn not only increases the probability of graduating on time, but better assures happiness and content as well!