Global Academic Consultants FAQs Page

At GAC, we work with students from as young as four years old for nursery school and pre-kindergarten admissions. We do not have a cut-off age for the students with whom we work.

In addition to prep school and undergraduate college admissions guidance, we also offer consulting and support for graduate school and professional program admissions like law school, medical school, veterinary school, and engineering school.

An independent educational consultant (IEC) – also known as an admission consultant – works with students and families to assist with educational planning. We work with families who have students as young as four years old, many of whom re-hire us throughout their child’s educational journey. 

Our admissions support services are personalized to meet the specific needs of our students. We know that applying to schools is stressful, whether it’s private day schools, boarding schools, colleges, graduate schools, summer programs, or study abroad programs. An independent educational consultant helps relieve the family’s and student’s stress by offering insider insights and personalized advice for navigating the application process.

Here are some of the benefits of working with GAC:

• We offer personalized guidance tailored to your student’s long-term goals, whether you’re seeking a K-12 admissions consultant, or an MBA admissions consultant.
• We provide tailored support for all students, such as first-generation college applicants, students with learning challenges, and international students, as well as traditional students.
• The prep school and college application processes are overwhelming. Individual prep schools and colleges have their own preferences for how they like applicants to present themselves. We’ll help you streamline the prep school and college application process to make it as efficient as possible.
• We create a strategic plan with an application timeline, ensuring your student meets all deadlines and requirements ahead of time.
• We provide expert guidance and support to navigate the competitive and convoluted college admissions process, including selecting the right-fit colleges for your child. There are over 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States alone, and this is prior to considering any international colleges and universities. We will help your student find the best matches.
• We offer career-fit and college-fit assessments to help students determine which colleges and universities, college majors and minors, and careers are the best fit for them. These assessments assist us in developing your student’s college brand and strategy.
• We help students select and enhance their extracurricular activities, including connecting with school coaches and extracurricular leads during the application process to help increase chances of acceptance.
• We use our professional writing and editing skills to help your student’s essays grab the attention of the admissions committees. We’ll make your student’s applications stand out amongst the thousands of competitors’ applications!
• We provide interview preparation, including mock interviews, tutorials, and personalized feedback.
• We help students select the most impactful teacher and personal recommenders for the recommendation process.
• We ensure that your student’s applications have a clear hook and student brand that help admissions committees gain a clear understanding of your child, their attributes, and how your student will positively impact the schools’ communities.

Unfortunately, most students will never receive the attention they deserve when working with their school’s academic counselor. There is an average 470:1 ratio of students to counselors, far above the American School Counselor Association’s recommendation of 250 students to one academic counselor.

Most schools don’t have the resources or time to provide personalized support to every student. This is why many students often fall through the cracks, especially if they have learning challenges that cause them to struggle to complete the application tasks. An independent educational consultant bridges this gap by providing one-to-one, fully customized support. We get to know our students and their families, so they mean more to us than just names on an attendance sheet or advising roster.

Did you know that the average student spends less than 40 minutes with their high school college counselor? An independent educational consultant spends hours with students, getting to know them, their strengths, and their vulnerabilities in order to provide the most effective, tailored advice. We’ll help your child live up to their potential and assist in opening new pathways for them to explore.

Application numbers are rising exponentially while acceptance rates are plummeting at all prep schools and colleges. Every parent thinks their child is gifted and deserving of a spot at a competitive prep school or college. The truth is that almost every student applying to prep school and college will have the same ‘qualifications’ – many will play sports or musical instruments, demonstrate excellence in a certain subject, engage in community service, or have personal connections at the schools. This is why there is currently a tremendous disparity between application numbers and acceptance rates.

A private admissions consultant helps your student’s applications stand out amongst the thousands of competitors’. We know what prep schools and colleges are looking for from prospective students and which parts of the application process are most important. Think of us as the publicist and marketing team behind your child’s story. We’ll help your student show off their accomplishments and potential to the admissions committees.

The parents’ and student’s interviews are one of the biggest hurdles to getting accepted to competitive prep schools. We’ll guide you through the process with mock interviews, tutorials, and advice on not only what to say, but especially what NOT to say in an interview! We have a relationship with the prep schools throughout the United States and overseas, enabling us to offer personalized guidance for every student.

We are here to assist you through every situation, from recommending the best extracurriculars and classes your child should take to meet their long-term goals, to helping your family decide where to enroll your student after acceptances are received.

• Do you know what schools look for in prospective students?
• Do you understand which components of the application process are most important?
• Are you confident in your ability to brand your student in such a manner that admissions committees are guaranteed to read your child’s application when they are overwhelmed with applications from thousands of students who are just as accomplished as your child?
• Do you know what NOT to say in an interview to prevent from severely hindering your child’s chances of gaining admission?
• Do you know what to do if your child is waitlisted at a top-choice school?
• Do you know which classes and extracurriculars your student should participate in to ensure their brightest future possible?
• Do you have a relationship with the schools and their admissions professionals, and thus are you able to obtain timely answers to your questions and receive personalized guidance regarding the admissions process?

If you are not able to answer “yes” to all of these questions, then you need GAC’s guidance.