Why ICC?

What are the determining factors when trying to decide which independent college advisor is right for you? Parents, students, schools, tutors, and psychologists and other professionals use International College Counselors to help students gain the advantage in the college admissions process. We consistently exceed expectations by providing expertise to do the job right. We have narrowed down the top five ways that we are different than other independent college counselors:

Proven Success

ICC has helped students from the U.S. and around the world get accepted into more than 350 schools, including all the Ivy Leagues, top institutions like MIT and Stanford, large state universities, conservatories, liberal arts colleges, service academies, and hundreds of other colleges in the U.S. We also have advisors dedicated to helping place students in colleges abroad. Our 100% success rate in placing students in four-year colleges speaks for itself. But success to us isn’t just about getting in; it’s about finding the best-fit school for each student. In developing and refining each student’s list, including their “first choice” school, our students have enjoyed unprecedented success.

Experience and Team Approach

With over 4,500 colleges out there, no single counselor can know everything. That’s why we use a team approach. Our team of 16 college advisors share resources, strategies, and contacts to best serve our clients. Our diverse team includes former admission officers, college counselors and directors from the high school side, alumni interviewers, varsity college athletes, and writing professionals with a combined 250+ years in education. Having reviewed thousands of applications, we understand what sets a student apart from the highly qualified competition, and we will work to differentiate your student. While each family is assigned one lead counselor specifically chosen based on your student’s interests and goals, we work together behind the scenes to meet–and exceed–each family’s expectations. Recognizing our counselors’ expertise and knowledge, dozens of national publications have quoted members of our team.

Full-Time Independent Educational Consultants

All of our advisors are employed full-time. This means our advisors are fully devoted to our families and all things pertaining to college admissions; they are not tutors or teachers, nor are they stretched thin from working another job. When our advisors are not meeting with families, you’ll find them visiting colleges, attending continuing education programs, meeting with college admission representatives, and doing research on summer programs, extracurricular activities, colleges, and more. Our advisors adjust their schedules to work when our families are available, including evenings and some weekend days during application season, and other flexible times tailored to your needs. Students need comprehensive support, and only full-time educational consultants can provide this.

Tailored Approach

We focus on helping students understand the schools they’re applying to, highlight their unique talents, and show how they’ll be an asset. Each student is unique, so we take a deep dive into each student’s interests to create a plan personalized just for them. We don’t make our students watch videos or read ready-made worksheets. In the fiercely competitive world of college admissions, a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t cut it. Each student possesses distinct strengths, interests, and ambitions, and the truly exceptional consultants at ICC will invest the time to understand these unique qualities. We will then develop a customized strategy to showcase your student’s most impressive attributes, suggesting activities that match their interests and demonstrate their initiative and growth. This also involves choosing a balanced mix of courses, extracurricular activities, leadership roles, and summer programs that align with the student’s objectives. Moreover, our consultants guide each student in discovering and nurturing their passions, making them stand out to admissions committees. From valedictorians to students with average grades, most of our students get into one of their top three choices.

College Advisor of Donna Klein Jewish Academy (2009-2014)

International College Counselors proudly served as the in-house college counseling firm at Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, Florida. Beginning with 11 Seniors in 2009, the high school grew exponentially over the five years, in large part to the students’ college admissions successes. Graduates received admissions to colleges including Harvard College, University of Pennsylvania, Washington University in St. Louis, and Northwestern University.

Naviance

Naviance is an exclusive web-based college research tool for students and parents. Through Naviance, students may (a) search for colleges based on programs offered, admissions statistics, location, and a number of other factors; (b) Compare GPA, standardized test scores, and other statistics to actual historical data from a student’s school who have applied and been admitted in the past; (c) Access scholarship information; (d) Keep track of the schools a student is considering and to which they are applying. Naviance is an invaluable tool to reduce stress, get organized, and stay on track throughout the admissions process.

High Ethical Standards

We pride ourselves on our integrity. We don’t write students’ essays, take tests for them, change transcripts, or allow lying on applications. We believe in being honest with our clients and making promises we can keep. We uphold the highest legal and moral standards in all we do. Because of our high ethical standards, all of our advisors have gained membership to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), a professional organization committed to advocacy, ethics, and best practices in the field of college admission counseling. Our advisors also belong to the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), another organization that requires high professional and ethical standards.