Today we’d like to introduce you to Katelyn Klapper.
Katelyn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After working nearly 15 years in higher education administration and the birth of my third child, I began reflecting on what I enjoyed most about my prior work experiences. Everything always came back my first job in college admissions, and the energy I had for talking about college options with high school students.
After considering a return to admissions or a move into private school counseling, I stumbled across the growing field of independent college consulting. The opportunity to build long-term relationships with my students and their families, while helping to build self-identity, independence and confidence in young people in a very personal and thoughtful way was much more appealing to me than the fleeting conversations I had as a college admissions officer. I was hooked!
I began visiting colleges, completed a certificate in college counseling through UCLA Extension, developed my materials, and was hired as part-time college counselor for Dynamy Internship Year, a gap-year program in Worcester, MA. College Options was born shortly thereafter, in 2007.
In November, we will celebrate our 10th anniversary. In that time, I have grown from a one-woman operation to a dynamic consulting team of 3, serving 40-50 families a year. My associate, Catie, and I have made more than 450 campus visits over the last ten years, and I am thrilled to now be teaching a practicum course myself, through an independent educational consulting certificate program with UC Irvine. I’ve come full circle!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I feel so fortunate that my business has grown steadily as my ability to handle more clients has also grown. However, entering a field that was in its adolescence as a profession, did make it hard to get even my closest friends to understand just what I did and that I was a true professional with training, knowledge and commitment to professional development. I occasionally faced skepticism about the value of my service-not from my clients-but from some who considered private college counseling to be a contributor to the selective college admissions frenzy, and not a resource for all kinds of students to find great fit.
I think as more and more families evaluate the ROI of a college education, this emphasis on good fit resonates more deeply. There is just too much at stake not to have knowledgeable advice.
College Options – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our educational consulting team is committed to helping students and families identify a personalized good fit college list that matches the student’s academic promise and preferences, social personality and needs, as well as the family’s savings and college budget. We then work with students to help them tell their story through their application materials, while providing guidance on course planning, summer and extracurricular activities, as well as in-depth conversations on major and career choices.
I think our team approach is unique in the MetroWest area. College Options combines the personalized attention of a small practice with the resources of a team with a combined 65 years in education and admissions work. Our clients benefit from the personal relationship that they build with their primary consultant, while knowing that they have our team’s breadth and depth of experience to draw from. This enables College Options to provide the very best specialized consulting in the areas of college search, application and writing support, financial aid and merit money, athletic recruitment, fine and performing arts admission as well as guidance to students with learning differences.
Our essay development process is also unique. Students benefit from the perspectives of our entire team, delivered through focused instruction with their writing coach. We treat the essay process as an opportunity to not only help a student find their voice, but also to build stronger writing skills, which we believe translates to a more successful transition to college level writing.
Each spring our team celebrates our students’ high school career accomplishments as well as the promise of their futures at one of their top choice colleges. It is the fact that all of our students, with a range of academic profiles, have great choices that makes us most proud.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success for me personally is defined by my ability to build a professional life that doesn’t feel like work (at least most of the time!). I love my work with students, my ability to be a resource in my community, and the flexibility to build and change my practice as the needs of the college admissions process change. Life-work balance is important, but it isn’t always there on a daily or weekly basis because of the college application cycle. Now that I have a team, it’s easier for me to take time away, which gives me the balance I need.
As an educational consultant, the best indications of success are my client referrals and the families who work with us again and again. Our College Options family extends to campuses all over the country with students currently enrolled at more than 60 colleges. This reflects the success of our ability to open doors and expand college options.
Contact Info:
- Address: 416 Boston Post Road, Suite 101
Sudbury, MA 01776 - Website: www.college-options.com
- Phone: 978-270-8198
- Email: collgeoptions@comcast.net
- Facebook: fb.me/CollegeOptionsInsights
Image Credit:
Sallie Delaney Photography
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
