Living in the Margin: Part 3

Now Have Confidence and Direction, Not Panic and Fear
 
"When my son asked to be homeschooled I prayed, read books and spoke to many veteran homeschool moms.  After a year of reading the Webb’s College Bound column in Practical Homeschooling magazine, we made the connection with Jeannette.
 
My son was a 7th grader when we started working with Aiming Higher Consultants.  Jeannette helped me design a game plan for the rest of jr. high and for high school.  She asked me many questions about my sons and we discussed at length my hopes and challenges.  Together we mapped out four years of college prep classes, SAT tests, and possible extracurricular and leadership projects.  We now have a great plan on an excel spreadsheet that I can constantly refer to and implement, or question and change as time goes on.  Every year we update it and make the changes that make sense.  Last year we also designed a plan for my second son.
 
It’s a true blessing to have a roadmap for my sons’ education.  I appreciate being able to learn from someone who has already blazed the homeschool trail to college.  The plan even highlights important dates for test prep and registration.  It’s exactly what I needed.  I can move forward more informed and confident that when the time comes, my sons will be ready to apply to the colleges of their choice. 
 
I praise God for having provided me with the guidance and support I need to homeschool high school with confidence and direction, and not with panic and fear."

~ Virginia, California
 
 
Helped Develop Extracurriculars
 
“My first choice school was the University of Pennsylvania.  I had the academic background needed, but just a list of test scores would not have been enough to get me into Penn.  Mrs. Webb worked with my family to fill in all the holes.  She explained to us how to produce a professional looking transcript, school profile, and transcript legend.  Then she painstakingly went over our rough drafts, helping us hone the documents until they looked as good as if they’d come out of a school guidance counselor’s office.
 
 Another area of weakness for us, as for many homeschoolers, was extracurricular activities.  Because my family lives in China, I didn’t have the traditional options open to me, but Mrs. Webb worked with my unique situation, helping me figure out how to develop the best set of extracurriculars possible.  Once we had that raw material, she helped me package it in a way that made them look way more impressive than I had originally thought them to be.
 
By the time I sat down to write my college application essays, I was already very impressed with Mrs. Webb’s ability and helpfulness, but what I appreciated the most was her patient support as I wrangled with the essays.  I don’t know how many emails and rough drafts I sent to Mrs. Webb before I finally submitted the final product.  Mrs. Webb answered every question I had and must have looked over my essay nearly a dozen times.  She gave specific suggestions for improvement, but was also willing to tell me when I was off track and needed to try again.  I was accepted to the University of Pennsylvania and given a generous financial aid package to boot."

~ Elisha, China
 
 
Helpful Advice Saved Unnecessary Energy, Time, and Money
 
"I am SO thankful to Aiming Higher for the invaluable help given to us in putting together our son's college documents! I had already sent two home-educated children to college, and attended seminars on the subject, but it was Aiming Higher that made the difference for my son. Jeannette helped me tailor his documents so that colleges would see who my son really is, and helped me to focus on what would help reach HIS goals. Her practical advice and experience helped us avoid a lot of unnecessary energy, time, and money. She explained the documents I needed and how to construct them, and then checked all of them over before they were submitted. This gave my son and I so much confidence in the process and I'm positive it was instrumental in securing for him a wonderful scholarship at a school we had only dreamed he might attend. I recommend Aiming Higher to any family who wants to pursue the best outcome to the college application adventure!"

~ Terri, Colorado
 
 
Attending Dream University AND Top Conservatory
 
"My mother and I first heard of Aiming Higher through a homeschooling magazine and thought that we would give it a try. I was beginning my senior year of high school, and college admission is a daunting task for a family about to graduate its first-born!
 
When we received feedback on the first few essays, I quickly realized that we were dealing with experts in admissions. (And I say this not from seeing the red comments on the page, but from reading the very helpful advice.) At this point, my parents and I knew very little about submitting a glowing application. With great detail, Mrs. Webb showed me what the admissions personnel would approve of in my applications and essays. Just when I would consider the job done, she would notice something that could be improved. Even though I sometimes sighed in frustration, I realized that her advice indeed helped me better my applications and essays. In fact, even though Mrs. Webb’s guidance was limited to this one area, certain academic subjects involving writing began to see similar methods of refinement.
 
I cannot imagine what school I would now be waiting to attend were it not for Aiming Higher's aid. Sending in quality paperwork and essays proves that homeschoolers can indeed accomplish! I applied to eight post-secondary schools, most of them in the upper echelon of music and academics, and each required a different sort of application and supplements.
 
Attending my dream university AND a prestigious conservatory simultaneously through a five-year dual degree program has greatly heightened my excitement for the coming years! Johns Hopkins is a renowned research school, one that fulfills my passion for exploring the unknown. Peabody Conservatory stands as the oldest music conservatory in America and as one of the world’s finest. Together, they will provide the learning opportunity of a lifetime.
 
I take off my hat to Mrs. Webb and her associates. They are highly trained, definitely experienced, and unceasingly helpful. I would recommend Aiming Higher Consultants to anyone seriously considering post-secondary education."

~ Michael, California
 
 
Made it Less Intimidating
 
“I want to thank Mrs. Webb for her help as we navigated the college application process for the first time with our home-schooled daughter who was raised on the mission field; and I heartily recommend her services to you. Mrs. Webb made it less intimidating and more manageable by providing a sample homeschool transcript, forms to keep college information organized, concrete and practical suggestions on essays, and prompt replies to our many e-mails. Very helpful was the personal face-to-face interview via skype for which she had prepared by researching our college choices and making informed suggestions as to the “fit” they might be for our daughter. During this interview, and at other times, she knowledgeably answered our questions, gave useful advice, and passed along information for other resources. We are grateful for her professionalism and detailed help and are very happy with the outcome as our daughter was accepted and received significant scholarships to her college of choice.”

~ Sheryl, Ecuador
 
 
Helped Get Organized and Provided Guidance
 
“Most high school students don't realize that the college application process begins in your freshman year . . . . . if approached with an eye to positioning for college, the high school years will be more efficient. Aiming Higher helped me and my family get organized and gave us a guiding star for our high school trek.”  

~ Petra, Colorado
 

Awarded Over Half Million in Scholarships

"I knew that I wanted to attend college, but I also knew that with our financial situation, unless I was able to pay for it all with scholarships, I would be bidding my college hopes goodbye.  Aiming Higher was a critical, if not the critical piece of my preparation for the marathon that is college applications.  Mrs. Webb helped me figure out how to package my homeschool high school in such a manner that scholarship programs and entrance committees were able to fully appreciate the extent of what I'd done over the past few years - and in the end awarded me over half a million dollars in combined scholarships.” 

~ Chloe, Colorado

Service Beyond the Call of Duty

“Jeanette didn’t ask me to write this testimonial.  I offered to do it after experiencing her excellent, ‘beyond the call of duty’ service to our eldest son and our entire family.

My wife and I are college graduates and I went to an Ivy League school, so the process of applying wasn’t a black box to us.  But we both came out of public high schools and made our applications from within the educational ‘establishment.’  In addition, that was a quarter of a century ago, and the times have changed.  As home schooling parents, we didn’t have an office of guidance counselors behind us.  So instead the Lord led us to something better: Jeanette!

The fact is, admissions officers at most upper level universities still aren’t sure how to assess a home schooled child.  And we weren’t sure how to present our son to them!  Jeanette took us inside the mind of the admissions officers at today’s upper level schools and showed us how to ‘package’ our son in a way that would enable them to understand his actual achievements and activities, even though many of them don’t fit into the traditional model of public or private schools.

Jeanette really took the time to understand our son and our family.  As a Christian, she was able both to understand and support our ultimate goal of seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness.

The end result, under God’s providence, is our son was accepted early admission to an Ivy League school tied for fifth place in the latest national rankings.  And we received a no-loan financial aid package that will cover 95% of the total costs.”

~ Tom, China

Treasure Her Advice and Wisdom

"I love, love, love Jeannette!  She is unfailingly calm, cool, and clear amidst my anxiousness.  She always speaks right to the heart of my situations, usually providing a solution that I had not even thought of.  I also love that Jeannette gets in the "trench" with me.  She happily engages with every aspect and detail I present; she is undaunted by the minutia which I bring to the table.  It's like having another really close sister, not just a consultant.  I treasure her advice and wisdom...and selfishly wish she was my sister so I could consult with her more often."

~ Leslie, North Carolina

Matriculating to a Top 10 School with an Excellent Financial Aid Package

"I was overwhelmed with how to help our son translate his unusual homeschool experience to overworked admissions office where excellence was commonplace.  Throughout the process, Jeannette gave wonderful insight on how someone unfamiliar with homeschooling may not correctly understand the information as intended.  She also pointed out aspects of our son’s achievements that seemed commonplace to us, but would not appear so to the admission office and should be highlighted. She provided refreshingly honest guidance and feedback at every step allowing the paperwork to communicate a true reflection of my son, his abilities, and achievements in a way the colleges could easily evaluate alongside the other mainstream applicants.

After evaluating many wonderful schools, my son finalized his college list.  Jeannette was encouraging when she saw it, but strongly suggested that he add one more school, a specific top 10 college.  She said it was an excellent match for his interests and desired academic environment.   He reluctantly agreed, but it was the only school he did not visit ahead of time.  This spring he was accepted by a variety of wonderful colleges; however, the best financial aid was from the school Jeannette had recommended.  After visiting during Accepted Students Days, he was overwhelmed with how the school was everything he desired in a college and more. All who know him agree the school is the perfect "academic and intellectual fit" for our son.  We are so thankful Jeannette knew enough about the school and took the time to get to know our son to be able to suggest such a wonderful match.

I am confident it is because of Jeannette’s assistance that my son had so many wonderful college options and is matriculating to a top 10 school with an excellent financial aid package.  She made all the difference.  She helped translate his work into a recognizable package for the admissions office.   He did the work, but the packaging made him competitive."
                                                                    
~ Kathy, Tennessee

No Longer Felt Alone

"I can't thank you enough for your help, Jeannette.  I truly do thank God for you.  I hope you know what an invaluable service you are providing.  I have felt very alone through this process, but you made it more than bearable by providing your expertise, excellent creative advice, and personal support.  My husband is extremely grateful that we had you as a resource."

~ Leslie, Colorado

So Thankful She Partnered With Us

“As my first-born worked his way through high school, we realized that he wanted to apply to some competitive colleges when the time came.  I had done some of my homework, but felt overwhelmed when I considered the work that needed to be done to get my homeschooled student prepared and his academic records in order.  Fortunately, I was introduced to Jeannette Webb.  She helped me through every step of the college application process.  Early on she answered my questions and gave great advice.  During the summer before my son's senior year, she was invaluable advising my son on how to improve his essays.  She also assisted me on the counselor's letter, school profile, and transcript - tasks that seemed insurmountable to me.  Jeannette was extremely quick at responding to my various panicked e-mails.  She also did a mock interview with my son; consequently, he felt prepared for his real interview and it went well.  My son got into his first choice college - a university ranked in the top twenty.  I know this is greatly due to Jeannette's fantastic input (and the grace of God).  We are so thankful that she partnered in this process with us.”

~ Sheri, California