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  • Home
  • Don't Be Normal
  • About Us
  • How We Help You
    • Students
    • Parents
    • Paying For College
  • Our Services
  • FAQs
  • Contact
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Comprehensive College Planning with an Expert

Many families try to navigate the college process on their own. What ends up happening is the family either asks their friends what they did or they join an online support group asking strangers what they did. The problem is then the family simply makes the same mistakes as everyone else.  How do we know this? It's from experience:
  1. When JP was a director in the financial aid office, he witnessed new families making the same mistakes year after year. When he tried helping them, he learned they either followed the advice of their high school counselor or their family friends. The problem is none of them are experts when it comes to planning for college. 
  2. We are also members of many online support groups that are set up, and advice given by, well-meaning families. But even today, these families still spread information that usually ends up financially hurting most families because it is so generic or it was customized for their situation. Even if the advice is customized for one family, there is little chance that it will work for your unique situation.
It boils down to understanding the difference between knowledge and wisdom. We've seen people share the formula to financial aid and basically tell families there is nothing they can do to qualify for more financial aid. Yet if that were true, why is there a staff of financial aid counselors at almost every major university trying to help families qualify for more financial aid? We have helped countless families reduce their college bills because we have the experience. We can't promise we can help everyone. But those families who we can help, we do so ethically and responsibly. 

Ideally we connect with a family and their child by their Freshman or Sophomore year in High School. If a family comes to us later in the process, we can still help, but we have less time and less options to optimize the process.  In broad brush strokes, college planning involves:

DESIGNING your Student's College-to-Career Path​​
Aligning your career and college choices to get the most fulfilling career possible is not an easy task. Often the path can take drastic turns as your child learns more about themselves, their interests, and goals. It is important to find the right school that can manage your child's needs and help put them on a successful career path.

OPTIMIZING Your Student's Chances for College Acceptance
Top tier universities are becoming increasingly competitive to enter. We will guide you through the college admission process so your child stays on track to be accepted at their best-fit school. We will discuss strategies on how to improve your child's chances of getting accepted into the right school, such as ACT/SAT preparatory services, resume building activities such as volunteering or innovating, and writing an effective admissions essay.

ADVANCED Strategies for College Funding
Let's face it...college is expensive and every parent is concerned how much it will cost them. We will show you how to qualify for the maximum amount of financial aid possible. 
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But even so, you will still have a portion that you will be expected to pay. When you attend a regular college night or financial aid seminar, you'll hear about the federal and private loans that are available to both students and parents. That is the only advice provided by the schools' counselors, and that is why student loan debt is one of the biggest financial burdens on college graduates who are trying to pay rent,  save for a house, or save for retirement.

I can show you alternative options that most families never thought about. The strategies we discuss have been time-tested ever since I was a  director in the financial aid office. These strategies help families maximize their financial aid and help minimize their student loan debt. This service alone has the potential to save you TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars, if not more. 
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Helping Students
Helping Parents
Paying For College
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Schedule a FREE Strategy Session to See How We Can Help You. 
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Hours

M-F: 10am - 4pm or special appt.

Telephone

424.226.6423

Email

info@byJPSchmidt.com