Educational Consulting
College Consulting
The process of getting into college can seem overwhelming, especially for a student who hasn’t had a traditional education. At The Aspire Group, we follow a holistic approach to the college process which includes, most importantly, getting to know the student not only as an academic student but as a person with interests and passions. Counseling students with or without a learning challenge is about the process that makes that student feel comfortable and supported as they move forward toward this next big step in their life.
We help with generating a balanced list of schools, writing essays, documenting accommodations, filling out the application and improving interviewing skills. When we take the time at the start of the process to discover our student’s hopes and dreams, then we can begin to outline a vision of the future.
Essay Coaching
Using a proven 10-step process, we help students write compelling college and boarding school essays so they can attract attention while telling their stories. Whether students are writing their personal statements or individual college supplemental essays, we can help make the process painless and productive.
Gap Year
Today’s teens are often so pressured, so busy, and can become burnt out and need a break before returning to the classroom. Colleges want students to arrive ready to learn, and many may need some downtime before hitting the books again.
Traditional Boarding Schools
For many students and their parents, the reason for going to a boarding school varies. Some are looking for more emphasis on academics, while others for more compatibility with teachers. Boarding schools can support students as young as 9 years old and all the way through to their teenage years.
Boarding schools use a student’s time productively: they balance the week between exercising or playing sports, performing music or painting, a chance to participate in student government or start a club, have study time for homework with peers instead of by oneself. Boarding schools also provide much more: they cultivate a student’s readiness to go into college while having learned to be a roommate. They also allow students to take a leadership role, develop confidence, develop a passion, have teachers take a great interest in them, know how to ask for help and know how and when to study and structure the day and the week for positive outcomes. Additionally, some boarding schools offer a fifth year/post graduate year.
Consistent and personalized attention, coupled with an intimate learning environment, make for confident, happy and well-prepared adolescents.
Our extensive knowledge and relationships with schools across the country help us to find the best fit for your family. A child being away from home for the first time can cause anxiety in both parent and child. The Aspire Group helps the student, and their parents, develop the necessary confidence and comfort to make this important transition seamless.
Specialty Boarding Schools
Sometimes parents notice that their child is struggling in the traditional school setting and would succeed better in what is referred to as a “non-traditional” boarding school, one that adapts to the individual abilities of the student.
These specialty boarding schools can provide learning environments for students with specific learning differences, executive functioning issues and/or cognitive challenges.
These schools provide a strong framework of structure, nurturing and predictability in a much smaller classroom size so that students can start to internalize the tools necessary to take a project from beginning to end. Some of the challenges these programs address, but are not limited to include:
Attention Deficit
Cognitive Delays
Learning Differences
Physical Disabilities
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Executive Functioning Deficits
Neurological Disorders
The Aspire Group’s familiarity and insight into the services these schools provide help us determine the best options for your child. Understanding a student’s particular learning style, strengths, and opportunities for growth is the key to their long-term success.
Summer Programs
Summer is an important time for enrichment, remediation and fun! Sometimes students need to repeat academic courses or choose to earn credits for the upcoming school year. Students can also explore new fields of interest or build on subject matter they already enjoy. Some students wish to improve their social skills or want to spend a summer on an outdoor adventure. Opportunities await the adventurous high school or college student.
Whether it’s volunteering in a developing country, seeking physical challenges, or experiencing summer on a college campus, The Aspire Group has the resources to match our clients with the right summer program!
Post Secondary Options
Some young adults and adults face challenges whether with developmental delays, spectrum disorders, learning differences, substance use, or mental health. There are programs to support the individual either through attending specific programs, independent living environments or group homes.
Resource & Reference Guide
Imy Wax is the co-author of The K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Differences, published by Random House/Princeton Review. Imy’s successful resource guide has been used by professionals for 28 years as an indispensable source for information on admission requirements and graduation policies for students with Learning Differences, ADHD, and/or ASD.
Having Imy as a college counselor for your child, especially one who learns “outside the box” is a huge advantage!