GradQuest: Personalized guidance for college-bound, high school students.
We provide educational consulting to help high-school students to find a college fit so they will thrive. You’ll find a fit for academic, social, and personal college experiences. We will help you find this in less time, and with less stress while building your student’s confidence. GradQuest can help with college application strategies, college lists, essay review, final list prioritization for college visit planning or ongoing consulting, as needed.
Whether seeking support for:
Different Learning Styles
Athletic Recruiting or Training
A Quiet Thinker
An Ambitious Go-getter
GradQuest will personalize guidance with set support packages or ala carte (hourly), as needed. Regardless, we will prioritize your student’s unique strengths, needs, and values. We’ll help you identify and prioritize:
Safety Schools
Reach or Target Schools
Dream Schools.
Identify the optimal college experience for your student in less time and with less stress with GradQuest!
Northern Virginia based: In person consultation available in Northern Virginia / Virtual anywhere.
Free 30 minute consults available.
Find your College Fit today with GradQuest, today!
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Our Services
GradQuest was “born out of necessity” when an over-burdened public school guidance counselor put our daughter into a non-college-bound “box.” I knew there had to be a better path for her. Drawing on my 30+ years of management consulting and analytics, I dug in for some research on her behalf. That led to identifying and guiding her toward a better academic fit. First I found her a top private school, and later a highly respected “Public Ivy.” At the same time, we helped our oldest daughter find her path to a leading engineering program.
GradQuest is now a custom college research and guidance service, centered around your student’s individual needs, goals and potential. My business partner is a nationally certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with extensive experience in the public schools, advocating for student’s needs. Together, we are uniquely positioned to support and advocate for high school students who learn differently - helping them navigate the college application process with confidence and clarity.
Core Guidance: 40 hours of support over 19 to 24 months: Perfect for self-driven students needing guidance and accountability. Best to start between April & August - rising HS juniors, includes:
Building & prioritizing a “fit” based college list.
Standardized testing timeline
Essay brainstorming & reviews (2 rounds)
Application timeline planning
Monthly check-ins
Optional support for diverse learners
Investment: $4,000
Payment options: pay in full, in two parts (start and finish), or in monthly installments.
Focused Support: 80 hours over 19 to 24 months. Ideal for students seeking steady guidance. Best to start between April & August - rising HS juniors, includes package 1, plus:
In-depth college research/list refinement
Multiple personal statement draft edits.
Supplemental essay reviews (8 schools).
Interview preparation
Application platform walkthroughs
Tailored diverse learning styles strategies, with advocacy support if needed.
Investment: $8,000
Payment options: pay in full, in two parts (start and finish), or in monthly installments.
Comprehensive Mentorship: 120 hours over 19 to 24 months. Best for families seeking personalized, high-touch guidance. Best to start between April & August - rising HS juniors, includes package 2, plus:
Support for 12+ applications.
Activity list and resume coaching.
Email etiquette & recommendation strategies.
College visit planning and reflection.
Added support for alternative learning styles with strength-based planning, self-advocacy coaching and needed 504 support.
Investment: $12,000
Payment options: pay in full, in two parts (start and finish), or in monthly installments.
Full Journey Guidance: 160 hours over 30 months. Ideal for students beginning in 10th grade or juggling long-term commitments like athletics. Includes package 3, plus:
Early academic & extracurricular strategies
Summer planning & enrichment
Career and major exploration
PSAT/SAT & ACT timeline planning
Athletic guidance (recruitment strategies, training, balancing with academics)
Early start, private school prioritization.
Investment: $16,000.
Payment options: full, two parts (start and finish), or monthly installments.
Other Services (hourly)
$100 per hour
If you feel you have most things figured out, but just need help with some things, we can help you with those “ala carte” for our hourly rate.
Maybe you only need:
Help prioritizing colleges.
Getting essays reviewed
Help with application strategies (Early Admission vs Early Decision, etc.).
We could just focus on those things or most any of the items in packages 1 - 4. We could focus time on these things, just when you need them.
$100 per hour
Help with Learning Differences, Advocacy, etc., can also be done “ala carte.” Same hourly rate, but there can be allot to it, so it gets its own section.
Can your student get extra time on tests - explore 504 or IEP plans with proper testing (we could review county or private testing and advocate for accommodations accordingly).
If you have a 504 or IEP, we can help you to gain extra time for PSAT/SAT, translating to college accommodations as well.
General consultation: If you do not have testing to support the above, we can suggest a path forward .
$75 per hour
I have been a rower for over 30 years. I have also done some coaching for a couple of schools, prepping athletes for States and Nationals. I would help with:
Training plans (so you can put in some extra work and get further). For rowers I do have access to some boats and ergs as well.
Recruitment help (setting up your NCSA Recruitment account / advising on options you may have, given your sport).
Engage with coaches at your choice school(s), about scholarships or “walk-on” options, etc.
Most of my experience is with rowing, but the assistance I could provide would translate to most sports.
Book an appointment
Welcome to GradQuest! You may have noticed that we have not mentioned certain big named Ivy covered schools. We are focused on finding the “Right Path” for your student. We do not have preconceived notions; we want to understand your student’s unique needs and interests and match those up to schools that best support those needs.
Fill out this brief form to send us your name, email, and what you are interested in and we will contact you as soon as we can.
If you are not sure, that’s ok, everyone starts with a complimentary 30 minute discussion anyway. Let us know what you are thinking and we will email you back to schedule that free 30 minute talk first. Let’s see how we can help and/or what assistance package might be best for you and your student.
